Do Footballers’ Winning Mindsets Help Them Crush It at Poker Tables?

Over the years, many football players have transitioned over to poker after having a successful playing career. Most famously, a lot of people will recognise the name Neymar and will have seen him play in some high-stakes poker tournaments over the years.

It’s not a surprise that football players make the transition. If you are a successful football player, you have a potential when playing online casino games and live casino games. Along with this, the mindset of a successful football player can also translate well to the poker table – football players are competitive, have a good level of emotional control and are good at reading players quickly (On the pitch, football players are constantly reading players and reacting to their movements)

The question is, does being a football player help you on a poker table? Keep on reading as we dive into some of the key characteristics of a football player and how this may transition to the poker table.

Competitive Drive

The easiest place to start is a football player’s competitive drive. To be a good football player, you need to have that competitiveness and the drive to want to be the best and win – without it, you can’t be at the top of your game. This is a key trait to a good poker player, to be a good poker player you need to be competitive and have that drive to learn and keep developing yourself in order to beat your opponents.

Reading Opponents

On the pitch, football players are constantly reading their opponents and anticipating their next move. This is an area of their game they are always working on and developing in their training sessions. The better they can read their opponent, the easier it will be on match day to tackle and outplay them. This skill is very useful on a poker table, as you are always trying to read an opponent on a table, to try and beat them in their hand. If you can read poker players well, you can bluff more easily and manipulate them into doing what you want them to do.

Emotional Control

Keeping on top of your emotions is a key skill that managers are always teaching their players. Football is an emotional sport and if you lose your head, everything can come crumbling down, which in other words, means your opponents will be more likely to score goals. If your head isn’t properly in the game, you are more likely to commit fouls as well as confront opponents, which could lead to you being sent off.

Poker is very similar and in order to be a good player, you have to be good at keeping on top of your emotions. A good emotional state is essential to avoid revealing information to opponents, regardless of the quality of your hand. Emotional control is especially crucial after a significant loss to prevent opponents from gaining an advantage – if you lose control of your emotions, you may go on tilt.

Teamwork vs Being an Individual

An area of poker which isn’t necessarily translated well in football is being an individual. Football is a team sport and you have to be a good team player in order to have a chance of winning your matches. Poker is an individual sport, where you don’t have teammates and have to rely on yourself to do well and motivate, no matter the circumstance you are in.

Mental Ability

Poker requires a deep understanding of probability, game theory, and strategy. While football players have good mental ability, they would still need to invest time in learning the intricacies of poker to truly excel. If you go into poker without learning the best techniques around it, you could be at risk of losing a lot of money and losing it fast. If you are losing money, this stops the enjoyment and can put people off playing at a higher level.

While both football and poker share certain characteristics, they are fundamentally different activities. Football is a physical sport that involves running on a field and kicking a ball into a goal, whereas poker is a card game that requires outsmarting your opponents. To be good at both is very challenging, but if you put your mind to it and are willing to learn and develop, it is possible to be good at both.

Are you a fan of football or poker and have you been to a live event before? Who do you think is the most famous player to transition over from football to poker once their career ended? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.