Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, And Dan Weinman To Be Featured On New Sports Trading Cards

Looking for that Phil Hellmuth trading card? What about Daniel Negreanu, or the latest main event champ, Dan Weinman?

Poker fans will soon have the chance to add these poker standouts to their sports card collections after Leaf and Poker Royalty recently announced a deal for the first set of trading cards in more than a decade.

‘Like a lot of kids, I collected sports cards growing up. To think I will have my own trading card is crazy to me and I’m really excited about it,” said Dan Weinman. “I remember seeing those poker cards years ago and seeing a Hellmuth, Negreanu, and a Tom Dwan card. Now Leaf is bringing this idea back with new players and someone out there will find my signed card.”

Leaf’s last set of poker cards was produced in 2011. Collectors can expect 40 cards overall in the new set.

“Our last project together was a decade ago, and we both agreed it has been too long,” Leaf Vice President Josh Pankow said. “Even better, we’ve already got Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Dan Weinman attached to this project. When this set is released, we will have a ton of great cards covering poker players from all eras, including the newest players people are excited about.”

Poker Adds To Renewed Interest In Trading Cards

This actually marks Leaf’s fifth set of poker cards. The industry has seen a revival in recent years thanks in part to a sales boost during the pandemic. It was just last year that a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for a record $12.6 million.

Social media collecting is also growing. That includes live streams focused on opening card packs, also known as “breaking,” in which a certain number of people buy an entry from a seller, known as a “spot.” According to CNBC, “the seller then opens an entire case of trading cards live online and allocates each of them.”

Will poker cards find a surge in popularity? That remains to be seen, but the game has also seen momentum in recent years with record-setting live and online tournament fields.

Beyond the three players already released, PokerRoyalty also represents some other big names including Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Scotty Nguyen, Patrik Antonius, and David Williams. The agency also represented the late Doyle Brunson. It seems likely at least some of these players will have their images plastered across a card or two.

History Of Poker Cards

Leaf isn’t the only card company to get in the poker business. In 2009, Chris Ferguson was featured on a card. The 2000 WSOP main event champion was featured on a card by Press Pass Fusion. A collector can grab a copy on eBay for about five bucks.

Other cards have featured Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Carlos Mortensen, Greg Raymer, and others. An autographed Moneymaker runs for about $80.

In 2017, WSOP main event winner Scott Blumstein was featured on a card from Topps. The New Jersey rounder was thrilled to see his own mug on a small piece of cardboard.

“I sold and collected cards growing up,” Blumstein told Sports Collectors Digest at the time. “So to be able to be a part of the product is really special, especially being in the same pack as my favorite baseball players.”

High-stakes poker players Jared Bleznick and Tom Marchese are also no strangers to sports cards, operating as co-owners of a store front in Las Vegas called Legacy.

*Photos courtesy of PokerGO

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