1996 WSOP Main Event Champion, Four-Time Bracelet Winner and Poker Hall of Famer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2020
Huckleberry “Huck” Seed has built one of poker’s most distinctive tournament résumés, combining a World Series of Poker Main Event championship with four WSOP bracelets, major mixed-game results, heads-up success and a place in the Poker Hall of Fame. His 1996 Main Event victory remains the defining result of his career, but Seed’s accomplishments across multiple forms of poker show why his reputation extends well beyond a single championship.
After spending much of the late 2010s and early 2020s away from regular WSOP competition, Seed returned to the series in 2025 and immediately produced meaningful results. He continued appearing in major live events in 2026, adding another chapter to a tournament record that stretches back to 1990.
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Who Is Huck Seed?
Huckleberry “Huck” Seed is an American professional poker player best known for winning the 1996 WSOP Main Event. He is a four-time WSOP bracelet winner and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2020.
Seed’s tournament record covers No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Razz, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud Hi-Lo and other mixed games. The official WSOP Poker Hall of Fame announcement also describes him as a fixture in high-stakes cash games for several decades.
Global Poker Index currently lists Seed as an American player residing in Las Vegas. His recorded live tournament results date to 1990, giving him a competitive history spanning more than three decades.
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From Caltech to High-Stakes Poker
Before establishing himself in poker, Seed was an accomplished basketball player. WSOP records note that he was an all-state player in Montana at Corvallis High School before attending the California Institute of Technology.
At Caltech, Seed played basketball and studied electrical engineering. He eventually took a leave of absence from college and turned his attention toward poker.
His first recorded WSOP cash came in 1990. Within four years, Seed had won his first bracelet, beginning a run that would establish him as a successful player across both championship No-Limit Hold’em and specialist poker variants.
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Huck Seed’s Four WSOP Bracelets
Seed has won four WSOP bracelets. His victories span three different poker disciplines and nearly a decade of World Series competition.
1994 — $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha — $167,000
1996 — $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event — $1,000,000
2000 — $1,500 Limit Razz — $77,400
2003 — $5,000 Limit Razz — $71,500
The variety of those victories is an important part of Seed’s record. He won his first bracelet in Pot-Limit Omaha, captured poker’s most prominent No-Limit Hold’em championship two years later and then added two Razz titles.
That range helps explain why Seed has long been associated with all-around poker ability rather than a single tournament format.
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Winning the 1996 WSOP Main Event
Seed’s signature achievement came at the 1996 World Series of Poker.
The $10,000 Main Event attracted 295 entries. Seed reached a final table that included John Bonetti and Men “The Master” Nguyen before eventually defeating Bruce Van Horn heads-up.
The victory paid Seed $1 million and earned him his second WSOP bracelet.
Winning the Main Event made Seed poker’s world champion and permanently placed him among the relatively small group of players to capture the game’s best-known tournament. It also remains the largest single live tournament cash of his career.
Seed nearly returned to the Main Event’s biggest stage three years later. In 1999, he finished sixth for $167,700.
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Success Beyond the Main Event
Seed continued to produce significant results after his 1996 championship, particularly in formats that rewarded versatility.
He reached back-to-back final tables in the prestigious $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the WSOP, finishing seventh for $284,160 in 2008 and fifth for $276,610 in 2009.
His success was not limited to traditional multi-table events. Seed won the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, defeating Vanessa Rousso in the final and earning $500,000.
One year later, he added another major invitational title by winning the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions. The 27-player event brought together accomplished players and former champions, and Seed defeated Howard Lederer heads-up to collect $500,000. The official WSOP Tournament of Champions recap documents the victory.
The World Poker Tour has also recorded multiple Seed cashes, although its current player record lists no WPT Main Tour victories.
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Poker Hall of Fame Induction
Seed was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame as the class of 2020.
By that point, his résumé included the 1996 Main Event championship, four WSOP bracelets, the NBC Heads-Up title, the WSOP Tournament of Champions victory and decades of experience in high-stakes poker.
The induction formally recognized a career that had already covered several distinct eras of the game. Seed had established himself before the poker boom, remained competitive through the expansion of televised and online poker, and accumulated major results in both Hold’em and mixed-game formats.
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Huck Seed’s Live Tournament Earnings
As of August 26, 2026, the PokerNews Huck Seed player profile lists $7,910,633 in total live tournament earnings and states that its earnings data is supplied by The Hendon Mob.
Global Poker Index currently lists a slightly different total of $7,912,291. Small differences between tournament databases can occur because of update timing or database methodology, so live earnings totals should be treated as changing statistics rather than permanent career figures.
Both databases list Seed’s $1 million victory in the 1996 WSOP Main Event as his largest live tournament cash.
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What Kind of Poker Player Is Huck Seed?
Seed’s results support a reputation for versatility more clearly than any narrow label about his playing style.
His bracelets came in No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha and Razz. He has also reached major final tables in H.O.R.S.E., performed successfully in heads-up competition and continued cashing in split-pot and mixed-game tournaments decades after his first WSOP results.
That breadth is particularly important when evaluating his career. Many of Seed’s most notable performances occurred outside No-Limit Hold’em, including his two Razz bracelets and consecutive $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. final tables.
The WSOP has also documented his long history in high-stakes cash games, further distinguishing his career from players known primarily through tournament results.
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Huck Seed’s Return to the WSOP
Seed spent years largely outside the regular WSOP spotlight before making a substantial return in 2025.
PokerNews reported that his 2025 appearance represented a return to the series after nearly a decade away. He proceeded to cash repeatedly during the summer and came within one heads-up match of winning a fifth bracelet.
In Event #69, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better tournament, Seed finished runner-up to Blaz Zerjav. The second-place finish paid $102,281.
Seed remained active in live tournament poker in 2026. PokerNews records a 37th-place finish in a $600 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2026 Wynn Millions for $2,104.
He also returned to the WSOP in May 2026. In Event #4, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better tournament, Seed advanced to Day 2 with 59,000 chips. That appearance provides current evidence that the Hall of Famer remains an active participant in major live poker events rather than a player whose career exists only in the historical record.
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Why Huck Seed Matters in Poker
Seed’s place in poker history rests on several accomplishments that rarely appear together on one résumé.
He won the WSOP Main Event, captured bracelets in multiple poker disciplines, became a major heads-up champion, won the WSOP Tournament of Champions and earned induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
His career also bridges generations. Seed began recording WSOP results before the poker boom, competed against many of the game’s best-known players through the 1990s and 2000s, and returned decades later to contend for another bracelet in a mixed-game event.
That longevity, combined with success across different formats, gives Seed significance beyond the $1 million championship that made him famous.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Huck Seed have?
Huck Seed has four WSOP bracelets. He won them in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2003 across Pot-Limit Omaha, No-Limit Hold’em and Razz.
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Did Huck Seed win the WSOP Main Event?
Yes. Huck Seed won the 1996 WSOP Main Event, defeating a field of 295 entries and earning $1 million.
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How much has Huck Seed won in live poker tournaments?
As of August 26, 2026, PokerNews lists Huck Seed at $7,910,633 in live tournament earnings using data supplied by The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index lists a slightly different total of $7,912,291, and career earnings figures can change as tournament databases are updated.
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What is Huck Seed’s biggest live tournament cash?
Seed’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $1 million for winning the 1996 WSOP Main Event.
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Is Huck Seed in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. Huck Seed was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Did Huck Seed win the WSOP Tournament of Champions?
Yes. Seed won the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions and collected $500,000 after defeating Howard Lederer heads-up.
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Does Huck Seed have a WPT title?
The World Poker Tour’s current player record lists five Main Tour cashes for Seed and zero Main Tour wins.
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Is Huck Seed still playing poker?
Recent results show that Seed remains active in live tournament poker. He returned to the WSOP in 2025, finished second in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event for $102,281, cashed at the 2026 Wynn Millions and competed at the 2026 WSOP.