Physical Strength: Famous Footballers Who are Also Poker Professionals

From the Green Football Pitch to the Green Felt Tables

We have heard of tales of several athletes who can shuffle their day-to-day lives with different sports.

From basketball players who are also football fans, to tennis players playing poker, we have heard it all. But when it comes to athletes who are competent in both physical and tactical game, we rarely find names to utter.

Basketball has Paul Pierce, who is known as a poker aficionado and football, on the other hand, also has its share of card experts.

Football and poker may not entirely be the same, but when put under scrutiny, both forms of competition are not actually different.

Even if most of the poker tables are now virtual, there's no denying that the online setting has incorporated the same interactive setting
experienced in land-based poker.

Now we have Partypoker's  Twitter  and interactive forums to provide a unique way for poker enthusiasts to communicate -  the same way that they do when they are at the real tables.

This is one reason why most footballers still have the time to play poker amidst their busy schedules.

Here's a quick look of three famous players who are also enthused with the card game:

Teddy Sheringham

English striker Teddy Sheringham  is probably the most famous footballer to grace the poker tables. Before he ventured into the land of card gamers and poker prodigies, Sheringham built a career for himself on the pitch and he may be most remembered for his striking abilities.

See, he was a member of Manchester United, Tottenham, and  England. Even before he retired from the beautiful game, he was already spotted frequenting poker tournaments and even ranked among the best.

So, by the time he left the world of football, it wasn't a big surprise that he easily dominated the poker world.

He has now placed among the best in the big leagues and has even finished 14th in the prestigious World Series of Poker Main Event in 2009. He also placed 5th in the European Poker Tour in 2010.

Tony Cascarino

Cascarino was Sheringham's teammate in Millwall and was a dear friend of the English striker so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Cascarino become an enthusiast of the tactical sport as well.

The former star of the Republic of Ireland has appeared in two World Cups in 1990 and 1994 and is known as a consistent contributor for his team.

After his retirement, he transitioned into playing at the poker tables and performed quite decently over the years.

You see, he has even finished at the 14th spot in the 2007 European Poker Tour in London. He has even championed the Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour .

Gigi Buffon

Highly touted as Italy's top goal keeper, Gigi Buffon exhibited uncanny skills when it comes to pattern recognition.

This wasn't exactly stunning since Buffon is also known to frequent the felt tables.

He has only started a few years ago but eventually, with his love of competition, he grew fond of the sport and remains a fixture at casinos and poker tournaments.