Last night, I hosted a poker event called “Chips & Chicks.”
It was the third time I’ve hosted a “Chips & Chicks” session, bringing together female investors, founders, and engineers from the London tech scene to play poker together.
Every session has been great.
But last night, we had a special guest.
My Dad, Erik Seidel, a 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and one of the best poker players of all time, joined.
It was a blast.
It’s hard to express how special it felt to be in a room with eighteen brilliant, supportive women and to sit next to my Dad while he talked through hands.
Some highlights from the night:
Iulia Tudor playing so terrifyingly risk-on and setting the tone for a high-energy, splashy game. It made it impossible to play against her.
Mayowa Ogunermi strategically asking, “How much is the max bet?” — in a total bluff to push people off the pot. And it worked :)
Emma Steele, despite being early in her poker career, ending up with almost all of the chips on the table.
Most of the group was still in learning mode, and after a wild hand with some aggressive raises, I asked my Dad for his thoughts on the game. His response — “It’s great. There is a lot of mystery involved.”
Thank you to everyone who joined!! And thank you to my Dad, the ultimate grinder. His focus, competitiveness, composure, and creativity drive me to get smarter and stay hungry every day.
If you’re a female investor, founder, or engineer in London and want to join next game, feel free to sign up on this form: Chips & Chips Poker Night Signup Form
Regardless of gender identity, if you’re an investor, founder, or engineer in London and play poker — let’s connect! I plan on hosting regular single-table all-gender games this fall and winter. If you have any interest in joining, add your name to this Poker Night Signup Form
Group photo of the crew!
Table pre-game!
Live shot of the action!
Wow Jamesin this is so cool!! I didn’t know this about your Dad