Sports Then and Now

Manchester United, one of the world’s most famous football clubs boasting more silverware than any other club in the United Kingdom and over history one of Europe’s elite teams, alongside only Barcelona FC, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Whether you love them or hate them, week in week out they capture a large amount of viewers. With their never say die attitude (well, at least over Sir Alex Fergusons’ 25 years in charge) and high tempo football it’s been a very intense and exciting roller coaster ride for us all! 

Why are slots similar to watching Manchester United?

Watching Manchester United gets the heart beating, a buzz that you may find similar to that in playing slots. They are both built on the same fundamentals. A long, sometimes controversial history. Both were created at very similar times. Manchester United were founded in 1878 and were formally known as Newton Heath L&YR Football Club. The original slot machine was made in New York by Sittman and Pitt in 1891, although very different to the slot machines you find nowadays especially to slots available in an online casino but the concept was the same. Manchester United and slots, although both dont always win, at some stage eventually they will. 

Blackjack and Manchester United

Blackjack is more tactical. It is critical to use your head and do this as quickly as possible each time. Similar to Manchester United, take for example one of Manchester United’s most famous games, the European Cup final in May 1999. The manager Sir Alex Ferguson waited late on to make some tactical decisions after a dominating Bayern Munich side were leading 1-0. The game would have crowned Manchester United kings of Europe and for the first time in British history, a treble winning side. Champions of the English Premier League, FA Cup and The Champions League. As the manager’s time was nearly up he made the huge decision of bringing on Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Teddy Sheringham. To Manchester United’s delight two late goals secured the treble. Although the manager is in control of a lot of what his team does, he is limited to very few substitutions. Like blackjack, you don’t have all day to make your decision and if you make the wrong choice you’re at a loss.  

Studying the game of Poker and football education 

Poker again has its similarities. Manchester United are known to have an extremely strict training regime with a very highly intensive coaching team to ensure success. Their youth system is globally known for having one of the best academies with some of their players reaching incredible heights. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville are almost all household names that managed to come through Manchester United’s youth system and have incredible careers. More recently in United’s current squad players like Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Paul Pogba are all products of this brilliant youth system. It wasn’t just football on a training pitch, but education on diet, tactics and how to deal with the media. They would watch other teams each day and figure out how to use it to their advantage.

Although you might not realize this, both professional poker players and avid online poker players will work hard studying while not actually playing. Constant research and understanding the game and opponents is very important for any player at the top of his game. Dedication and tactics are a huge part to any Pro’s success in the game. Often online Pro’s will live in the same buildings as they work as a team and study together to help each other’s game.  

Patience is key 

Much like gambling Manchester United have to be patient. Waiting for the right time to graduate a player from the academy. When to invest in a new player or when they feel it is right to sell. Just like gambling this can be a bit tricky. Manchester United sold one of their academy graduates, World Cup winner Paul Pogba on a free transfer in 2012 to Italian side Juventus. He went on to win four consecutive Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias and two Supercoppa Italianas along with a list of other personal awards including Golden Boy of the year in 2013. Manchester United then paid an enormous fee of £89.3 million for the talented young man to return to Old Trafford. Just like gambling, you need patience and understanding when to cash in your chips or call it a day and stop pumping money in slot machines. This is vital to becoming successful, of course mistakes are going to be made but by staying calm is a major factor to winning. 

Consistency is crucial

You may feel that gambling is a lot to do with luck. Of course lots of it is, however, why are some people very good and some, well terrible. It’s got a lot to do with consistency. Punters who constantly do well often have the same attributes. They know the game they play inside out. They are aware of exactly what they are up against and know when to be aggressive and know when to call it a day. Of course they will lose however over time they will succeed. Without a shadow of a doubt, each successful gambler has this trait.

Just like Manchester United, consistency is the basics of success. In a league normally you can afford to lose a few games a season but as long as you’re coming home most weeks with three points, chances are you’ll probably end up in the top four of the Premier League. Although failure is not really an option at Old Trafford and it may not be in Manchester United’s DNA to play for a draw, sometimes you have to settle for it. 38 weeks can prove to be a very long season so players have to spend the entire time focused on the game in hand. Understand what they are up against. Rotation of the squad is vital to keep players fresh and fit. Just like gambling, proper sleep is needed to keep players sharp.