Gridiron Gambler: NFL Great Richard Seymour Looks for Deep Run as a bestbet Bounty

By Sean Chaffin

Richard Seymour (pictured) knows a lot about tackling opponents and sacking quarterbacks. In a career that spanned 12 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders, the former defensive end recorded 324 tackles and 57.5 sacks. He’s now hoping to bring some of that success to the poker felt and capture a title at the WPT besbet Bounty Scramble.

Originally from Georgia, the event is right in his backyard and makes for an easy trip. Seymour has $530,000 in live tournament winnings including $111,656 on the WPT. His best WPT cash came in the Five Diamond Poker Classic in Season XV, where he finished 18th for $52,174. The tour has become one of his favorite series on the poker scene.

“The World Poker Tour is a prestigious event,” he says. “They do a great job of taking care of the players and having good prize pool and great structures. So it’s one of the best series.”

In recent years, Seymour has had a few tough bustouts and was coolered with some big hands. At Five Diamond in 2016, he ran pocket Kings into other players’ pocket Aces – twice.

Despite the run of occasional bad luck, Seymour’s taking it in stride.

“That’s just part of the game,” he says. “It doesn’t bother me. I try to be decision-oriented and the results will come. But I don’t play every stop. I try to select a few stops a year that I go to and enjoy. It’s a great hobby and I have fun with it.”

Seymour is now one of several bounties left in the room. Players will be gunning to eliminate the three-time Super Bowl champion and secure the extra $2,500 on his head.

“It’s fun,” he says of the format. “It’s always just great to come out and compete. That’s really what it’s about for me.”

Among the field in Day 1a at bestbet, Seymour had built his stack up to about 63,000 chips by the dinner break from the original starting stack of 40,000. What are some of his poker goals and how does poker compare to competition on the gridiron?

“To just continue to get better and play tough, play hard, and eliminate mistakes,” he says. “I think you have to be resilient because there are always ups and downs. It takes a lot to win. It pulls a lot from you if you want to compete at the highest level. You can’t get tilted. You can’t be too high or too low, which is my personality anyways.

“Over the course of my short playing career in poker, I think I’ve learned to not be upset at situations because that’s a part of the game.”

Away from the tables, Seymour is a busy man. He and his wife have five children and he also owns a transportation company.

With the NFL getting close to the halfway point, how does the seven-time Pro Bowler see the season playing out? While he couldn’t give out his Super Bowl pick yet, he offered his picks for the conference championship games.

In the NFC, he sees the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles squaring off with a shot to advance to the title game. In the AFC, he picks the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs battling for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

Those looking for a little NFL action may want to remember those picks the next time visiting a sports betting window.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.