Get to know Leif Force and Phil Laak 

In an article published on Slate, it states there that 4.7 million Americans played Ultimate Frisbee at least once in 2010. It also revealed that more than 1.5 million people play this sport at least 13 times a year, and those devotees tend to spend money on Ultimate. Based on the statistics, it is not surprising if some of those frisbee aficionados happen to be well-known poker players. One person that was proud to admit that he was into frisbee was Leif Force, or also known as “Jungle Boy”, who is a WSOP gold bracelet winner.

Before he made it big as a poker player, Force started out dancing and playing Ultimate Frisbee. He admitted in an interview by Poker Listings, “I actually moved to Asheville (North Carolina) for dancing. I Tango, Salsa, and Contra like four days a week and I play Ultimate Frisbee.” Techno Contra originated in South Carolina, but this dance movement reached Asheville and it became popular in that area during that time. Force revealed, “I’ve been dancing since I was like four years old and I love it.” His fancy footworks must have helped him become a successful Ultimate Frisbee player for Florida State University. Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Leif Force started playing poker at a young age and even spent more time dabbling on cards rather than his Math lessons. Everything paid off for the Jungle Boy as he currently has more than $2 million in live tournament earnings.

Another poker player that is into Ultimate Frisbee is 2010 WSOP Europe champion Phil Laak, who is also the longtime partner of actress/poker player Jennifer Tilly. Known for his trademark sunglasses and hoodie that made him resemble Theodore Kaczynski, Laak was given the nickname “The Unabomber”; but an article released at Betfair called him “Poker’s Favorite Stuntman” because of his list of stunts. One of his memorable stunts was disguising as a middle-aged man – wearing a latex mask, make-up, wig, and costume – during the WSOP Main Event in 2008. Aside from juggling his time playing in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Irish-American poker player takes time to enjoy playing Ultimate Frisbee. When he was asked by Poker Babe if his favorite game was No-Limit Hold’em, Laak said that “I Like Pot Limit Omaha and Ultimate Frisbee more than No-Limit Hold’em”.

Leif Force and Phil Laak are just two of the famous names in the poker world that have shown their passion in Ultimate Frisbee. Their experience with the sport must have played a huge part in their success as a poker player because Ultimate Frisbee requires a lot of dedication, patience, and hard work – which are needed in poker too.

Do you think that Ultimate Frisbee can help poker players improve their game?