Music and poker have a long history together. You only need to look at the number of world-famous songs that mention poker to know that. Ace of Spades by Motorhead, Desperado by The Eagles, and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers are all certified classics, and, while not explicitly about poker, Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas, released back in 1964, certainly captures the feeling of the dizzying heights of Las Vegas.
The connection between music and poker runs deeper than simply some lyrics in songs, however. Take a closer look, as we did, and you’ll find that the two share more in common than you might think. Let’s delve deeper.
There Are Rules
You could try to play poker online without knowing the rules, but you wouldn’t get very far. Similarly, you could try to make a song without knowing music’s rules, but it probably wouldn’t be a smash hit. Anyone wishing to play online will have to first learn how to play poker. Happily, the rules are relatively easy to understand, which means most people can put what they’ve learned into practice within thirty minutes to an hour. Music is a bit different. You could argue — and jazz and punk musicians would — that there aren’t rules. But we have musical theory, and that’s essentially the same thing as rules. If you want to become a musician, you’ll have to learn what those rules are; though, unlike poker, once you do you’ll be free to break them.
Their Social Connectors
There’s more than a social element to music; the connective element is essentially why it exists. You can create music by yourself, but it’ll never be just for you; all the best music resonates deeply with others.
Poker is also a social connector. You can play against a computer, but most people only do so as a way of improving their skills. Real poker games always take place between humans, and while there’s a competitive aspect, there is also a connection being developed at the same time. Modern poker sites allow players to communicate while they’re playing games, and in the case of private games, even to use webcams. Many poker players begin playing the game due to the social element; for example, because their friends have begun playing.
They Both Take You On a Journey That You Only Somewhat Control
When you’re playing poker, you’re in control of your decision-making process. You’re not in control of the cards that are dealt, either to you or to your opponents. In the course of a game, you’ll be taken on a journey that will be partly down to you, and partly down to the draw.
Music can be similar, both for players and listeners. During improvisation sessions, musicians are in control of what they play yet must also respond to what other musicians are doing. As a listener, you can control where and when you listen to a song, but you can’t control the emotional journey that it might take you on. If you’ve ever been stopped in your tracks by the magnificence of a song, then you’ll know just what music can do to you.
They’re Both Widely Popular
We won’t say that music and poker are equally popular, because that’s not the case. Music is significantly more popular. According to one report, more than 90% of people listen to music. That’s more than 6.5 billion people. Really, music might be the one thing that connects all souls! Poker is more of a niche interest, but it does stack up some pretty impressive numbers. There are apparently 100 million poker players across the globe. And while that might sound like a pretty paltry number compared with all those music listeners, just think of this: poker was invented 200 years ago. Music dates back at least 40,000 years. So maybe we should wait another 39,800 years before we compare the number of fans.
