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Four elite competitors in their fields faced off in Las Vegas last week in Global Poker Table Talk Vegas, an event that paired Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. with Olympic legend Michael Phelps and poker superstar Antonio Esfandiari.

The GP Table Talk Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 19 inside PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino kicked off race week as one of severalcelebrity-packed events as the city hosted F1 for the second straight year.

While Leclerc and Sainz Jr. are expert drivers for Ferrari, they were newcomers to the felt. Thankfully, they had Phelps and Esfandiari by their sides to help them bet, raise and fold, with PokerGO’s Ali Nejad sitting in between the teams and guiding the action.

But the poker expertise was unnecessary as a nut flush versus second nut flush cooler ended the match in under 30 minutes.

PokerNews attended the filming of Global Poker Table Talk and caught up with Phelps and Esfandiari during their rare appearances at the poker table.

“It Definitely Gets My Adrenaline Running”

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time and an expert in concentration and discipline, talked about his passion for poker and “being able to play people, kind of pick up on their tendencies, whether it’s how they breathe, whether it’s how they put their chips in the middle, if they have a nervous twitch.”

“Any way that I can pick up any piece of information on a player, then I can try to figure out how I’m going to exploit it in a hand,” Phelps told PokerNews after the victory. “And for me, it’s like a board game. You just get so much enjoyment playing the same hands so many different times and so many different ways.”

“And for me, it’s like a board game. You just get so much enjoyment playing the same hands so many different times and so many different ways.”

It was a rare appearance at the poker table for the 23-time gold medal winner, who lives in Arizona. But Phelps does play the occasional poker tournament and has racked up nearly a dozen Hendon Mob cashes since 2008, most recently in a $65 Tuesday tournament at Horseshoe Tunica last month where he finished fourth for $508.

“I played some cards while I was here in Vegas and I love being at the felt,” he said. “I have four kids, so I don’t have the chance to get out and play as much as I’d like to. But it definitely gets my adrenaline running when I sit down at the poker table.”

Taking the Wheel from Ferrari Drivers

While Leclerc and Sainz Jr. are used to being in the driver’s seat, Phelps and Esfandiari led the way on Tuesday afternoon as the two accomplished poker players talked the Ferrari drivers through the nuance and strategy of poker.

In the final hand, both players turned a flush on the board of Q*♦8♥4♥6♥* with Sainz Jr. and Phelps holding A*♥9♥* against the K*♥9♥* of Esfandiari and Leclerc. Sainz Jr. simply called a turn bet on the advice of Phelps before all the chips got in on the blank J*♠* river.

After the fatal cooler, Sainz Jr. asked his poker partner why they had called on the turn instead of raising. Phelps explained that they had the best possible hand with a straight flush blocker and wanted their opponent to keep betting.

“It was awesome watching Carlos kind of get into his comfort zone,” Phelps said. “Obviously it’s different playing on TV and playing with Antonio. It can be intimidating for a lot of people. But he kind of got in his comfort zone.”

The event was both a return to poker for Esfandiari, best known for his televised cash game appearances and $18.3 million victory in the 2012 Big One for One Drop, and his first exposure to the racing world.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Esfandiari told PokerNews before the cards were dealt. “I’m new to the sport and so I kind of want to learn and meet the drivers.”

Just weeks ago, Esfandiari played in the PokerStarsBig Game on Tour at NAPT Las Vegas and followed up the Global Poker Table Talk event with last Friday’s $10,000 Big Deal for One Drop at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Head to YouTube to watch the GP Table Talk Vegas event in its entirety and hear more about it on the latest episodes of the PokerNews Podcast.

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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