Musicians Who Can Rock a Poker Table by Julia Maxwell

Music and poker might not seem very similar on the surface but like a lot of pursuits, it takes a lot of practice and dedication to be skilled at music as well as poker. It’s easy to be a casual player and learn a few riffs or enjoy a poker cash game or tournament occasionally at an “internet casino” but you’ll have to put in plenty of work if you want to get better, whether it’s at the poker tables or rocking out with friends.

The good news is that there are plenty of great examples to emulate, as far as musicians of all types that have had plenty of success at the poker tables. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is the biggest and most popular poker tournament each year, drawing thousands of poker players each and every year. Among them are plenty of celebrities and musicians, many of whom are there to not only get a little bit of free publicity but to hopefully show that they’re not just one-trick ponies and that they know a thing or two about poker.

Coolio, Nelly, and Ja Rule have all taken a shot at the WSOP, although none have broken through with a big cash yet. Aside from the hip/hop and rap stars, other musicians such as Sully Erna of Godsmack have fared much better, with Erna cashing in consecutive years in the Main Event as well as notching a 2nd place finish in a Bellagio Cup event that was worth a very nice payday of $307,325. French singer Patrick Bruel, though, is the king of musicians that play poker, with more than $1 million in lifetime cashes which included winning a WSOP bracelet in 1998 – in addition to $224,000 in cash for that win.

Scott Ian of Anthrax may not have any big results to his name but he’s one of the more visible poker fans, doing several different interviews for Casino Reviews sites about his love for the game. He claims that he’s had to rearrange Anthrax’s summer touring schedule several times so that he could play in the Main Event, and is an avid online player as well when he’s on the road. He’s also the envy of poker players everywhere, as his regular metal home game includes Jerry Cantrell, Kirk Hammett, and Slash — not a bad lineup at all.

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