Liverpool legend Jan Molby goes from football pitch to poker table

Many legends of football have gone on to play their best at Anfield, and fans certainly have their say when it comes to their favourites. However, there is only one Liverpool FC legend that has made the transition from world-class footballer to top-class poker player. Denmark’s Jan Molby will forever be immortalized by the Liverpool faithful, with the honorary Scouser being involved in some of the best Liverpool teams of the past.

Yet in the recent years, he has decided to move away from football and management, and has found something else that he is pretty good at. Jan Molby has learned how to play poker, and believe it or not, might take it up as his next pursuit. He took part in a European Poker Tour Main Event in Copenhagen last year, and held his own against some of the game’s more accomplished players. He definitely proved that he can mix it up with the best in the poker industry.

Molby says he finds a lot of similarities between poker and football, pointing to focus, patience and planning as keys to winning. Fans of adrenalin fuelled and suspense filled sports often find themselves drawn to the poker table when not watching or playing their own sport. From tennis greats like Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker, to football stars like Jan Molby, the same proved true for many of today’s sports celebrities.

The onset of online poker has coincided with a huge increase in the popularity of poker over recent years. Quite possibly as a result of this, there have been a growing number of young poker players making the cut for major events including the World Series of Poker.

The retired Danish star realizes that poker nowadays is more about playing your opponents rather than the cards that you hold. It’s about picking the right spots and the right situations to try and make a play. It is also about taking advantage of and knowing your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. If Molby can keep improving his already obvious talent for the game, who is to say that he cannot go on to become a very successful poker player too? Liverpool’s record penalty scorer of all time (62 goals, with 42 of them on penalties) certainly has all of the attributes needed to become a high level player.