The Racing Superstars Playing Their Cards Right

Considering that both poker and racing involve high stakes, glamour, and events held in some of the world’s most beautiful destinations, it’s no surprise that the two often intersect. As a matter of fact, for years, poker companies have been the racing world’s biggest supporters. For instance, as recently as 2023, Formula 1’s Oracle Red Bull Racing team was sponsored by the poker operator PokerStars. During race meets, the world’s biggest poker brands have even been known to host themed activations, like poker tables and charity games for racers and spectators alike.

That said, many racers have taken this connection with poker to the next level. Outside of the aforementioned professional opportunities, some of the racing industry’s biggest names have taken to the classic card game in their own time. Below, we’ve listed four of the most avid and talented racing stars who exhibit keen talent on the track and on the felt.

Landon Cassill

Veteran Landon Cassill is perhaps one of NASCAR’s most well-known poker enthusiasts. In fact, just a few years ago, he participated in an invitational tournament hosted by StormX. The popular crypto cashback platform was famously linked to Cassill’s old sponsor, Voyager, and even had their logo showcased on the racer’s car and suit. In the aforementioned invitational, Cassill was able to hold his own against experienced players such as Phil Hellmuth.

According to the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award winner, he was inspired by Chris Moneymaker’s monumental World Series of Poker (WSOP) win in 2003, which eventually sparked the poker boom. Known as the “everyman” of poker, Moneymaker has continued to encourage people from all walks of life to try the card game. This continues today in his capacity as a poker pro for online poker platform ACR Poker. Through this partnership, Moneymaker has even started his own poker tour that aims to inspire even more people to take up poker. In Cassill’s case, he said that he and his old race team would get together for $20 buy-in games after seeing Moneymaker’s success, which started with a modest buy-in, too. During some of his travels, Landon was even known to squeeze in a few private games or visits to local poker rooms.

Jaime Alguersuari

Famously known as formerly being the world’s youngest F1 driver, Jaime Alguersuari’s poker prowess is also well documented. During his more active days on the track, the Spanish driver was even able to secure a role as a PartyPoker ambassador. A popular online poker card room operator, the aforementioned company was once valued at over $6.4 billion and was recently in talks to be sold for around $192 million.

During his work with the poker company, he was even sent to represent the company during events such as the 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) in Barcelona. He has also expressed interest in playing more poker online. Although he has admitted that he plays for fun more than anything else, he has participated in several other poker matches. At one point, he even compared poker and racing, saying that both activities require a deeper understanding of when to push and be aggressive. Fittingly, one of his most famous poker pals is none other than Giancarlo Fisichella. A celebrated Italian figure on the F1 circuit, Giancarlo was another endorser for the same entity who often worked with Jaime to promote poker and encourage more engagement from racing fans, too

Lewis Hamilton

Undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable faces in sports today, Lewis Hamilton, is using his stardom to push racing even further in the mainstream consciousness. This is why he was even revealed as the face of video game developer EA Games’ F1 25. A much-anticipated racing title, F1 25’s latest update showed the Ferrari racer with the subtle caption  “New Chapter Awaits,” with Hamilton’s figure highlighted front and center.

Outside of the track, Lewis has similarly used his influence to bring attention to other sectors of gaming. This includes poker, which he is known to play regularly in his spare time. During the 2020 GGPoker High Rollers Week, Hamilton’s fame garnered him a special guest invitation. Marked as his official debut on the operator’s tables, Hamilton allegedly chose to pay the $10,300 buy-in for an event that had a $1.25 million guarantee. Apart from Lewis, the high-stakes games were enjoyed by elite poker staples like Fedor Holz, Joao Vieira, and  Julian Stuer. In his more private games, the seven-time F1 world champion has also been known to prefer online gaming providers as they can provide a more discreet poker experience.

For more on racing, please visit the rest of our site.