Games of chance bring us so much joy and that special thrill, which is probably the no. 1 reason why online casinos are so highly popular among regular folks. Yes, bonuses like free spins or welcome bonuses that online casinos offer, which you can check at CasinoBonusChecker, do help draw more players, but casino games are much more than just that. On the other hand, if you think that famous people don’t gamble, at least not professionally well, you couldn’t be further from the truth, and this list of five famous athletes that have a pretty good poker career will help you understand why.
1. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
All football fans are familiar with the player called Il Fenomeno, as he is still among the best players of all time, and it is almost certain he will always be. It is difficult to remember every trophy he has won, speaking about football, as there were so many of them, but we need to mention that he is not successful only on a football pitch. Yes, he is also an excellent poker player who even ended up in a great 26th position in the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and won a nice amount of money. The person who introduced him to this world and all the benefits it offers is his good friend Andre Akkari who is famous in this world as he gambles professionally and achieves noticeable scores.
Ronaldo is probably the best example that one person can be great in many things because even though his football skills, scores, and titles surpass his achievements poker-wise, that’s just because he was such an exceptional footballer. Ronaldo’s work on the pitch speaks for itself, and even though he has switched one green surface for another, the future surely looks bright for his poker career.
2. Boris Becker
Okay, this tennis star might not have as exemplary results at poker as he has as an athlete, but his successful gambling campaign surely is something that most people would not be able to achieve. As for his tennis career, we must agree that Boris Becker is one of the most famous German tennis players and probably one of their most successful athletes because the results and accomplishments he achieved during his professional career really are amazing. After a successful tennis career, he became the ambassador of a poker website, and of course, he chose one of the most popular ones – PokerStars. He was their ambassador for thirteen years before choosing another, also an extremely popular website, GGPoker, back in 2020 and started a great collaboration with them. One of his biggest achievements in the gambling world is finishing 40 at the 2009 Diamond World Championship. Overall, his total winnings are around 100.000 dollars, which unfortunately wasn’t enough. Namely, even though he was one of the best tennis players and a pretty good poker player, he ended up in debt and filed for bankruptcy instead of paying them off.
3. Terrence Chan
MMA might not be as popular as football or basketball, but it is becoming more and more watched around the world and whoever is interested in this sport needs to know the name, Terrence Chan. He was one of the best fighters and deserved a worlds-glory and has found a way to be present on the scene even after finishing his career by changing it and deciding to become a poker player. Needless to say, he is very successful in poker, and the fact that he is the co-host of one of the greatest podcasts together with two more persons well-known in this world also supports that. In most cases, he prefers playing online and chooses high-stakes games and surely is one of the most talented on this list, and he is expected to achieve even more noticeable results in the future.
4. Gerard Pique
Pique is another popular football player on this list besides Ronaldo, but with one main difference – still active on the football pitch. However, that does not stop them from becoming famous in the poker world, as he finished third in one of the most popular tournaments in Barcelona back in 2011. Regarding that, one thing is almost certain, once he decides to stop playing football, he could have an amazing career in poker if he decides to.
5. Richard Seymour
When we talk about the best of the best, we simply cannot overlook all the achievements of this NFL star. Namely, Richard Seymour not only had a great football career, but he is also one of the best famous athletes that ever professionally played poker. Yes, this three-time Super Bowl champion earned almost 700.000 dollars from playing poker. We can talk about his NFL career, starting from college and the famous draft through his time spent over at the Patriots, but you probably know all there is about that. The fact that might come as surprising is that since 2014, his career as a professional gambler really took off, as it was the first time he won big. After that, he showcased his bluff and poker skills many times over, and his winnings and tournament placements make him one of the best athletes that ever played poker professionally. Above that, what’s great about this athlete is that he is yet to reach his peak, as his poker career doesn’t seem to end anytime soon.
6. Michael Phelps
Yet another world-famous athlete whose name you might find surprising to find on this list, but even though there were some athletes with more success playing poker, Michael Phelps is someone we simply have to mention. Yes, when we take a look at his poker stats, the numbers will not amaze us, but his career is only starting, meaning that more than 10.000 dollars made out of playing poker so far mean that he is serious about his career. Michael Phelps is somewhat of a regular in high-stakes poker tournaments in the States, and if you are still surprised that he chose this as his next big thing, then knowing that he used to play live poker before the race (even at Olympics) will help you understand his decision.