Why do players wear them, and which hoodie should you start to wear if you’re heading to the live poker felt?
Like the chip leader calling your all-in, we’ve got you covered.
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The Standard Hoodie
The hoodie became a staple of poker overwear back in the last decade, when it was still cool to like Coldplay songs and eat frozen yoghurt. From wearing shirts, tees and jackets, players began wearing hoodies and the popular garment was often worn in tandem with sunglasses in the age of players six-betting all-in under a tick hood and shades.
Since that age of poker has passed on from Benny Spindler and Jake Cody et al wrecking people’s dreams with ten-four off-suit, poker has changed a lot, but the hoodie is the item that has stayed. Maintaining its place as a key poker fashion item, it is now perhaps the most popular clothing item for poker players worldwide. Any standard hoodie is a great fit for poker players. It has storage space, is warm up to withstand air-con that is frequently used in casinos and you can pull the hood down if you want to disappear and grind.
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The Chunky Fit Pullover
Coming in a bit heavier is the chunky fit hoodie. You know the type. Oversized branding, thick rope swing-thick toggles, fleece-lined. This bad boy is for the coolest of casinos and the calmest of customers. Wearing a chunky fit hoodie doesn’t make you a better poker player, but it certainly protects you from catching any cold at the felt.
Chunky hoodies are fine, but they’re not for players who like to change in and out of them. If you arrive in a chunky fit, then you’re most likely leaving in one, so if you’re playing 12+ hours of live poker, you want to keep that in mind. Plus, take more than one and you might need more than one or two carry-on pieces of luggage, ending up costing you some serious money to travel.
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The Branded Hoodie
Now these are everywhere. There was a time when patching up players to take on the masses in poker was the go-to promotional tool of a poker brand. Patches are still popular, but for many poker brands, they’ve realized that if you brand the hoodie in the first place, often with a show’s slogan, then promotion is guaranteed. The last thing a poker brand wants is the situation that played out in the 2011 WSOP Main Event final where the eventual runner-up and long-time leader Martin Staszko spent much of his time with his poker patch dropping down his jumper due to the adhesive part of the patch losing its sticking power the same as he did heads-up to the winner Pius Heinz.
These days, hoodies are seen as viable methods of promotion for even the shyest and most retiring of players. In a recent event, the 10-time WSOP bracelet Phil Ivey has taken to wearing a No Gamble, No Future hoodie and the show, broadcast on PokerGO. If it’s good enough for Ivey, then anyone can jump on board. Expect most players to be wearing branded hoodies at the 2023 WSOP Main Event final table, you heard it here first.
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The Lightweight Hoodie
If wearing something with the weight of chainmail or weighed down with the words of a poker brand who don’t sponsor you isn’t your choice, then be ‘Opposite George’. Going ‘lightweight’ on a popular, clean hoodie such as this longsleeve ‘Loma’ lightweight creation from Fresh Clean Threads is the sort of purchase that can leave you feeling fresh and flexible at the felt.
Wearing a lightweight hoodie rather than a thicker model is perfect for warmer casinos where you still feel like you want an element of protection over a tee or tank top.  It goes without saying that it’s not so heavy on your body, but it can still keep your warmer than usual and many players now swear by them. The lightweight hoodie is fast overtaking chunky ones in terms of popularity and are some of the most reasonably items on a poker player’s fashion wishlist.
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The Zip Up Hoodie
Finally, if you’re looking for a hoodie that doesn’t leave you flopping your stomach out at the poker table – it’s never a good look, no matter how flat – then a zip-up hoodie is built for convenience. You’re still able to store anything from Airpods to lammers in the pockets, but you can now take it on and off without breaking a) your concentration at the poker table or b) a sweat.
Zip up hoodies are often way more popular than those which are zipless, but in a odd sale and demand flipped script, there conversely appear to be a lot fewer zipped hoodies on the market as opposed to non-zipped. If you find a nice zipped-up number then grab onto it like you might a taker when you raise with pocket aces pre-flop. You’ll want to take this baby all the way to the river!
