By Staff
In a recent interview with CoinPoker, former professional footballer and coach John Arne Riise revealed how he has been given tips by the “Lionel Messi of poker” and how he was one hand away from being inside the top 10 chip stacks at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
The former Roma defender has also explained why a WSOP bracelet would mean more than a footballing medal and revealed that he gets more nervous playing poker than he was before the Champions League final in 2005.
Q: What is the most memorable game of poker you’ve played in?
The most memorable game of poker I played in was the WSOP Main Event in Vegas. There was also a World Cup football tournament between poker players, and that is where I met Daniel Negreanu.
Daniel was representing Canada and after that I met him during a football event. He has a strong shot and we’ve kept in touch ever since. He is a great guy and I’m a big fan of his; he’s been helpful with his tips and advice. He is like the Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo of poker.
Q: What advice did the Lionel Messi of poker, Daniel Negreanu, give you?
He told me how for the top players it’s all about positioning and reading the game. They consider everything before making a move, including who’s sitting next to them and how big the bet size is.
I used to just look at my cards and play, but these guys think ten steps ahead. He spoke a lot about patience. In tournaments, he can sit for four or five hours without playing a single hand. In my world, that’s insane.
He also said if you have a strong hand, play it hard. It’s better to lose playing the right way than to lose playing the bad way. He also said it’s better to win small than lose big.
Q: What is the most recent tournament you played in?
I recently played in a local Norwegian tournament that some influencers played live on their YouTube channel, and I ended up winning that one, which was good.
I love poker. I love traveling around Europe and playing poker, meeting people. I just like sitting at the table, talking about different things, and you meet people from all over the world.
It’s a great way to socialise, and it’s competitive, which is why I like it. I enjoy having something to play for and feeling the pressure.
Poker is my peace and quiet place. It’s where I can sit down, relax, and think about other things in my life. The poker environment is amazing in Norway. We have so much fun together. For me, it helps my mindset and mental health, because we all have daily struggles, but for me poker, paddle, and golf are my ways to calm down.
In Norway, we have the Norwegian Poker Championship, but there are limits, as you can only lose a certain amount.
Q: How would you compare playing poker with playing professional football?
With poker, it’s just you. When you play football, you depend on your teammates, so it’s a bit different. But after football, golf has been a big part of my life, and lately, I’ve really got into paddle.
That’s more competitive, similar to football, where you play against someone and have to practice to get better. I love sports where you have to put the work in to improve. Poker though, is more of a relaxed environment. You can sit down, chill for hours, and talk to people.
Patience is my weakness when playing tournaments, since you might sit there for hours without getting good cards, but I enjoy the social aspect of it. It gives you calmness.
You’re sitting around a table and most people recognise who I am, and it’s easy to start a conversation because most people know or like football. Once that happens, I just sit down, relax, enjoy talking about my football experiences, and they share their favourite teams and memories.
For me, it’s calming, being competitive but also just chilling, not thinking about anything else. Just sit there and enjoy playing. Any time I have a chance to travel the world to play poker or get invited to tournaments, I always say yes, because it’s just great.
Q: What’s the biggest venue or poker hand you’ve been involved in?
I’ve played a few times in the Main Event in Vegas at the WSOP, maybe three or four times. It was always a dream to go there and see 6,000 to 7,000 people playing. You watch it on TV, but you don’t see everything behind the scenes.
One year, I made it to day three, and I remember playing for 12 to 14 hours over the first two days. Time flies when you’re playing poker for that long. It was such an amazing experience on the biggest stage. Late on day two, I had pocket kings and I ended up calling an all-in, and the guy had pocket aces. If I’d won that hand, I would’ve been in the top ten chip leaders, but I lost.
The disappointment was huge. I was thinking this is my time because I had such a strong hand, but that’s poker. It gives you pleasure and can crush you at the same moment.
Q: Is there a shared emotion between playing football and playing poker?
When it comes to tournaments, like in the Champions League, you play so many games and get to the quarter-final or semi-final, and then lose—it’s quite similar. You get so disappointed.
You’re so close to going all the way, and then you lose at the end. Most of the time in football, it’s because of a personal mistake. I scored an own goal against Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League semi-final. That was the worst feeling I’ve ever had on a football pitch.
It’s kind of the same with poker. You’re so close, and one mistake just kills it. In poker, you have a strong hand, you feel like it’s your moment, and then something happens.
Q: Would winning a WSOP bracelet compare to a Champions League medal?
To win a WSOP bracelet would be unbelievable, because poker isn’t my usual arena. In football, when I won the Champions League or the FA Cup, yes it was huge because it had been a long-term dream, but winning a poker bracelet would be incredible. However, I have to admit, I don’t think that’s going to happen.
If I win a big poker tournament, it would maybe be a bigger personal success [than winning the Champions League] in a way because it’s not my usual arena. I haven’t been playing poker my whole life. Plus, poker involves a bit of luck as well.
In football, if you play for a team like Liverpool or Man City, you’re expected to compete for titles every year. That’s not easy, but it’s part of the environment. In poker, you’re on your own, and since I haven’t been practicing it my whole life, I think it’s much more difficult.
Q: Behind the scenes at Liverpool, did you guys play cards to relax?
On bus trips, we played Mario Kart competitions on small consoles, and sometimes we played cards. We loved competing, whether it was ping pong, pool, or cards.
It’s just natural for athletes. We’ve spent our whole lives competing to be the best, so it’s just part of who we are. We used to play three-card poker. Michael Owen was quite good; Owen was quite good at everything.
He was smart when it came to cards. He was just good; he didn’t try to trick you. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t about the money; it was about the feeling of winning and competing, thinking about something else on the way to the hotel, or just getting our minds off football.
Q: How does preparing for the Main Event at the WSOP compare to the Champions League final nerves?
I’m 100% more nervous going into a poker tournament, because it’s not my arena. I remember going to my poker table, shaking, and feeling nervous, thinking: ‘What if I don’t know the rules?’
You start doubting yourself, and you’re playing against people who are really good. I get nervous in big games in big tournaments because I haven’t trained for it my whole life. But in football, for any final, it didn’t bother me.
I knew what I could do, how good I was, and that I deserved to be there. In poker, it’s more about trying not to mess up, remembering bet sizes and how to play your cards.
I’d just look at what other players were doing and try to mimic them. Even though it’s a chilled environment, I was shaking for the first couple of hours.
For more of John’s interview visit CoinPoker.
