It seems like just yesterday that British champion Lewis Hamilton was spraying champagne all over his fans as he took the Formula 1 Champion title once again.
However, we’re just a few weeks away now from the season kicking off once again on 15th March, with this year’s festivities beginning in Australia and ending in Abu Dhabi.
With motorsports on everybody’s minds, there have been a few interesting stories to hit the media recently. In particular, one plucky Archbishop had his 15 minutes of fame when he organised a mass motorcycling event in Miami, followed by a poker tournament to raise money for St. Luke’s Center, helping people to fight addiction.
It sounds like a strange combination at first – poker and motorsports that is, not motorsports and religious figures! But there may be more parallels between the age old card game and motor racing than we think.
Location is one of the biggest pointers to consider when we draw comparisons between the two – for example, one of the most famous events on the racing calendar is the Monaco Grand Prix.
But of course, while Monaco may be famous for the most decadent racing event on the calendar, Monte Carlo is also a gambling haven for those who want to make their racing experience that much more thrilling – and even those who don’t have time to make their poker game a reality while watching the races can find alternatives at Mr Smith Casino. As one of the most technologically advanced cities around the world, there is no end to the amount of online entertainment there is out there, including the aforementioned chance to bet online with Wi-Fi and more.
Poker has its similarities in motor racing all over the world however, and another striking coincidence is the racers themselves, many of whom have made names for themselves on the poker circuit.
For example, in 2009 and 2010, both Giancarlo Fishichella and Jaime Alguersuari became ambassadors for the game respectively. The two have since become hardcore fans of poker, in particular, Fisichella, who has taken part in world famous events such as the 2008 and 2009 Pit Stop Poker Club tournaments. The events were also attended by such famous names as Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Vitantonio Liuzzi.
It’s only natural that we can expect racing stars to live something of an ‘on the edge’ lifestyle – they spend their days driving at G-Force speeds in blistering heats, so in reality, a few rounds of cards is probably a great way to let off steam.
