Rafa Nadal wins his first live poker tournament, beginner’s luck or beginner’s skill? (Photo credit Neil Stoddart)
Rafael Nadal played his first live poker tournament on December 12, winning €50,000 for charity during the PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague series. He’s certainly not the first professional athlete to dabble in the poker world and experience some success. While their accomplishments pale in comparison to college athletes Doyle Brunson and T.J. Cloutier, This week, Listed provides some of the more notable athletes who moved from the athletic field to the poker table.
1. Michael Phelps – The most decorated Olympian in history with 22 medals – 18 of them gold. Phelps has played in several events, including side events during the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, with his best finish a final table during the 2008 Caesars Palace Classic in 2008.
2. Yevgeny Kafelnikov – Rafa wasn’t the first world number one ranked tennis player to make a splash on the poker scene. The Russian cashed three times at the 2005 World Series of Poker, the last time he cashed in a poker tournament.
3. Boris Becker – A six-time tennis Grand Slam winner, Becker has cashed in the World Poker Tour World Championship along with two cashes in EPT Main Events.
4. Orel Hershiser – The 1988 Cy Young and World Series MVP, Hershiser had a deep run in the NBC Heads-Up National Championship in 2008 along with a cash at the PokerStars PCA two years later.
5. Fatima Moreira de Melo – A three-time Olympic medalist in women’s field hockey for The Netherlands, de Melo has earned over $350,000 in live tournament results. Her best result is a second place finish at the PokerStars UKIPT Main Event held on the Isle of Man.
6. Roberto Luongo – The four-time NHL All-Star goalie sponsors Canadian gambling site PlayNow.com, and cashed in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event.
7. Gerard Pique – When the FC Barcelona centre-back isn’t on the pitch, he’s throwing chips into the pot. Pique’s two cashes were at EPT Barcelona side events.
Widely known among the poker community by his twitter handle “Kevmath”, many in the poker community consider Kevin a go-to source for news and information in the poker community.
