Erick Lindgren: 'You look for stubborn players to play those hands'

  Erick's competitive life started in the days when bluffing was something he only did on dates, and when he had to explain to his parents why he was coming in six hours after curfew. Back then, in his home state of California, he sated his addiction to competition on the sports field. Erick was an MVP shooting guard for his basketball league, as well as an all league Quarterback. He tried his hand at college, but quickly deduced it wasn't for him. Lindgren's first big gamble in life was leaving an academic world. A future as an accountant or engineer might have been more secure, but security sometimes walks hand in hand with lethal boredom. This was not the life he wanted.  His life in cards began when he became a blackjack dealer. For a while he was content just shuffling his fifty two friends and picking up what tricks he could from the players. After a while on the "house" side of the table, he got to the point where he thought he could succeed as a competitor, and started playing poker professionally.  At the tender age of 27, Erick has experienced the kind of success that most players don"t enjoy until much later in their careers, if at all. To date his tournament winnings total over two million dollars. Lindgren also has three major tournament wins under his belt since December 2002. At the "Poker Million III" Erick came away from the table with the million dollar prize, while the rest of the field walked out with, presumably, a deep sense of disappointment. Taking his game on the road, he won the 2003 WPT event in Aruba and came home to Las Vegas with five hundred thousand dollars.   Erick's success in tournament play has not distracted him from the ring game. In his biggest single hand win in cash play, Erick relieved his fellow players of the burden of over forty thousand dollars.   At a very young age Erick Lindgren has already carved out a career one can hang their hat on. There are decades left to his career, which leaves the sport of poker in very good hands.Related linksWSOP 2005 - Frangos vs. LindgrenWSOP 2005 - It's a Family Affair!WSOP 2005 - Folding Pocket QueensWSOP 2005 - Atlantic City, Final HandArticle of the Day Archive