Cycling and Poker

It might seem a stretch to compare cycling and poker but there are actually quite a few similarities between the two sports when you look at some of the traits and characteristics it takes to succeed, as well as several top cyclists who have taken to the poker tables in recent years. Pokerjunkie.com/poker-games.html have grown in popularity around the world in the last ten years, spilling over to the world of athletes and celebrities as well, many of whom take up the game in their spare time or when traveling with teammates to events.

As far as common elements, excelling at both poker and cycling take a similar mentality, with strategy and psychological tactics playing as great a role in long-term success as other factors that are more often pointed to such as leg strength, lung capacity, and catching good cards. Elite cyclists and poker players make winning look effortless, as if they were born to excel at their particular sports, but while genetics can play a role in the success of top riders the real difference is often the thousands and thousands of hours spent training and perfecting their strategies.

Many races also boil down to a battle between a handful of riders, each attempting to both out-ride and out-think one another as far as their race strategy; the same is true of poker, with many hands contested in the end by two players trying to outduel one another. Last year’s Tour de France provided a great example of poker spilling over to the cycling world, with Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck soft-pedaling to stare one another down, coming almost to a complete step as the pack sped away. Schleck would comment after the stage that: “I am satisfied with how the ride has gone and must admit that I played poker with Alberto today. You know how it goes with poker, perhaps I'll go all in tomorrow."

As far as cyclists who have given poker a spin, Philip Nielsen ha taken part in the WSOP Main Event in the past, a $10,000 buy-in tournament that awards the winner millions of dollars and is considered the unofficial world championship by poker websites such as www.pokerjunkie.com/poker-sites.php , players, and fans. Lance Armstrong has also been active with various Texas Hold’em charity poker events, including serving as a co-host for several Ante Up for Autism charity poker events.