Top 10 most Poker-passionate football players

Anyone who plays some kind of sport knows that it takes burning passion and enthusiasm to succeed. Applying these elements into a game, and also having the mental determination to succeed, is a vital factor in coming out on top.

Poker can also be seen as somewhat of a sport, so it’s not surprising that many football players are regular visitors of well-known poker rooms like Fulltiltpoker. Let’s take a look at the top football players who have decided to inject some of that passion into becoming credible and successful names and faces in the world that is Poker.

1. Teddy Sheringham

eddy Sheringham poses during the Inaugural International Federation of Poker World Championship

Teddy Sheringham, a former England, Tottenham and West Ham player, decided to try his hand at poker a few years before ending his 25-year career as a well-respected player. However, unlike many football players who take interest in a managing or training position in the football world, Teddy decided to take a different route.

He has made a name for himself in the poker world, and has played in various tournaments around the world including one of the biggest, the World Series Of Poker Main Event, where he managed to finish 14th out of around 3000.

Teddy’s winnings over the past years have amounted to around $298,000.

2. Jan Van Soresen

One of the most successful football players to have made an impact in the Poker world is Scandinavian player Jan Van Soresen, who has won a range of tournaments including the WSOP (twice) and the Masters Classics of Poker tournament in 2008.

He is expected to have won himself around $2 million, making him one of the most successful football players to have ever played Poker.

3. Tony Cascarino

Former international football star Tony Cascarino, who spent a large amount of his career with the Republic of Ireland, has always had a gambling passion, and put his eagerness and passion into place when he first started playing in around 2006.

Tony went on to win his first major tournament 3 years later in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, scooping himself a nice $283,000. Overall, within his six years of playing in tournaments, Cascarino has expected to have won around $589,000.

4. Christian Vieri

Christan Vieri is a former Inter Milan forward who has never hidden his passion for card games, especially Texas Hold’Em. In 2009, without a club after quitting with Atalanta, Vieri went on to play in two tournaments in L.A.

Whilst Vieri is not set to leave his football career just yet, he has hinted that he could be looking at a professional poker career after his retirement.

5. Tomas Brolin

Former Swedish football player and manager Brolin is another example of how passion can weave its way through football and poker. Brolin decided to first try his luck at Poker in 2006 and has made himself credible at many various poker tables.

In 2006, he fluttered in the Football and Poker Legends club, which was organised by the well-known and very popular site, Party Poker.

In 2007, he then went on to play at the World Series of Poker. While not having won 1st place in the tournaments, he has scooped a nice slice of the pot.

6. Gianluigi Buffon

While not only being the greatest goalkeeper to have come out of football, it also seems that Buffon is adding a touch of his football passion into his Poker passion. Buffon learned of his passion whilst playing for a charity event a good few years back, and is said to have completely fell in love with the game.

Since then, Buffon continued to enhance his skills and played in numerous online tournaments, finally being noticed by online giant Poker Stars after successfully scooping the pot numerous times.

He went on to act as an ambassador for the site and hopes that one day, when his football career ends, he can work on becoming a professional player.

7. Poli Rincon

Spanish player Poli Rincon is well-loved amongst the Spanish with a successful career in football, including stints with Real Madrid and Real Betis where he went on to win the Spanish league and cup in the 70’s and 80’s.

Rincon also has a burning passion for poker and is also said to regularly play with online giant Poker Stars, favouring tournaments such as Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure and others such as Estrellas Poker Tour.

8. Vikash Dhorasoo

French player Vikash Dhorasoo is again another example of a budding Poker star. In 2007, Dhorasoo found his path and began playing in major poker tournaments, mainly in France. One of his most successful stories is taking the pot at the No Limit Hold’em $2.200 Barrier Poker Tour in 2010, scooping the main prize of $187,887.

This, however, is not his only cash-in. He has also managed to come out top in two European Poker tournament events, and also fluttered in several other tournaments.

9. Francesco Totti

Italian football star Francesco Totti, who has spent his career dedicated to the Series A club Roma, is the top goal scorer and most capped player in the club’s history. Francesco has maintained a steady career with the club for the past 20 years; however, football is not the only game he is passionate about.

Totti has recently been knighted as Poker Ambassador for Party Poker. Francesco Totti states that he has a real passion for poker and being a successful player requires similar abilities to that of playing football.

10. David Levi

David Levi has had a major impact in the Poker world. His passion for football has seen him excel in his years; after a crippling knee injury, Levi decided to take his chances by dabbling in Poker, and he certainly knows how to play a hand.

He has said to have won over $2,600,000 as of 2009. One of his favourite and most successful events has seen him scoop $360,229 from the WOSP tournaments.