Racing involves risk-taking which is something many associates with poker players. While both activities take place in different environments, the thrills and the risks involved are similar. As a result, many racers usually find themselves enjoying a poker game once in a while.
Racers like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are known for their love for the fine things in life. They are serial party animals who frequent high end poker establishments when they are off the track. Poker for them, replace the thrill of the road when they roll the dice and play the Aces. The distraction ensures they remain focused off the track.
Why Do Athletes And Motorsport Racers Love Poker?
It will surprise you how many prominent athletes and formula one drivers love poker. Many playboys who are great Formula 1 drivers also enjoy the thrill of poker. Here Are The Reasons Why Athletes Love Poker:
Mixing Party with Charity
Poker and partying come hand in hand. It’s also an open secret that race drivers love to party and what an excellent way to party than add poker into the mix. Sometimes they do charity poker and donate the proceeds to a needy cause.
Poker Offers the Same Thrill as Racing
Poker and racing provide the same regarding taking risks. As a result, many racers participate in poker during their time off the tracks.
Why Should You Try Poker? Tips for Succeeding In Poker
Playing poker is fun so long as you don’t overindulge. All you need is learn some tricks, and gamble amounts you can afford to lose. Never make gambling a career as you will lose your life’s savings. Never involve any emotions or venture when you are drunk since you are not thinking straight. Playing poker is always a good way to have fun and make the extra quid you have mean meaning to make.
With the increase of media coverage about poker runs, you’ve probably heard about this type of fundraising event. But how does a poker run work? We’ve put together details about the event’s objective, how it’s organized, and a summary of the basic rules. 
What is the objective of a poker run?
The main objective of the event is fundraising. The poker run players are usually invited by the event’s organizer or they can enter the competition by paying a fee. The player who achieves the best hand wins the game and the funds are donated to the charity of his choice.
How to organize?
Before organizing a poker run you should establish the rules for your event. First, determine the poker game which will be played by the participants at the end of the race. Depending on whether its standard poker, Texas Hold’em or Omaha, you can establish the number of stops set on the route. You can decide between 2 to 5 stops. Send the race’s route to each player by email so they can configure the coordinates into their vehicle’s GPS system. At each stop, a volunteer will have a deck of cards. Each player who reaches the stop will select a card which will be written on a sheet of paper or registered in the player’s online account opened on the event’s website. You’ll need to have excellent driving skills to participate in a poker run. The faster you reach every stop point, the more chances you have of choosing high value cards. Also, considering that the route could involve off-road driving, make sure you have the right experience. You don’t want your car to tip over because you miscalculated the speed you’re going at over rough terrain. Once all players have 5-7 cards, they’ll meet at a central location where the actual poker game begins. Players use the hands they’ve obtained during the race and the winner will donate the funds to the charity of his choice. Here’s the tricky part, to guarantee a win you’ll need to have excellent poker skills to predict your opponents’ moves and apply successful strategies.
Wrapping it Up
A poker run is a fun and entertaining way to raise funds for a great cause. However, participants should know that a poker run requires accurate driving abilities and poker skills. The competitive edge is second to none. It’s not called a poker run for nothing.
Sports betting is a type of wagering that involves the participants placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event. As with other gambling the idea is to win money and with sports betting there are a number of different bet types and sports to bet on in order to achieve this. 
Sports betting can be done on any sport provided the bookmaker accepts it. However, there are a number of sporting events that have a much higher popularity and turn up much more commonly around the globe. These include soccer, basketball, American football, Baseball, auto racing, MMA, boxing and horse racing. Of course, the popularity of a particular sport will also depend on which country the player is in. there are illegal bookies available in all countries as well who will offer better odds than those that are licensed but the player is risking a lot more in taking these bets. There is also an option of using a betting exchange rather than a bookmaker with these types of bets. Similar to a bookie the difference here is that players can bet directly with other players rather than with the bookmaker themselves. Individual odds can be created, potentially generating more lucrative winnings. For more information on this, click here. Sports betting offers players a wider set of options when it comes to placing a wager. There are the traditional bets called ‘money line’ bets, which are placed on a specific player or team winning outright. Spread betting is a little more complex as this involves the bookie creating a handicap to even out the two sides. A side more likely to win will be handicapped, normally in half point increments, in order to balance it with the weaker side. Other bets include over/under, proposition and even future bets making sports betting an exciting option for players the world over.
If you are a fan of white-knuckle rides and fast-paced cars, you are likely searching for some performance enhancers which will provide you with a bit of extra kick. Although some of these can be quite technical in their nature, it is still a great idea to have a quick look at three of the most common additions that are used.
Nitrous OxideNitrous oxide works by increasing the combustive capability of your engine. In other words, a greater efficiency is achieved. This is one of the reasons why nitrous is often used during straight races (such as those on streets). Tanks can be kept in the back seat, the boot or even in the glove compartment.SpoilersThese visual additions do much more than add a bit of class to your car. The main point of a spoiler is to force the back of the vehicle down when air flows over the top. In turn, this provides much greater traction. The only other way to accomplish this would be to increase the weight of the car; not ideal if you feel the need for speed!Cold Air IntakesOne of the issues encountered with many high-performance sports cars is that their engines tend to overheat rapidly when driving fast. Often, coolant alone is not sufficient. In this case, many enthusiasts will add a cold air intake atop their bonnet. This attaches directly to the engine. The end result will be a natural flow of air into the hottest parts. So, oil will stay cooler and higher speeds can be achieved without worrying about damaging sensitive parts (or the engine itself seizing up).So, it is clear that such enhancements serve very functional purposes within any vehicle. Ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds, these devices will certainly provide you with the “kick” that you need to enjoy a fast ride!
Many car owners have often wondered how their vehicle would perform on the track. The performance of the vehicle may be more than adequate on the public road, but racing on the track puts additional requirements on a car in order to make it competitive. 
Many owners believe that the route to speed involves more brute engine power, and once the car is sufficiently powerful it will win. However, whilst power is an important factor in racing, it is just one facet of design that makes a successful racing car.
A high top speed can be redundant on many tracks, as twisty circuits with many turns make high speeds impossible. It is important that the car’s power is useable, and the entire vehicle package is designed for high average speeds over each lap.
Reducing weight is an important factor in making a car useable on the track. A high power-to-weight ratio will increase acceleration out of turns, as well as improving the ability of the vehicle to change direction.
For this reason, superfluous items such as excess seats, panels and instruments are removed to pare the car down to a minimum weight. All engine and chassis parts are designed to be as light as possible, and lightened engine internals are fitted to reduce the engine’s internal inertia. Road cars are fitted with suspension that is geared towards a comfortable ride, whilst race cars have stiffer shock absorbers to make the car stable at speed and improve the engine’s ability to get power onto the track.
Uprated brakes enable the driver to be able to tame the power and brake for optimum corner speeds, and race cars feature treadless ‘slick’ tyres that become sticky when hot to maximise traction.
Modifying a car for the track may mean that it no longer complies with the legal requirements for the road. For this reason, serious modifications should be undertaken for track use only.