“The skills I learnt from playing poker influence a lot of what I do.”
As the majority owner of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Tony Bloom is a well-known figure in the football and business world.
However, many fans may be more focused on the game than the owners. As a result, many don’t know that Bloom is also a professional poker player, nicknamed “The Lizard,” with a fortune made from two games; one with cards, and one with a football.
In this article, we will explore how Bloom’s poker skills have benefited his career and net worth. We’ll also reveal how you can get started, without opening your wallet.
Bloom’s success in poker is undeniable, with live tournament career earnings of $3,890,086 as we write this sentence.
He has won several impressive tournaments, including the Australasian Championship in 2004 and a recent $25,000 PLO event at the Poker Masters in Las Vegas for $360,000.
For someone you’d expect to have barely any time for himself, Tony has still managed to make it to the 27th spot on the England All-Time Money list.
Bloom’s skills at the poker table have served him, but it’s not clear if he has played on any online poker sites, like PokerStars or the Americas Cardroom app.
Most of the professionals these days got their start online, before moving into the lucrative high-stakes poker games.
After years of honing their skills online, they can afford the expensive buy-ins of large tournaments, like the $25,000 Tony paid to win $360,000 at the Poker Masters.
Luckily, you don’t need to start with shelling out every pound in your pocket to play. There are even free ways to compete for real money if you really want to start things slow.
These are called freerolls, which cost nothing to enter but might have a few hundred in the prize pool. And, on poker sites like the ACR app, you can play with a stack that just costs a few pence, up to whatever limits you feel comfortable at.
How Tony Bloom Applies Poker to Football
So, how does Bloom’s experience in poker translate to his role as a football club owner? According to Bloom, poker has taught him valuable skills such as risk management, strategic thinking, and decision-making.
“It’s a really good game,” he says. “It uses so many different skills. It’s about risk, calculated risk, understanding of situations, reading people, there’s a lot to it.”
These skills are crucial in football management, where making informed decisions about player recruitment, team strategy, and resource allocation can make all the difference. Bloom’s experience in poker has also helped him develop a disciplined approach to decision-making.
“People make decisions in life all the time, and even not making a decision is a decision and a risk of sorts,” he explains.
“But in poker, you’re always thinking odds, the likeliness of things happening, the risk if you go in one direction, or another.”
This approach has served him well in his role as a football club owner, where he must make tough decisions about player transfers, coaching staff, and resource allocation.
Start Learning the Basics
If you’re a football fan interested in learning more about poker, here are some key concepts to get you started:
Whether you’re a seasoned poker player or just starting out, the skills you learn at the poker table can be applied to many areas of life, including football management and gameplay.
So why not give poker a try? You might just find that it improves your decision-making, strategic thinking, and risk-management skills – all of which overlap the world of football.
