Image of Slash can be published under Creative Commons
Music stars have hours to pass between gigs. The act is over, and the roadies now take over so that everything is ready to go at the next venue.
Music and poker don’t seem to have much in common. However, there is a rhythm to a song and a hand of poker. There are highs and lows to the beat of a song and poker hand. Both reach a crescendo, so maybe that’s why many artists relax away from the stage and studio with poker.
Any rock music podcast is likely filled with stories of how performers relax off stage, but the following artists have certainly filled their downtime hours from music by playing poker.
Slash
The Guns n’ Roses lead guitarist, aka Saul Hudson, has been known around the world since the 1980s for his musical talent and on-stage top hat. However, not too many fans at the band’s gigs were aware a budding poker player was strutting his stuff on stage.
Slash knows his way around a poker table and once participated in a high-profile charity poker tournament in the Bahamas. He clearly had shown some ability at poker to warrant the invitation; that’s a neat accolade for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
Nelly
Nelly is known all around the world for his take on rap music. However, he has also displayed successful business acumen by developing his own brand and establishing his own organisation that is not for profit. Nelly is a successful TV actor who appeared in CSI: New York.
If that is not enough, the all-rounder has played in many of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. Nelly has applied a talented mind to working out how to get the best return and outcome from a hand of poker. It’s not known how his love of cards began. But with relentless months on tour, poker provides a bit of entertainment where the musicians can put their knowledge of poker odds to good use.
JAY-Z
JAY-Z has headlined Glastonbury and frequented casinos in London when he visits the United Kingdom. He is a self-proclaimed virtual professional gambler, and blackjack and poker are his casino games of choice. The artist is rumoured to be a formidable opponent on the tables.
However, there has been speculation that in the past, he learnt the hard way. It focuses the mind on mastering a game that has allegedly lost him a significant amount of money. JAY-Z could now be a match for any musician playing a hand of casino poker.
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell has used poker lyrics in two of her songs to bring parallels between the card game and love. In ‘Song for Sharon’, the singer compares keeping cool at the poker table compared to what happens when love is involved. The inference is that love is harder to control than a hand of poker.
Mitchell’s 1974 song ‘Help Me’ expresses the love for somebody she describes as a “rambler and gambler”. Her songs are, on the surface, about the difficulties of relationships. However, the analogy is the highs and lows of a poker session.
Justin Vernon
You don’t need to be a millionaire rock star to mix music and poker. Justin Vernon was down on his luck when he lost $220 playing online poker. If you were a member of the indie-rock sensation Bon Iver that amount of money would seem like a drop in the ocean.
However, before recording the debut album in 2007, Vernon was not wealthy. His online poker session was a last throw of the dice before he earned any significant money from his music career.
Scott Ian
Scott Ian was the rapid-playing guitarist with the band Anthrax, who was one of the first exponents of trash metal. His style has been copied by many, but few would profess to be also very good at poker. Indeed, he is talented in both activities.
Ian won a charity poker event in 2006, so decided to pursue the game as a hobby. He went on to compete in some prestigious poker tournaments with success. The speed of thought and action were aptitudes useful in each arena.
Many millions of people around the globe on every continent get great pleasure and excitement from playing poker. Strategy and luck play a part, and the same factors are important in becoming a successful music artist and recording a hit single. The two genres could come together again with another release like Joni Mitchell’s songs with lyrics about how love can be like playing poker.
