For both amateur and professional athletes, the urge to compete is a must-have. Feeling a strong desire to win is almost as essential as the skills needed to play and it’s this inner motivation that’s a common theme among all sports stars at the top of the game. As such, it makes perfect sense that the same eternal desire is present when they’re not performing on the court or field. Regardless of what they are doing, they want to be the best and victorious at all times.
With that in mind, it’s fitting that so many top level sports stars have taken to the game of poker like a duck to water. As a safe pastime that allows them to continue to channel their inner competitive push, poker and athletes have become an extremely common combination.
Part of the attraction to poker comes from the desire to work hard and improve on a continuous basis. As a common athletic pursuit, all athletes at the highest level of their respective games work tirelessly to become better – a never-ending process. Poker fits in well with this idea as the old adage says that the game takes just a few minutes to learn but a lifetime to master. This open-ended journey is its own reward as players are able to realize how they’ve improved with tangible wins against better opponents. But there’s more.
Strategy Development
Poker is all about strategy – finding that perfect balance of aggression and tactics to efficiently exploit the mistakes of your opponent. While the average viewer might see an athlete as someone who performs using their skills, the truth is that strategy and calculations are both critical parts of any successful sports approach. For many, this means reviewing scores of film to identify weaknesses in preparation for a future contest, whether a tennis match or a Champions League game. Nearly all top athletes spend a great deal of time developing strategy and as this happens naturally while playing poker and learning from mistakes, it’s yet another reason why sports and poker go hand in hand.
For the ultimate in sporting strategy, it doesn’t get more detailed than mixed martial arts –MMA. A fighter may spend months training for a single upcoming match, using teams of experts who will copy his or her opponent’s style and develop the perfect strategy for a victory in the cage. It should then not come as a shock that Danish Welterweight MMA fighter Martin Kampmann has also used strategy development to succeed in victory in the green felt too. At May 2014’s Poker NV Challenge Main Event in Reno, Kampmann bested a field of 170 players to take down his first big poker tournament win, good for a prize of more than $52,000.
Just For Fun
Even though the desire for competition is strong, many athletes look to poker as little more than a way to have fun. Plenty have participated in invitational tournaments where no money is on the line and little can be gained from winning other than bragging rights. These types of events also give pros a chance to interact with their fans on a more human level as everyone at a poker table is treated as an equal, which can be a very enjoyable experience for both the fans and the athletes.
You may be surprised to hear that Cristiano Ronaldo is also a big fan of poker, something he has officially confirmed by choose to become part of Team PokerStars last year, which he called “the world’s best poker team” in his announcement tweet. The 31-year-old scoring machine seems to enjoy both the competitive and the more laid-back sides of poker. Cristiano Ronaldo has a record-breaking over 110,950,000 fans on Facebook (chances are there will be a lot more by the time you read this), who he often shares insights into his personal life with – including his poker achievements. That’s no surprise as Cristiano is known for being quite approachable, especially considering his worldwide fame.
Filling Empty Hours
One problem that many professional athletes face is a large amount of downtime as they travel from match to match. Finding a hobby that fills the empty hours on planes and in hotel rooms is essential, to both keep entertained and relaxed between games. Poker works well for these times, being a healthy competitive outlet that doesn’t jeopardize their main sport competitiveness with a risk of injury. Playing poker keeps the mind mentally active and there’s nothing better than eliminating a few of your friends and teammates in a friendly freeze-out tournament.
Paul Pierce is an excellent example of an athlete with a lot of spare time to fill. The NBA regular season stretches for 84 games and teams play up to three matches per week, with about half taking place on the road in unfamiliar cities. Pierce made poker a constant activity with his Boston Celtics teammates and his skill was strong enough that he decided to take it to the next level by entering the World Series of Poker where he impressively lasted until the end of Day 3 before being knocked out shy of the money line.
Competition After Retirement
After an athlete’s sporting career has ended, it’s often the case that their competitive drive doesn’t really go away easily. Many have turned to poker as a way to fulfill that desire after top-level physical competition is no longer an option. By incorporating the same values experienced during training and game day performances, a cash game or tournament checks off all the right boxes for an athlete looking to still compete after they have retired from their primary sport.
Former baseball legend Orel Hershiser is an excellent example of an athlete that has come into his own as a poker player after retirement. Learning the game from the ground up, the pitcher started off his poker career somewhat inconspicuously by becoming a regular at a local Las Vegas casino’s small stakes cash games. However, it wouldn’t be long before his desire to win started to show itself. In 2008, Hershiser competed in the National Heads Up Poker Championship and defeated a trio of famous pros, including Allen Cunningham, Ted Forrest, and Freddy Deeb, before losing in the next round to Andy Block. All three of his vanquished opponents held World Series of Poker bracelets, making it a very impressive feat. His latest achievement was in January of 2016, where he landed in 2nd place at a daily No Limit Hold’em event held in the Aria Resort, Las Vegas.
The reasons why an athlete might begin playing poker are numerous and there are plenty of examples of sports stars that have become fans of the game. While the vast majority use poker as more a relaxing activity rather than a source of additional income, the similarities between their sport of choice and poker are quite clear and it’s not surprising that many have developed impressive chops during their time with the game. It hasn’t happened yet, but it seems only a matter of time before a professional athlete takes home a major poker tournament win.
