What cricket could not give Shane Warne, finally poker has.
The retired spin legend is realising his long-cherished ambition of captaining an Australian team in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
The flamboyant tweaker always wanted to captain the Australian cricket team but his off field misdemeanors meant that the dream remained unfulfilled.
But the self-confessed poker fan is finally fulfilling the ambition of leading an Aussie team. And although it is not a cricket side, the 38-year-old said his cricket skills are certainly coming in handy at the poker table.
"Definitely. Both (cricket and poker) take a lot of patience and it's all about reading the player," Warne told the Sun-Herald.
"But I'm sure I won't make the final table on my debut," he added.
Warne has even found a poker mentor in Joe Hachem, the Aussie who won the 2005 World Series, to hone his skills.
"He's teaching me about bluffing and when to fold or raise. He's been almost like a mentor," Warne said.