Swimming Champ Phelps: World Series of Poker Next?

Phelps, Future Poker Dolls? The biggest celebrity in the world right now is Michael Phelps. Phelps, the swimmer who dominated coverage of the Beijing Olympics, made such a mark that his agent estimates endorsement payoffs in the area of $100 million. But the question being asked is what will Phelps do with himself next, and his answer is play poker.

Phelps told Kevin Van Valkenburg of the Baltimore Sun that he would love to play in the World Series of Poker. Like many, Phelps has become a fan of the tour watching play on television, especially ESPN's coverage of the Main Event.

Phelps said that cards were a major method of killing time between races on the Olympic trip, although Spades was often the game of choice. He did note that victories at cards left him yelling and screaming, as if he had won gold in that event as well.

Phelps said of the WSOP, "My game is a little off right now, so I'll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys."

Phelps won eight gold medals at Beijing, breaking the record for a single Olympics of seven, held by swimmer Mark Spitz. Phelps also added his new eight golds to his six from the Athens Olympics to total fourteen, the most ever by one athlete over a career.

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