Surfs Up, Aces High! – Combining Your Love of Surfing and Poker

Hey dudes! Ready to catch some killer waves and re-raise on some gnarly hands? That’s great. Who doesn’t love surfing and poker? Two very different pastimes but altogether exceptionally fun. But how can you realistically enjoy both at the same time?! Sounds impossible but it’s not!

Head to the Casino from the Beach?

In theory, you could finish your surfing session and head straight to the casino for a few hands of poker. While it might sound like a good idea, there are a few obstacles to overcome in doing this. Firstly, you’ve been in saltwater for an extended time. You’re going to need a shower.

Then you’ve got to change clothes as casinos don’t usually allow people in wetsuits to simply turn up to the venue. That means taking your formal wear to the beach, which could result in sand getting in even more places. It’s just a nightmare.

Of course, if your casino of choice doesn’t have locker space you might end up wearing your goggles at the table. In the heat of an intense hand, they could steam up not allowing you to see your cards or the community cards. Don’t even start on the idea of having to wear your snorkel at the table, your heavy breathing will be exaggerated so everyone knows when you’ve got a good hand.

Even if you do all that, what are you going to do with your surfboard? Leave it propped up against the wall of the casino? It’s just a bad idea. Of course, you could always go to the casino first – see if the guys behind reception will hold your board for a while. Yet it’s more common to enjoy the casino in the evening and surfing in the day, so this makes it difficult to enjoy them chronologically.

Underwater Re-Raise?

So it’s hard to take surfing to the casino, but how about taking poker to the beach? All you need is a few willing players, a space to play and a basic deck of cards. So in theory, if you and a few surf buddies are chilling out, you could probably play a few hands.

The problem is that…you’re exposed to the elements. If it's windy, you could see your ace of spades fly away into the sea. Or if it starts to rain, then your cards could get water damaged. There’s lots of sand and water about on the beach, so they could deteriorate in condition regardless.

Of course, any game of poker that is played on the beach is only going to be for fun. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants to gamble excessive amounts of money at the beach. That is unless all of your surf crew also love poker as much as you do.

In theory, if money is no object to you, you could hire an independent card dealer to run a game for you on the beach. He could bring all the cards, a table, etc. You could do it on the beach or privately hire a beach hut to do it in. These tend to be very expensive, so it’s not for everyone – but it is a tangible way of combining poker and the surfing experience.

Log On from the Beach, Bro!

Okay by now we’ve discussed why it might be not easy to go to the casino with your surf gear or take your cards to the beach – but there is a great way that allows you to combine your experiences. It’s called online mobile on your device. Let’s face it, when you go surfing, you’re not surfing all the time.

There are points where the waves aren’t high enough, times when they are too high, or just general downtime when you want a rest from all the action. This presents a lot of opportunities for you to get your device out from the comfort of your beach chair and play online poker. This medium of poker allows you to bring nothing additional to your surfing session, other than your phone. Which let’s face it, you would probably be taking anyway.

If you do fancy playing a few hands while soaking up the sun then here are some great real money poker sites you can try on the beach and you never know, it could complete the perfect day if you do win some extra cash.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Djurdjevic          

Senior Content Creator

Aleksandra Djurdjevic is a senior writer and editor, covering surf, kayak and various watersports activities. She has previously worked as ESL teacher for English Tochka. Aleksandra graduated from the Comparative Literature department at the Faculty of Philosophy in Serbia. Aleksandra’s love for the ocean / rivers, getting out waves, season after season, seeking epic adventures across the globe helps her continue to be a top expert at CSG.