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Michael Phelps Wants to Try World Series of Poker Event

Olympian Would Join Long List of Poker-Playing Athletes

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Michael Phelps, the darling of the 2008 Summer Olympics, recently told his hometown newspaper that after things at the pool wind down, he’d like to play in a World Series of Poker event.

“I think it would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker,” Phelps told the Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg. “My game is a little off right now, so I'll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys.”

If Phelps winds up at a WSOP event, he’d join a list of current and former athletes who feel compelled to occasionally play in major poker tournaments. That list includes Rocco Mediate, Jose Canseco, Orel Hershiser, Josh Beckett, Gilbert Arenas, and Tony Parker, just to name a few.

Phelps is perhaps the greatest Olympian who ever lived. His eight gold medals won at Beijing’s Water Cube are the most ever captured in a single year. His grand total of 14 gold medals is also an Olympic record.