The Crossover Connections Between Magic the Gathering and Poker

Mar 24

Since 1994, the most important tournament for Magic the Gathering has been held annually, offering cash prizes of up to $100,000 to the winners. Called the Magic the Gathering World Championship, players from around the world battle it out to determine the best Magic player.

In 2021, game publisher Wizards of the Coast added $50,000 in appearance payouts for each qualifying player in the year's World Championship event. This meant that for the 16 players who qualified for the Magic the Gathering World Championship, they were guaranteed $800,000 divided between them.

As you can see, the Magic the Gathering World Championship is a big deal for any serious Magic player. Currently, the US holds the lead for most Individual World Championships and team titles. Coincidentally, the last three World Championships were held in Las Vegas, making Magic the Gathering potentially the biggest non-poker and non-casino annual event in the city.

Taking a closer look at both Magic the Gathering and poker reveals more similarities between the two than one may think. After all, the two card games already share a world-level, high-stakes competitive scene. In this post, we'll take a closer look at the crossover connections between Magic the Gathering and Poker. Poker pros playing Magic the Gathering competitively as well.

Transferable skills

One of the key similarities between the two seemingly vastly different card games is the overlap of transferable skills. Because of this, many Magic the Gathering players go on to play poker professionally. There are even a few cases of poker pros playing Magic the Gathering competitively as well.

One of the most notable poker pros with a Magic the Gathering background is Argentinian player, Nacho Barbero. Signed to American online poker provider, ACR Poker, Barbero rose to fame in 2010 after bagging two titles on that year's Latin American Poker Tour, earning him the nickname, "Back-To-Back Barbero". Before he went onto professional poker, however, Barbero was a prolific Magic the Gathering player. He even represented Argentina in a national championship right before learning how to play poker.

Of course, Barbero is only one of many Magic the Gathering players with a knack for poker. Some other players combining their Magic and poker skills include French Magic the Gathering player Gabriel Nassif. Nassif is a member of the Magic Hall of Fame and a popular Magic streamer. Previously, Nassif has joked about "getting a lot of second place finishes in Magic and in poker." He first made the Top 8 of a Magic World Championship in 2004 before making a comeback in 2020. In between, Nassif has continued to play poker, raking in over $1,180,000 in total live earnings.

Strategy for Magic and poker

If you're wondering why so many Magic players go on to play poker professionally, experts over the years have speculated that the two card games are alike in terms of strategy-making. American statistician Nate Silver's book proposes that the poker boom in the past 20 years contributed to helping tech workers, founders, and venture capitalists understand strategic concepts like probability and risk. The best poker players were able to assess threats and build the confidence required to take big chances to win big prizes. Silver argues that Magic the Gathering hones these same skills.

Still, avid Magic players note that there are some differences in the two card games. While the best poker players can come up with different solutions for a problem, Magic's many cards provide too much variability for algorithms and AI to effectively predict outcomes.

Despite the slight difference in AI compatibility, many Magic and poker experts praise the two games for helping people develop real-life skills, such as staying focused and being able to think things through to solve problems. As such, it's no wonder that a lot of Magic veterans have gone on to win big money in poker. Similarly, many poker players have turned to Magic for both competition and entertainment.

Poker and Magic in the D&D world

Finally, another crucial connection between Magic the Gathering and poker is their potential in the D&D world. Of course, while Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons are both Wizards of the Coast properties, they're vastly different games. Still, that hasn't stopped the most proficient Dungeon Masters from incorporating Magic the Gathering into their D&D campaigns.

In a previous post, we highlighted how best-selling author Remely Farr accomplishes his world-building using Magic cards. Part of his adventure writing process is his Weekend Oneshot Challenge, where he completes the writing, art, cartography, and editing for his one-shot RPG adventure within 48 hours using Magic the Gathering cards.

Similarly, we've also discussed the many Wizards' multiverse settings, combining the best of D&D with Magic the Gathering's in-depth world-building. In the post, we also covered how The Art of Magic the Gathering books can help aspiring Dungeon Masters create richer D&D campaigns in Magic-inspired settings.

Meanwhile, nerdier Dungeon Masters have also incorporated poker and its many variants into their D&D campaigns. Some Dungeon Masters may also integrate D&D's dice-rolling game mechanic into their poker gameplay to better fit the theme. Regardless, even poker, which is normally associated with the glitz and glam of Vegas casinos, can be molded to fit into the fantasy and sci-fi settings of the best D&D campaigns.

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