5 Sports Stars Turned Poker Players

While poker is one of the most popular card games played across the world, it was only last year that it was finally recognized as a mind sport. Eugene Katchalov, a former poker pro, wrote that poker is now considered in the same category as bridge, chess, and esports.

Today, there are 100 million players globally, and the game continues to expand and attract new players from all backgrounds, including professional athletes. Poker’s recognition as a sport is why many sports stars have turned to poker during and after their professional careers. These stars can apply many of the skills they acquired at the top of their respective sports to the card table, such as strategic thinking, a competitive attitude, and the ability to perform under high pressure. Below are five sports stars who have all successfully turned into top poker players.

Calais Campbell

One of the best defensive tacklers to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Calais Campbell, has also made his name off the field as a successful poker player. ESPN reported that Campbell has set his sights on winning the World Series of Poker Main Event after he eventually retires from the NFL. Poker has been Campbell’s passion since college, and in 2009 he won the second poker tournament he entered, beating a 70-player field in Arizona. Since then, he has played at several WSOP events, and in 2022, he won $6,405 at the World Poker Tour’s Lucky Hearts Poker Open, finishing 191st. After signing with the Miami Dolphins this year, retirement is still a little way off. But when he does hang up the boots, we can expect Campbell to start making big moves as a poker player as he looks to become a WSOP Main Event champion.

Jon Pardy

Jon Pardy is most famous for winning Big Brother Canada in 2014 and has now established himself as a successful poker player. However, before his transition into a reality star and poker pro, Pardy was a promising young hockey player. He played for the Amherst Ramblers and Yarmouth Mariners in the Maritime Hockey League until injuries halted his hockey career in 2013. Pardy has transferred his competitive spirit and strategic skills to the card table, becoming a top poker player. In 2020, he joined ACR Poker as one of their pros. Pardy has become one of ACR’s most popular players due to his blend of humor, insights, and engaging poker gameplay. In 2023, he placed 17th in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London, winning $38,600.

Michael Phelps

As one of the world’s most successful sports stars, with 23 gold medals, it is only natural that Michael Phelps would look for other avenues to challenge his competitive spirit once he retired. Phelps has been an active poker player throughout his swimming career, and since retiring he has competed in both pro tournaments and charity tournaments, including his own tournament, the Michael Phelps Celebrity Challenge. In 2024, he took his love of the game to the next level and partnered with Global Poker.

Richard Seymour

Three-time Super Bowl winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Seymour has set his sights on a new target: to become one of the best poker players in the world and compete at the highest level. In 2023, he competed in the main event at the World Series of Poker and made it to the fifth day, finishing in 284th place, ahead of 97% of the field. His winnings totaled $50,900, with a profit of $40,900 after the buy-in. His poker career has been as lucrative as his football career, and in 2018, he placed 3rd in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament, walking away with $375,000. 

Boris Becker

Tennis champion Boris Becker has become a regular face at many poker tournaments around the globe. Last year, he took part in the Super Main Event World Series of Poker Winter Edition in the Bahamas, which had a $26,000 buy-in and a $50 million guaranteed prize pool. Unfortunately, he just missed out on making it past the first day. Like many sports stars turned poker players, he has credited his success to the similarities between poker and his professional career. Becker has explained how tennis and poker are about recognizing patterns, and he used his experience to earn over $100,000 in poker earnings since he started playing seriously.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/03/10/sports-betting/poker-player-sport-celebrities/