You would imagine Gareth Southgate is as bad at poker as he is in pizza adverts. Yet you’d look at Mario Balotelli and you’d think he could probably take to the velvet pretty well. But why? Balotelli is a slightly insane striker who sets fireworks off in his bathroom, and Southgate was a self-assured centre half who had a long and successful career at the top level.
Put them on the penalty spot, and there is your answer.
It was 1996 when Southgate’s penalty miss cost England a chance to put the Three Lions in the final of the European Championships. His run up was nervous, his eyes twitchy. His penalty – straight at the goalkeeper.
That very night Sheringham buried his. Coincidentally he has $329,477 in poker winnings. Actually, coincidence?
The similarities between playing poker and penalty taking are uncanny. To be successful you must possess certain qualities.
That fateful night in ’96 at Wembley, Southgate had no confidence. He turned. He ran. He failed. Compare that to Ronaldo of Brazil. He had all the confidence in the world. He rarely missed a penalty and now he’s making his mark in the cards world as a PokerStars SportStar.
Of course it isn’t just down to confidence. Whilst your half way there with the belief you can succeed, you must have strategy, the ability to bluff, and be very aware of your tell.
The bluff couldn’t be any more like penalty taking. In football the Panenka is the master of all bluffs.
Convincing you are going to smash the ball into the top corner, only to be completed with a deft chip embarrassing the goalkeeper, needs all the guts of going all-in on a pair, but can be pulled off.
Just look at Andrea Pirlo in 2012, he chipped the ball past Joe Hart no problem. His cool, calm, and collective approach as well as sticking to a strategy helped his side reach the semi-final of the European Championships. Compare this to a bluff in poker, and they run simultaneously.
In poker one must have a strategy. You must know what you’re going to do, when, and how your opponent may react. That night in Kiev, Joe Hart was diving for every penalty. Pirlo knew he would dive, so the shot was almost risk free.
Of course, like in poker there’s a risk. And sometimes even the best can look silly.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3uAurHNHDg]
