Poker and football are hardly related games.
This probably isn’t a revelation to you. There are few parallels between the cards and the tactics, sports equipment, and physicality of football. Sure, some football stars accept lucrative sponsorships, but is there any connection past that?
This makes it even more surprising that football fans sometimes use the word "poker" when talking about their favorite game. In football, the meaning of "poker" is an achievement when one player scores four goals against the opposing team in a match.
The Term Poker in Football Context
In poker, 4 cards of the same rank are called "four of a kind".
So, what is a poker in football?
In soccer, 4 goals in a single match are sometimes called a “haul” or a “poker”. Four goals in one match is a rare success in the career of any football player. Usually, this can happen in meetings of unequal opponents, meaning one team is much stronger than the other.
A classic example: four goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 2013/2014 Champions League match between Anderlecht and PSG. The match ended with a score of 5:0 in favor of the French team. A year earlier, he also had a “poker” in a football match against England. One of the four was a truly spectacular bicycle kick, straight off the English goalie’s header.
The only time Texas Holdem poker and football mix is when you’re playing Neymar Jr’s Kick Off game on PokerStars. Ronaldo also worked with the brand, though he doesn’t have his own game.
Neymar’s been in partnership on and off with the brand since around 2015, re-signing as Stars’ Cultural Ambassador in 2020. His game takes players through various levels of small tournaments, from small buy-ins to larger ones. Along the way, you’ve got chances to win huge jackpots. Knocking another player out could score you a huge jackpot (over $25,000 at the $25 buy-in stage.
It seems like Neymar is a huge fan of the game, even going as far as to playing during his daughter's birthday! We put that incident together with other poker-related social media posts.
Examples of Poker in Football
Not every striker manages to score four goals in one match. Many great forwards have never scored more than three. The two best football players of our time stand apart here – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both scored 4 goals in one match 6 times. Moreover, Cristiano did this, not only in club matches, but also in matches for the Portuguese national team.
After a successful match, players often take the lucky ball to their personal collection. Robert Lewandowski scored four goals the fastest in football history. In the group stage match of the Champions League, he finished in 14 minutes and 31 seconds. Robert scored from the 53rd to the 67th minute of the match. In that meeting, Bayern beat Red Star with a score of 6:0.
Why Do Football Fans Say “Poker” for Four Goals?
Anyone that understands poker will say that it is more logical to call four goals "quads," rather than "poker". Four-of-a-kind in poker is a combination of four cards of the same value. In no-limit Texas Holdem, if a player is dealt 2 pocket Aces, and another pair of Aces is dealt on the flop, that’s four-of-a-kind. Nobody would call that “poker”.
Here’s why poker is used to describe four goals:
Four-of-a-kind is called poker in several cultures. When someone says “poker” after four football goals, it’s more a term of counting, not referencing the card games. When Reddit users were asked, several people confirmed that Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Italy, Spain, and even Ireland use “poker” in a football context.
However, some say it’s also used to describe the four-of-a-kind hand combination in poker games. Seems like it’s quite a versatile term.
Though many Spanish speakers seem to use poker in football contexts, it’s not specific to Latin America though.
Try Neymar Jr.’s Game or Other Poker Games
All poker players start by learning the rules. After that, you can practice at the free and low-stakes games, before becoming skilled enough for new heights.
If you already have a handle on the fundamentals and are looking for exciting types of poker, Neymar Jr’s Kick Off is worth a look. This game is sort of like a multi-stage Sit & Go, except that knockouts can score huge prizes.
If you are interested in free tournaments offered by other top poker rooms, then the full schedule and current passwords for freerolls can be found in a special section on GipsyTeam.
Some sites offer more than others, so it’s helpful to see them all in one place. Registration is quick too, so it’s not an issue if your regular site isn’t listing the best freerolls.
