From Anfield To A Felt, How Jan Molby Became A Poker Player

Liverpool’s former Norwegian left-back John Arne Risse retired from football in 2017 and since then has carved out a nice little earner in playing poker, cashing close to $20k in live cash earnings. The 42-year-old, famed for his free-kick prowess, even signed on as a poker ambassador for a well-known Scandinavian online poker room.

But Arne Risse wasn’t the first Scandinavian Liverpool legend to make the switch from the pitch to the casino as one famous Dane beat him to the punch. In the 1980s, it was a glittering sight to take in one Danish star, Jan Molby, on the pitch with his outstanding midfield skills.

He played for Liverpool and immediately became a legend at Anfield with an unrivalled passing ability. Now, he is showing his qualities elsewhere becoming a big name in another game, poker. But how did the Great Dane go from the pitch to the cards?

Amsterdam To Anfield

Molby joined Liverpool from Ajax in 1984 and stayed with the club for 12 years. Molby’s epiphany came in a pre-season friendly with Home Farm and that’s when he began to show his undoubted class.

Although he had a unique appearance and carriage, it didn’t stop him from becoming a true talent and Liverpool’s preferred penalty taker. He is remembered for the quote “It’s not about how fast you move, it’s how fast you think”, a skill he would later utilise at the poker tables.

Grinding At Poker

After briefly managing a couple of football clubs including Swansea City and two spells at Kidderminster Harriers, Molby decided to put his exceptional skills to poker, a game that he has become very good at over the last few years.

He started, as can you by learning how to play real money on GG Poker, and, while it would be a far stretch to call him a poker master, it would not be far off to call him an exceptional player. The ex-footballer has shown his skills in some pretty major poker tournaments, including the Amsterdam Classic Masters, Bet24 Open, and the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

He has also raked in $14,723 in total earnings with a best live cash of $9,723. Of course, he is not the only footballer to have turned to the tables, famously Neymar Jr., both Ronaldos and Gerad Pique have all given the game a go too.

Other skilful athletes such as Raphael Nadal have also delved into poker as well, but Jan Molby’s poker career seems to be more prolific than others. He has played with some of the biggest names in the game.

Big Jan has said that he found football and poker to be quite similar, especially when it comes to patience and execution. These days of course you don’t even need to use real funds to play poker online, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) are all widely accepted.

What Is Jan Doing Molby now?

The Denmark legend still lives in Liverpool with his wife and two children. He has worked on Danish TV and is a regular pundit on LFC TV. In September 2022, Molby had a Liverpool John Lewis community room named in his honour, a tribute to how much impact he had on the club during his time there and also as part of a running gag that also saw him receive his own mural on Sybil Road.

He currently co-hosts a podcast with Trev Downey called Molby On The Spot which you can listen to too on the Anfield Index app.