If you do any shopping on West Ham United’s online store, you may notice that the site carries several poker themed items. It is not surprising that they would do so seeing that the game of poker has been growing in popularity over the last few years. In fact, several professional footballers and retired footballers from around the world have taken up the game. Today we will look at a couple of reasons why the game of poker has become the alternate game of choice for many footballers.
If you ask any players that play the game of poker for the main reason they play, you would expect them to tell you that it is for the money. However, as Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon and others will tell you, they play it more for the competition and the challenge that the game brings.
Unlike football, you are not playing against several men on a field and you do not have other team members to back your play. It is literally man vs. man or woman and your success or failure is squarely placed on your shoulders. It is the ultimate penalty kick situation and the adrenaline rush from playing poker said to only be matched by playing in front of 100,000 screaming fans.
Also, poker requires a high amount of strategy and mental toughness like the game of football. Variables are always changing in a poker game just like it is during a football match. You also have to adjust your play according to how well or how poorly your opponents are playing and also based on how well you are performing.
A player must be sharp mentally and physically fit to play poker at a high level. While there are some overweight professional players, the results posted in recent years have proven that the elite in the poker world tend to be both physically and mentally fit.
One huge advantage that poker players have over footballers is that as they age, they can still be competitive in poker. In football, once you hit your 30’s, your skills go downhill and many have to give up the game at a high level. As players like Doyle Brunson have proven, you can still play the game of poker well into the later years of life.
Poker offers the same challenge of football and requires many of the same attributes that football players must have in order to be successful. It is no surprise that current and former players have taken up the game and many more likely will do so in the near future.
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