Top Sportspeople Who Enjoy Playing Poker Games
Becoming a top sportsperson is a challenge. It takes a significant amount of dedication, sacrifice and focus, along with the physical capability required to master the chosen sport. Many sports stars are attracted to poker because it’s complex; they find a challenge and do their best to succeed at it.
Sports Stars and Poker
Mastering poker takes a lot of time. To become a top-level poker player, you need to dedicate yourself to the game, gain experience from playing against others and develop your strategy.
Many leading sports stars who play poker do so because they find it a challenge. They know it requires skill and strategy, and isn’t entirely based on luck like roulette or slots.
In many ways, poker is like a sport; it takes time to master and there’s a lot to it. Here are five well-known sports stars who have tried their luck at poker.
Boris Becker
The German tennis player is regarded as one of the sport’s best ever players, having broken a string of records throughout his illustrious and very successful career.
Now retired, Becker won a very impressive six Grand Slam titles: he won the US Open once, the Australian Open twice, and the Wimbledon Championships no fewer than three times.
Having won more than $25 million in prize money, Becker has certainly had plenty of disposable income to invest in poker. He didn’t just have the money necessary to make it big at poker, he also had the skill.
After taking part in various tournaments, Becker amassed over $111,000 in winnings. He was also a PokerStars ambassador from 2007-2013 before becoming a partypoker ambassador in 2013.
Michael Phelps
The world’s most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, is a former professional swimmer who has a total of 28 Olympic medals to his name. He’s been called one of the best swimmers and athletes of all time.
He’s also one of the many top-level sportsmen who play poker and have made it a success. It was during his teenage years that he first started playing the game with his classmates.
As his swimming career took off, he continued playing poker, taking on fellow athletes and celebrities in games with increasingly higher stakes. In recent years, he’s mostly been a recreational player.
However, he’s also taken part in some high-level tournaments, including the World Series of Poker. He’s also worked as an ambassador for Global Poker’s 2023 Celebrity Challenge.
The former swimmer recently expanded his partnership with Global Poker and is working with the brand on various marketing initiatives and strategies. The brand hopes that this partnership will help it continue its success and generate more interest in poker.
Fatima Moreira de Melo
Truth be told, there don’t seem to be many top-level sportswomen who play poker. One of them is Fatima Moreira de Melo, who might not be the most famous athlete, but she is certainly a credible one.
While she’s now retired, she was a professional hockey player who played for the Dutch national team for 14 years, participating in 191 matches for the Netherlands as a striker.
A career high came in 2006 when she was part of the national team that won the Women’s Hockey World Cup. During her time as a hockey player, she scored a total of 30 goals.
As for poker, she has earned in excess of $577,000 from competing in tournaments since 2009. She’s been very involved in the poker scene and has been a member of the PokerStars: Sportstars team.
Along with playing in real-life tournaments, she’s been known to take part in online tournaments at the PokerStars website- one of the best poker sites.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Some would say that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest football player of all time; even those who disagree would still say the Portuguese forward is without a doubt one of the sport’s most skilled players.
While he’s got the statistics and accolades to prove himself as a footballer, he’s also been establishing a reputation as a skilled poker player. Back in 2015, he formally joined PokerStars as a brand ambassador.
Since taking on the role, Ronaldo has been involved in global advertising campaigns and has made numerous appearances at both real-life tournaments and online ones. There have also been competitions with winners getting to challenge him in a poker game.
One of the requirements to become a PokerStars ambassador is a high level of poker skills. While Ronaldo ticked this box, he has since continued to prove to the world that he’s a top poker player.
Many were surprised when he took on Hollywood actor Aaron Paul, a well-established poker player himself, and won the game. Ronaldo donated all of his winnings to charity, which he’s been known to do for other games.
Gerard Pique
Another top footballer who has a passion for poker is Gerard Pique. The Spanish footballer played as a centre-back and has been hailed as the sport’s best defender of all time.
Since retiring – he last played for the national team in 2018 and Barcelona in 2022 – Pique has developed a reputation for being a proficient poker player.
He’s taken part in various tournaments, including the European Poker Tour. He ended up in second place at a 2019 event and managed to claim sixth place in 2023.
Throughout his time playing poker at a professional level, Pique has earned $738,611 in prize money, a figure which will no doubt rise in years to come.
