Erick Lindgren biography
Erick Lindgren was born on August 11, 1976, in Burney, California, and rose through the mid-2000s tournament boom to become one of the game's most recognizable faces, winning his first major title at the 2002 Bellagio Five Diamond Poker Classic and his first WPT title the following year.
He built a broad, multi-format resume through the decade, including a $1,000,000 win on the PartyPoker Million III cruise in 2004 and an A$1,000,000 Aussie Millions title in 2007, before capturing his first WSOP gold bracelet in 2008, a season strong enough to earn him the WSOP Player of the Year award. He added a second bracelet in 2013 in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event.
Lindgren's career took a sharp downward turn following Full Tilt Poker's "Black Friday" shutdown on April 15, 2011, which abruptly ended his sponsored income; combined with substantial sports betting debts and undisclosed loans from Full Tilt, his financial situation deteriorated to the point that he entered a problem gambling rehabilitation program in late 2012 and ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2015, citing more than $10 million in cumulative debt against under $50,000 in assets, one of the more sobering cautionary tales to emerge from poker's boom-era sponsorship system.
Career summary
The 2008 WSOP Player of the Year and two-time bracelet winner with over $10.8 million in career earnings, whose dominant boom-era run was followed by severe financial distress and a 2015 bankruptcy filing tied to Full Tilt Poker's collapse and undisclosed debts.
Erick Lindgren poker winnings
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handedsecond bracelet | 1st | $606,317 |
| 2008 | $5,000 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)first bracelet | 1st | $374,505 |
| 2007 | Aussie Millions $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 1st | A$1,000,000 |
| 2004 | PartyPoker Million III Cruise | 1st | $1,000,000 |
| 2013 | WPT Championship | 2nd | $700,000 |
Verified live tournament earnings: $10,800,000+ from 54 cashes, plus 2 WSOP bracelets.
Erick Lindgren playing style
A versatile, multi-format tournament competitor equally comfortable in mixed games and no-limit hold'em, whose aggressive, confident style defined his standout 2008 Player of the Year season.
Cash games
A well-known figure in Full Tilt Poker's high-stakes cash-game and sponsorship ecosystem during the site's peak years before its 2011 "Black Friday" collapse abruptly cut off his sponsored income.
Business & sponsorships
Longtime Full Tilt Poker sponsored professional; later faced severe financial distress tied to undisclosed Full Tilt loans and sports betting debts, entering a problem gambling rehabilitation program in 2012 and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015.
Why Erick matters
A once-dominant tournament professional nicknamed "E-Dog" whose 2008 WSOP Player of the Year season represented the peak of a career that later unraveled amid Full Tilt Poker's collapse, undisclosed debts, and a public bankruptcy filing.
FAQ about Erick Lindgren
What earned Erick Lindgren the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year title?
A strong season capped by his first WSOP gold bracelet in a $5,000 Mixed Hold'em event, part of a broader multi-format tournament resume that made him one of the most feared players of poker's boom era.
What happened to Erick Lindgren's finances after Full Tilt Poker's collapse?
The site's 2011 "Black Friday" shutdown ended his sponsored income, and combined with sports betting debts and undisclosed Full Tilt loans, his situation deteriorated into a 2015 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing citing over $10 million in debt.
How many WSOP bracelets does Erick Lindgren have?
Erick Lindgren has won 2 WSOP bracelets.