Eric Hershler

Eric Hershler was born in South Africa and later moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, California. In his younger years he played mostly seven-card stud and only came to Texas hold'em later in his poker development. His introduction to live tournament poker could hardly have been more dramatic: in 2007, he bought into the World Poker Tour's L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino for $10,000 — his first live tournament. Against a field of 791 players, Hershler outlasted everyone and defeated JC Tran heads-up to win $2,429,970 plus a $25,000 seat to the WPT World Championship. The heads-up duel lasted only a single hand, reportedly the shortest in WPT history at the time. The win also made him a member of the WPT Champions Club, receiving the WPT Champions Cup; the trophy was renamed the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup in 2020 in honor of the late commentator.

World Poker Tour Career

The 2007 L.A. Poker Classic victory remains the cornerstone of Hershler's tournament résumé. He has earned 38 WPT cashes totaling more than $2.8 million in that tour alone, with a WPT points total around 1,650. Tran, a seasoned tournament veteran, later described Hershler as his nemesis after that decisive loss. Although Hershler never added a second WPT title, he repeatedly reached the later stages of major stops. At the 2009-2010 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic he finished 8th for $107,133. In the 2009-2010 Legends of Poker he took 10th for $32,700, and in the 2013-2014 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star he again placed 10th, collecting $49,740. The 2013-2014 WPT L.A. Poker Classic saw him finish 25th for $36,400. More recently, he cashed twice in the 2024/2025 WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, finishing 362nd for $3,500 and 494th for $2,920.

Hershler's success at Commerce Casino, his home venue, helped him become a familiar face on the Southern California tournament circuit. His live tournament earnings on the WPT alone exceed $2.8 million, and his overall results place him among the most successful players based in Los Angeles.

At the World Series of Poker, Hershler has recorded 43 in-the-money finishes. A WSOP bracelet has so far eluded him, but he has made several deep runs in both high-profile and senior events. In the 2023 WSOP Main Event he finished 1,084th for $17,500. The following summer, at the 55th World Series of Poker in 2024, the $1,000 Super Seniors event (Bracelet Event #59, open to players 60 and over) drew 3,362 entries for a prize pool of $2,958,560; Hershler finished 24th for $14,576. In 2025 he added cashes in the Seniors event (Event #48), placing 1,114th for $2,000, and in the Super Seniors event (Event #64), taking 454th for $2,002. Away from the WSOP and WPT, he has posted results in regional tours such as the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT).

Hershler is widely described as a conservative, disciplined player. He has said that he prefers careful decision-making over impulsive gambles, relying on patience, attrition, and chip management to survive deep into tournaments. His style is built around outlasting opponents rather than out-bluffing them: 'Many players are more gambling-minded than me, but when you lose patience and the cards aren't falling your way, you're out. I play attrition.' In the key hand of his 2007 title run, he held J♦6♦, flopped two pair, and used clever deception plus aggressive betting to get called and seal the quick heads-up victory. That combination of tight fundamentals and timely aggression has allowed him to come back from short stacks throughout his career. Away from the tables, Hershler is known to enjoy exploring local food and culture during tournament trips.

Hershler's total live earnings stand at $3,220,931, with a best live cash of $2,429,970 from his WPT title. He has reached the $3 million earnings milestone and has been ranked 776th on the all-time money list, 391st among United States players, and on the California all-time money list. For a player whose first live tournament produced a WPT championship and a seven-figure payday, Hershler has remained an understated presence in the poker world, focusing almost exclusively on live events rather than social media self-promotion. His record shows remarkable longevity, cashing regularly from 2007 through 2025, and his name remains attached to one of the most improbable and memorable debuts in tournament poker history.