Cory Zeidman

Cory Zeidman, born in 1949, is an American professional poker player who has been active in the poker world for decades. He is best known for his prowess in limit Omaha hi-lo and mixed games, a niche that earned him respect among peers. According to poker databases, Zeidman has amassed over $690,000 in live tournament cashes, with his last recorded cash occurring on May 19, 2022, just days before criminal proceedings against him began. Despite his tournament success, Zeidman has primarily been a cash game professional, often playing high-stakes mixed games in Florida and Las Vegas.

Zeidman's most notable poker achievement came at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). He won his first WSOP bracelet in 1999, taking down the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event for $96,000. This victory cemented his reputation as a formidable Omaha player. He later added a second bracelet in 2012, though details of that win are less documented. Over his career, Zeidman made multiple WSOP final tables, including a fifth-place finish in the $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo event in 2000. His total live tournament earnings, as tracked by The Hendon Mob, exceed $692,000, with the majority coming from WSOP events and other mixed-game tournaments.

Among poker fans of the boom era, Zeidman is perhaps best remembered for an infamous slowroll of poker legend Jennifer Harman at the 2005 World Series of Poker. The incident, which occurred during a limit hold'em event, involved Zeidman taking an extended pause before calling Harman's all-in bet, despite holding the nuts. The slowroll drew widespread criticism and became a memorable moment in poker history, often cited as an example of poor etiquette at the tables.

Zeidman's poker career has been overshadowed by serious legal issues. In 2023, he was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a sports betting scheme that defrauded victims of over $25 million. According to prosecutors, Zeidman and his partners operated under fake business names and used high-pressure sales tactics to sell fraudulent "inside" information on sporting events, including claims of player injury updates, "dirty" referees, and fixed games. The information was either fictitious or obtained from simple internet searches. Victims paid exorbitant fees for this "privileged" information, which Zeidman claimed would make their bets risk-free.

In a surprising turn, Zeidman, who initially told PokerNews he would never plead guilty, changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the charges in 2024. The guilty plea was announced by the Nassau County Police and Homeland Security Investigations, with special agent Charles Walker stating, "Sports bettors sought Cory Zeidman's advice before gambling their money — but it was Zeidman himself who was scoring big through his deceptive practices, outright lies, and high-pressure tactics that exploited unsuspecting clients." Zeidman, a former Long Island resident, now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. As of early 2025, he was not in custody while awaiting sentencing, scheduled for October 7 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Seybert is not bound by the sentencing guidelines and could impose a shorter or longer term.

Zeidman was known for a methodical, mathematically precise approach to poker, particularly in limit Omaha hi-lo. He emphasized hand selection, position, and careful pot-odds calculations, earning him a reputation as a "professor" of the game. His success in a specialized niche highlighted the value of deep expertise in specific poker variants. However, his legacy is now marred by his criminal activities, serving as a cautionary tale about the intersection of gambling and fraud. While his poker achievements remain on record, his legal troubles have become a defining part of his public narrative.