Head to any poker tournament or card room and the odds are that the vast majority of players are male. Efforts to bring more women to the tables have been underway for several years, with mixed results.

One of poker’s most successful players recently offered insight into his entry into the game via a passion for other strategy games. Justin Bonomo, who has $64 million in live tournament winnings, grew up playing Magic: The Gathering and the immersive EverQuest online game.

Allen Kessler has been a mainstay on the tournament poker scene for years. He travels around the U.S. playing events and now has more than $4 million in live tournament winnings. Another type of gambling is also regularly on his agenda while on the roads – playing slots.

Poker legend Doyle Brunson used to say that playing the game later in life kept his mind sharp. California’s Gene Bellar would probably agree with that notion. The 99-year-old poker player served in the U.S. Navy and is a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam.

It’s no secret that poker is popular with many professional athletes. From football greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. to baseball’s Jose Canseco and American football’s Richard Seymour, players enjoy mixing it up at the tables and competing on some of the game’s biggest stages.