Football superstar Adam Goodes says that he has no intention to return to football anytime soon. In fact, he is into poker and charity bike rides recently in order to fill the void. The dual Brownlow medalist mentioned that he has found other competitive outlets in order to stay active and for him to enjoy life.
After enjoying the Australian Open, Goodes will compete hoping to earn a spot on the final table at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship that will be held in Crown Casino in Melbourne on Sunday. The first prize on the line is at $1.6 million.
A Longtime Hobby
Poker has been a hobby for quite some time for Goodes who played the likes of Jarrad McVeigh, Kieran Jack, and Jude Bolton. Goodes mentioned that he injured his meniscus in 2013 and he was out to recover for the next ten months.
He added that “Anyone who plays football is a competitive beast and I just didn’t have that outlet. I played poker a little bit but a mate of mine got me into tournament poker and it started to become this outlet for me to get those competitive juices flowing”.
He mentioned that his level is still far from being a professional poker player. However, he was able to outlast Shane Warne in a tournament this month. Shane Warne is a renowned former cricket star and a poker player.
Goodes said that “I like the challenge of beating other people around the table and I’m a bit of a trickster, so if I can do that on the poker table and take a few extra chips off them at any time, I enjoy it”.
Aside from poker, Goodes is also into bike rides supporting the Steve Waugh Foundation and Black Dog Institute. He mentioned that “Staying active is still a pretty big thing on my agenda and I’m really enjoying being able to support guys like Steve Waugh and organizations like Black Dog who do fantastic work out there in our communities”.
Athletes Who Transitioned to Poker
Goodes isn’t the only athlete who was drawn towards the poker table. Cristiano Ronaldo has signed up with PokerStars.com years back not only to promote the website but to also play. Rafael Nadal, as well as former international cricket player Shane Warne, are also among the other stars that have transitioned into playing high-stakes casino competitions.
What exactly makes poker attractive towards highly competitive athletes? Is it the adrenaline that they get from playing poker considering that poker is not only a game of luck but also a game of skill?
Pro poker players even mentioned that the more an athlete is required to think in his sport, the more likely that he or she could transition towards playing poker.
Whether it is the thrill of winning and losing money or the thrill of winning based on strategies, poker may have some similarities with different sports. This only means that it isn’t far from happening that professionals are going to be drawn towards professional poker. There will be more players in the future that will end up playing on the poker table.
