Rafael Nadal recently faced off against Vanessa Selbst in a heads-up poker game at Casino de Monte Carlo. This was quite an interesting pairing, given that Nadal started playing poker less than two years ago while Selbst is commonly called the world’s best female player, with nearly $10 million in tournament winnings.
If there were a betting line on this heads-up match, Selbst probably would’ve been a 10:1 favorite or better. So nobody should be surprised to hear that Selbst did beat the tennis star in this PokerStars promotion.
Even with the predictable outcome, it should be noted that PokerStars donated 5,000 euros to charity, and both Selbst and Nadal enjoyed the experience. Here’s a look at both of their comments:
Selbst – Rafa played a great game, but the format and the cards were in my favor. I was able to win by using aggression in good spots and I also made a number of strong hands. I had an excellent time with Rafa and I’m looking forward to the re-match!
Nadal – It was a great honor to play against a strong competitor and although I lost, I had a lot of fun.
Speaking of fun, that’s exactly what Sports Illustrated had when poking fun at Nadal’s terrible poker face. As they discussed, Rafa is known for how fired up he gets on the tennis courts. But when he gets fired up on the poker felt, it can look fairly comical. Moreover, it doesn’t exactly help him conceal poker tells very well. That said, take a look at if you’d be able to judge what Rafa had based on his poker faces. Hum, sports betting might be a better match for him.
