From the pitch to the table

They say the adrenaline rush of leading your side out of the tunnel on a Saturday afternoon, the buzz of scoring a last-gasp winner in front of your fans to clinch the title or perhaps the thrill of 90,000 fans roaring you on from the stands cannot be matched. So when a player is forced to hang up his boots from the beautiful game, it is no wonder that the loss of that rush and entrance into the real world it often leads to depression, alcoholism and sometimes they are just unable to find a suitable replacement.

Some though, including former Millwall, Spurs and Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham, indulge into the world of another stimulating sport - poker.

There are a lot of similarities in the feelings and situations you go through between the two sports, from the devastation of losing a big hand or a last minute goal, the sheer excitement of a win and the overwhelming feeling you get when you handle the pressure on your shoulders.

It is, then, no wonder players like Sheringham swap the balls for the chips. Huge money can be earned through poker, and if you hold the right mental attributes then there is no reason why you cannot go out and grab that with both hands.

Sheringham learned how to play poker whilst preparing for his retirement from professional football and has since made a whopping $355,501, including a 5th place finish in the Pokerstars.com EPT Vilamoura in August 2010, earning him $133,583.

It is not only the players that have a keen interest in poker, though. Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom has made an almighty amount of wealth through cards and has even earned the nickname 'The Lizard' after a friend claimed he had Alligator's blood because of his ruthlessness at the table and his cold-blooded heart-rate.

Bloom made consecutive final table appearances in the first 2  Poker Millions events before scooping $320,000 in an Australian tournament. He then won $350,401 in the 2005 No Limit Hold'em VC Poker Cup and another $600,000 in another Australian competition. In 2011 he finished 2nd in the Aussie Millions and claimed $1,025,344 for his efforts and has so far accumulated earnings of over $3,500,000 in the sport.

Not bad, eh?

With the popularity of poker, especially online, significantly on the rise, we are sure to see more professional football players going 'all in' for a share of the pot.