The game of football is big in many countries. For example, it is the most popular sport in France, with many players partaking in both professional and amateur tournaments. If you are living in a country that loves its football, like France, and have therefore been able to develop your football skills, then here is an interesting way that you can put them to use in another area.

The card game of poker utilises a surprisingly large amount of the skills needed for success on the pitch, so for those who are good at playing football and are looking to get into playing the popular card game, here are a few different ways in which you can use the skills you already have to your advantage.

Keep your head in the game
When you are on the football pitch as part of a team, it is important that you keep your focus. You learn to stay aware of where the ball is at all times and which position you should be in on the field. If you let yourself get distracted, you can miss an important play that you should have intercepted or that should have prompted you to make a move. Similarly, when you are playing a game of poker on a site like partypoker.fr/ or in a casino, you will also need to stay focussed on the game in front of you. If you let your mind wander, or tune out from what is going on, then you may miss any valuable ‘tells’ from your other players. So as a footballer, you can use your concentration skills around the poker table, to make sure that you don’t miss a trick.

Adaptability
Footballers need to be able to change the direction in which they are running at a moment’s notice. They also need to be flexible with regards to tactics, as, depending on how the game is going, drastic alterations may need to be made. Just look at videos of players like French midfielder Zinedine Zidane and you will see his skills with the ball become clear. These skills will come in useful around the poker table as well, when you are playing with others and cannot guarantee what will take place. You need to be able to change your tactics if something happens or if you think someone has rumbled your plan. So apply what you have learned on the football field in terms of adaptability, when playing poker.

There are many other skills that you learn on the football pitch, that translate to the poker table. The best way to find out what these are, is to simply begin playing the card game and see where your strengths lie. Then when you find these, take advantage of them and you should be able to see your skills improve.