The Mutual Attributes Needed to Be a Pro Wrestler or Poker Player

Wrestling and poker are two very different animals. One is about as physical as it gets, requiring immense power, speed and agility. The other requires immense mental fortitude and skill. Although serious wrestlers and poker players rarely look alike, there are many more attributes these guys have in common than you may think.

Below, we’ll explore five mutual traits you’ll find in first-rate wrestlers and poker players alike.

High Level of Skill

To be a success in wrestling and poker worlds, you need to be 100% skilful. Those skills rarely cross over between the two worlds, but skill remains the name of the game. In wrestling, the types of skills required include endurance, upper-body strength, exceptional footwork and overall conditioning.

In poker, it’s more about the mental skills and aptitude required to beat opponents, not just their hands. A skilful poker player will know when the time is right to use a bluff or put their opponents under pressure with certain bets or raises. They’ll be fully attuned to the psychology of the game.

Solid Work Ethic

Becoming an exceptional wrestler requires heaps of hard work and dedication. Wrestlers dedicate their lives to honing their craft. They need to have the determination and desire to train day in, day out. They need to be able to build their muscle profile, while developing the offensive and defensive skills needed to stand out in the ring.

Serious poker players don’t get their success without hard work either. Many of the best professionals spend hundreds, if not thousands, of hours practicing and analysing past performances. They’ll be self-critical and humble. Any serious wrestler or poker player with an unstinting work ethic stands a real chance of making it, just by trying a few percentage points harder than the rest.

Physical Health

You might not immediately think that serious poker players need to have excellent physical health, but you need to think outside of the box. Poker players entering live tournaments can be sat down at the same table for 10-12 hours a day. As the game itself is very sedentary, poker players need to be very conscious of what they eat and drink. It’s one of the most important habits a poker player needs. Those with poor diets usually struggle to mentally focus for the length of time poker pros play daily.

Nutrition is just as important to play poker as it is to become a wrestler. High-protein diets are the key for wrestlers who need to build, restore and maintain muscle mass. Even the biggest names heading up the industries need a rock-solid diet, as former WWE CEO Vince McMahon underlines. Poker players need a balanced diet, avoiding carb-heavy dishes which can affect concentration. In fact, many poker pros graze throughout a session, taking small snacks which are full of good fats, fibre and protein to help maintain focus and energy.

Courage and Resilience

It takes some serious mental fortitude to make it as a wrestler or a poker pro. There will be plenty of knockbacks along the path to greatness in wrestling or poker. Those who can stay the course and overcome adversity will have the best chance of succeeding.

In wrestling, wrestlers need courage to be able to pull off audacious moves and takedowns live and unfiltered, with thousands of fans at ringside. In poker, courageous players are those who can make big-money bluffs when there’s a tournament or huge prize pool on the line. There’s a saying that fortune favours the brave and this certainly applies to budding wrestlers and poker players.

Personality

Personality is something wrestlers also need in abundance to make the grade. They need to be relatable to the fans and have a style and character that’ll encourage fans to get off their couches to watch them live in stadia and arenas worldwide.

Poker players don’t need a personality to earn fans, but they need one to make it difficult for opponents to read them. A poker player with a persona that seems bold, brash and aggressive can be helpful to them at the poker tables. It may suggest to opponents that they’re looser i.e. more willing to play drawing hands and bluffs than the average player. In reality, this may not be the case, giving those with loose table images a chance to cash in when they have those big hands.

After reading this article, you’ll acknowledge that the recipes of successful wrestlers and poker players are similar than you may think.