Nadal Bluffs Golfers For The Sake Of His Poker Game

Posted:October 2012

Both the US Open and London Summer Olympics were off the cards for Nadal due to a chronic knee problem that has plagued him. Good news for Andy Murray in light of his first grand slam, however this did not stopped him from looking to improve his game. Only this time it was a different game, and nowhere near a tennis court. Nadal recently signed an agreement to endorse the popular site PokerStars (Spain) and so has taken it upon himself to learn how to bluff, in a slightly less conventional way than we have seen before..

Rafa and Online Poker This online poker giant has a whole slew of poker and other professionals endorsing their product. But Nadal, being the perfectionist he is has taken his poker playing improvement to a whole new level. He took a job as receptionist (temporary) at the Vall D’Or Golf Country Club, Majorca Island, in order to learn how to bluff.

The main reason for Nadal getting involved with PokerStars is to improve his game, so, sitting behind this receptionist desk, with the name “Tony” on his breast pocket and wearing a pair of specs, was designed to help him learn how to bluff. The job is a front-line position which involves helping golfers with queries. A hidden camera watches every move.

PokerStars has placed several celebrities in the same or similar positions to improve the strategy of their game. This job works in Nadals’ favor, as was seen in this exchange: Golfer approaches - “I need to … You’re not … you’re Rafa!?” and Nadal replied, “Of course not.”

Despite his protestations to the contrary, one couple was absolutely convinced he was Rafa, no matter how much he denied it. They insisted on having a photograph taken with him – just in case. One customer even asked him “do you play tennis”; Rafa maintained the perfect poker face and replied “sometimes”. When at a later PokerStars meeting, he was asked if he now knows what bluffing means…the answer was a definite “yes”!

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