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Easy on the flop! Neymar shows off poker skills in Brazil

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has been accused of bluffing his way to penalties and free-kicks in the past, but he is also a dab hand at another kind of bluff, it seems. 

The Brazil forward is currently on holiday in his home country after a difficult World Cup that ended with quarter-final defeat to Belgium

A series of elaborate falls in Russia saw Neymar attract headlines for the wrong reasons, with only flashes of his usual prowess across the field. 

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And while he recovers from those exertions, he is turning his hand to new hobbies, such as poker. 

Neymar finished sixth out of 288 participants in a Brazilian Series of Poker event, organisers confirmed to Reuters

The star won more than $20,000 before finally bowing out in the latter stages of the tournament, having signed up to play with five friends. 

After battling through to a nine-player final Neymar was finally eliminated four hours in, but appears to have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

“I’m very happy to be playing this tournament for the first time and for reaching the final with some great players,” he said before the final began.

“This is a new experience for me.”

Plenty of big-name players have lent their name to poker in the past, including both Cristiano Ronaldo and his Brazilian namesake, O Fenomeno. 

Now Neymar has caught the bug - we can only hope his opponents resist the temptation to joke about his occasional flops.

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