Whether they sing about love as a conquest or perform an ode to life’s adventures and challenges, musicians turn to poker as a metaphor that listeners can easily understand—even if they haven’t played it and only know it through film, television, and popular culture. Thus, poker’s familiarity among singers and listeners alike has given birth to several hit songs about the classic card game.
However, the cultural crossover between poker and the music industry doesn’t stop there. Over the years, musicians have professed their love for poker, from playing it backstage with their bandmates to betting on high-stakes games in casinos and card rooms. Below are some old-school musicians who have shown the same passion and intensity in poker as in their own music and performances.
While Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon is best known for his ethereal soundscapes and haunting falsetto, fewer fans know of his deep-rooted affection for poker. Vernon’s love for the game is less about high-stakes competition and more about connection, rhythm, and reflection, core values that mirror his approach to music.
This affinity for poker reportedly began in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Vernon grew up. After long nights spent writing and recording music, poker offered a form of decompression and camaraderie among close friends. The quiet tension of the game, its psychological nuance, slow pacing, and bursts of intensity resonated with him. In interviews, Vernon has likened the act of reading an opponent to the layered interpretation of a lyric or melody, both require patience, observation, and intuition.
Vernon has been known to host informal poker nights at his April Base studio, a creative haven where artists gather not just to record but to unwind and build community. Musicians and collaborators including members of The National, Sufjan Stevens, and even Kanye West’s team have reportedly joined in on these late-night sessions. The game often blends into discussions on artistry, process, and the unpredictability of performance—on stage and at the table.
For Vernon, poker is a meditative tool, mirroring the tempo of his musical journey. Much like his layered arrangements and genre-blurring compositions, the game offers room for spontaneity within structure. In that space, he finds clarity. Whether folding quietly in a friendly hand or pushing all-in during a tense showdown, Vernon plays the way he writes music: with feeling, restraint, and a sense that what matters most isn’t the win, but the depth of the experience. His latest album SABLE fABLE came out earlier this year.
Steve Albini made numerous contributions to the American alternative music scene, from founding and fronting bands like Big Black, and Shellac to producing for indie and alt-rock acts. His most notable credit as a record producer and sound engineer was for the rock band Nirvana’s final album, In Utero (1993), which he influenced with his bleak sound and analog recording methods. Despite thousands of production credits to his name, Albini still found time to play poker professionally, even winning the World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship twice. His first win was in 2018 against Jeff Lissandro, while his second was at the $1,500 buy-in H.O.R.S.E tournament in 2022.
The WSOP, a prestigious poker tournament where legendary pros like Chris Moneymaker rose to fame, has contributed to the American online poker boom. Moneymaker leveraged his iconic win at the 2003 WSOP Main Event to continue promoting online poker, now partnering with poker site Americas Cardroom and headlining its team of ACR Pros. Meanwhile, Albini rarely appeared in other professional tournaments and settled on playing informal cash games in Chicago after his second WSOP bracelet.
Scott Ian, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax, has long been known for his blistering riffs and energetic stage presence. But beyond the mosh pits and metal anthems lies another passion that may surprise some fans: poker. Over the years, Ian has carved out a unique niche as both a heavy metal icon and an enthusiastic poker player, showing how the worlds of music and cards can harmoniously collide.
Ian’s love for poker came to public attention in the early 2000s when the game was enjoying a boom in popularity, fueled by televised tournaments and the rise of online poker. Fascinated by the psychology and strategy involved, he immersed himself in the game, even receiving coaching from pros like Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. His commitment paid off when he made a respectable showing at various celebrity and charity poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The cultural crossover between his music and poker is more than surface level. Both metal and poker celebrate individuality, intensity, and the ability to read and react in unpredictable situations. On stage, Ian thrives on improvisation and emotional instinct—skills that translate naturally to the poker table. The high-stakes pressure of performing in front of thousands mirrors the mental discipline required during long hours of tournament play.
Scott Ian has even spoken about how poker offers a therapeutic contrast to the chaotic life of touring. While music allows him to unleash, poker demands patience and calculation. Yet both pursuits demand passion and precision.
In many ways, Ian represents a broader trend where artists channel their creative energy into competitive, analytical pastimes. His dual life is a reminder that metalheads can be as methodical as they are loud—and that poker, like music, is an art form of its own. And if you want to read about Anthrax’s 40th anniversary show, then you’re in the right place!
Whether it’s a quiet game at a recording studio or a high-stakes tournament on the global stage, poker continues to captivate musicians across genres and generations. For artists like Vernon, Albini, and Ian, the game mirrors the very essence of music-making: risk and reward, intuition and control, silence and crescendo. As listeners, we might never sit across the table from them, but through their songs and stories, we’re invited into that same liminal space, where every hand holds the possibility of revelation.
