How Jan Mølby/Big Jan Became A Poker Player?

In the 80s, it was a dazzling sight to watch one Danish player, Jan Mølby on the pitch with his exceptional midfield skills. He played for Liverpool and quickly became a legend at Anfield, but he seemed to vanish for a while. Now, he is a big name in another thrilling game: poker. How did he go from pitch to cards?

First days into the limelight: Anfield

Before Mølby joined Liverpool, he played for smaller clubs like Ajax. A preseason friendly with Home Farm became Mølby's epiphany, and that's when he began to shine. A rather unique appearance and carriage distinguished the Dane during games, and with remarkable accuracy, he became Liverpool's preferred penalty taker. 

By 1987, his glorious career came to an abrupt halt. Although Jan Mølby had only played 12 years for Liverpool, he was unable to return to the 1987/88 season due to a foot injury. He resumed football again but had to wait after another injury took him out again much later.

Rising and dominating again: poker

After briefly managing a couple of football clubs after his active years, Mølby decided to use his exceptional skills to learn poker, something he has become very good at over the last few years. He started with online poker and casino sites like BoyleSports. The site is one of the most popular sites and BoyleSports was fully reviewed by Casinohawks which you can use to check out to learn more about the popular game yourself.

It would be a far stretch to call him a poker master, but, if you called him an exceptional player, you would not be far off. The ex-football player has shone in major poker tournaments, including the Amsterdam Classic Masters, Bet24 Open, as well and the 2011 WSOP.

Some accomplished athletes like Raphael Nadal have delved into poker too, but Jan Molby's poker career seems to be more outstanding than that of athletes. He has played with some of the biggest heavyweights in poker. Big Jan explained that he found football and poker quite similar, especially in the areas of patience and execution. 

Where is Jan Mølby now?

The Denmark-born legend still resides in Liverpool to date, with a wife and two children. Careerwise, he now anchors football programs on Danish TV or joins football discussions as an expert. In September 2022, he had a Liverpool community room named after him, a testament to how much he impacted the club during the years he was with it. Next month, Big Jan will visit Snodland town for an event, where fans would get to meet him and have a chat after purchasing tickets. He currently co-hosts a podcast with Trev Downey called Molby On The Spot.

Written by Alan Spencer