Player Profiles: Huckleberry Seed
Before Seed won the 1996 World Series of Poker main event, he already had an impressive resume for a young player. He made seven final tables at the WSOP including winning a bracelet in 1994 for $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha. During the early 1990s, Seed had two second place finishes in Deuce to Seven Draw events and missed winning a bracelet by one spot. Seed also won two bracelets in Razz. He beat Phil Ivey heads up in 2002 for the title. Over his career Seed won $3.4 million in tournaments.
While not too much is known about Huckleberry Seed's personal life, most of the stories about Huck have him involved in outrageous prop bets.
Seed lost a beard bet once. He had to not shave for an entire year in order to win. He lost when he had to attend a family funeral and had to shave before going home.
Seed won one of the most amazing golf bets of all time. His feat was recently replicated by Erick Lindgren, except Seed's was a little tougher. Seed had to shoot four rounds of golf in under 100 using just three clubs... 5-iron, a sand wedge and a putter. Depending on who you talk to, it took Seed five or six attempts to shoot under 100 four times. And he had to run between the holes and the guy who set the bet with him picked the hottest day of the year for Seed to do the bet. It was 120 degrees that day.
Seed has also lost the ocean bet to Phil Hellmuth. The Poker Brat bet Seed $50,000 that he could not stand in the ocean for 18 straight hours. Seed also won money from Howard Lederer when he did a standing back flip. Lederer also bet Seed that he could run a 50-yard dash faster then him... hopping on one foot. When Lederer did a test run, Seed saw that he'd lose and handed over $5,000.
Aside from those wacky prop bets that are a part of Las Vegas lore, Seed can actually play poker. He's trying to win his fifth WSOP bracelet and his second world championship. Not too many players can boast that they have won multiple events. And Seed is trying to make that list that includes Johnny Moss (3), Stu Ungar (3), Johnny Chan (2), and Doyle Brunson (2).
Out of the last 100 players, Seed and Scotty Nguyen are the only two former champions who are remaining in the field.