Did Donald Trump Play Poker? Here Are 6 U.S. Presidents Who Definitely Played 

1. Theodore Roosevelt (26^th President, 1901 – 1909, Republican)

In the fall of 1880, Theodore Roosevelt appeared at Morton Hall, where the 25th District Republican Association gathered for games. This place was located just a few blocks from his home. Roosevelt was dressed in a black frock coat, top hat, and pince-nez glasses on a string. His appearance left no one indifferent.

Theodore came to this place with a purpose – to secure a position in the Republican Party.

He later commented, “I went around there often enough to have the men get accustomed to me and to have me get accustomed to them, so that we began to speak the same language… I insisted in taking part in all the discussions. Some of them sneered at my black coat and tall hat. But I made them understand that I should come dressed as I chose…. Then after the discussion I used to play poker and smoke with them.”

It worked, and he was finally accepted for membership.

Theodore impressed a man named Joe Murray, the second in command of the Twenty-First District Association. It was thanks to Murray that Roosevelt’s political career began.

2. Warren Harding (29^th President, 1899 – 1903, Republican)

Many presidents stopped playing poker when they assumed office, but not Warren Harding. He commented on his nomination for president by the Republican Party with: “We drew to a pair of deuces, and filled.” (It means that he made a full house.)

Warren Harding held weekly poker games at the White House with his cabinet. His administration became known as the “poker cabinet.” Harding played for entertainment and relaxation, without any commercial or political intent.

There’s a legend that Warren Harding once lost a set of Chinese porcelain in a poker game, but that’s just an exaggerated story.

3. Harry Truman (33^rd President, 1945–1953, Democrat)

The 33^rd President of the United States went down in history as a big poker fan. Truman’s father was a gambling addict, played big, and sometimes lost all his savings. Harry Truman followed in his father’s footsteps, took risks, invested money in businesses, but went broke.

Harry Truman’s luck caught up with him in politics. During Truman’s reign, there were prohibitions, but he still gathered his friends in the White House and played poker. Moreover, they played with special chips with the presidential seal.

But the most striking poker story involving Truman happened outside the White House. Truman, along with Winston Churchill and other politicians, was traveling by train. Knowing that Churchill had been playing poker for 40 years, Truman suggested playing. After some time, it became obvious that Churchill was completely helpless. The British Prime Minister lost $300, after which Truman gave orders to treat the guest with more respect, which meant not letting Churchill lose any more. Churchill finished the game at 2 a.m., and the next day he gave a public speech that began the Cold War.

4. Dwight Eisenhower (34th President, 1953 – 1961, Republican)

Eisenhower could have easily become a professional poker player in our time. He used his knowledge of mathematics to outplay his fellow soldiers during World War II. Eisenhower earned enough from poker to buy a new uniform and a wedding ring for his wife.

Eisenhower often played poker with George Smith Patton. Once, Patton lost so much that Eisenhower arranged with the other players to let Patton win back some of his losses in the next game.

But eventually, Eisenhower quit the game because his conscience couldn’t reconcile with taking money from his fellow soldiers.

5. Richard Nixon (37^th President, 1969 – 1974, Republican)

During World War II, 29-year-old Richard Nixon began his service in the Navy with the rank of junior lieutenant. Nixon came from a strict Quaker family: he didn’t smoke, drink, swear, or gamble. But things changed in the Navy.

Most of the Navy SCAT team’s time was spent in what Nixon called in his memoirs “interminable periods” of monotonous waiting. One of the main forms of entertainment was poker.

Soon, Nixon’s surroundings influenced him. Reading books alone became boring, so he decided to join the poker games. His main motive is hard to determine — perhaps it was money. Drunk sailors easily parted with their cash.

Nixon became a regular at these games. It’s rumored that during his service in the Pacific, he won about $8,000, which today would be worth over $110,000. He used part of his poker winnings to finance his campaign for Congress.

6. Barack Obama (44^th President, 2009 – 2017, Democrat)

Barack Obama learned to play poker in high school. Obama loves poker and knows how to play not only No-Limit Hold’em but also Draw, Stud, and other more exotic forms. Obama was a regular at games held at Senator Terry Link’s house, where both Democrats and Republicans would gather.

As Obama wrote in his autobiographical book A Promised Land, “I began by talking to my poker buddies… to see whether they thought I could compete in the white working-class and rural enclaves they represented… They thought I could and all agreed to support me if I ran.”

But What About Donald Trump (45th President, 2017 – 2021, Republican)

Unlike other presidents who hosted home games at the White House, Donald Trump owned the largest entertainment center in Atlantic City, the Trump Taj Mahal, where guests from all over the world came to play and have fun in the 2000s. Donald Trump himself was not seen playing, but he was caught on camera several times during poker broadcasts.

Trump said that he didn’t have enough free time to dedicate to poker. Still, that doesn’t stop him from giving a few poker tips to all players. Check out this motivational video on par with Tony Robbins, or perhaps even better.