The little-known Cajun card game called bourre gained a certain level of notoriety among sports fans after it led to a pair of high-profile altercations between NBA players in 2010 and 2011.
First, star guard Gilbert Arenas nearly lost his career after wielding an unlicensed handgun in the team locker room following a bourre-related gambling dispute with a fellow Washington Wizard. Then a couple Memphis Grizzlies fought on a team charter flight after some high stakes bourre gone bad. The two incidents served to pull back a curtain on a previously unheard-of part of pro athlete gambling culture, but gave bourre (pronounced BOO-ray) a hint of menace as well.
Now an app released by NFL player Bernard Pollard aims to demystify the game and by making it appeal to more people who can play virtually and without having to bet actual money on its outcome. Pollard says he's seen pots among teammates reach into the tens of thousands of dollars since entering the NFL in 2006.
"I just want the app to make people be able to have fun with the game, where you don't have to hand out any money and then your wife looks at you crazy, like, 'You just wrote a check for how much?'" he told Mashable.
The aptly-named Bourre App costs $1.99 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Pollard says it's registered steady user growth including a number of Pollard's NFL peers since launching in August, with one major update still to come. The app lets users bet fake currency during hands of the game, which has been described as a mashup of poker and spades.
Pollard funded Bourre App entirely on his own, but enlisted friend and former teammate Ryan Moats to help make his vision a reality. Moats once interned at EA Sports during the NFL off-season and now operates a graphic design company called Moastworks Studios.
"It's tough to pick someone and say, 'Hey, I really don't know you but I'm going to trust you and give you all this money to make this happen,'" says Pollard, whose Crush Boy nickname comes from his tough on-field hits. "But with Ryan, I trust him completely and knew he would do a great job and really want the game to be great."
But don't think the Bourre App is a digital one-off for Pollard and Moats. They used to scheme about creating a Max Payne-style video game, and already have some other projects planned.
"It's just me wanting to do something that people can have fun with, and show people that I can be something other than a football player," Pollard says.
Does Pollard's Bourre App sound like something you might check out? Let us know in the comments.
BONUS: Who to Follow on Twitter This NFL Season
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The league's official account. A no-brainer for any NFL fan.
The Eagles receiver is a hoot to follow because you never know what you're going to get, except for three things: capital letters, exclamation points and Instagram photos. Those you can count on.
ESPN's NFL Insider is a tweeting machine and constantly breaks news from around the league. A true must-follow for NFL die-hards.
The NFL.com writer is another good news source and an especially good follow for his steady retweets of other writers, outlets and players.
Fearsome on the field, Steelers linebacker James Harrison is friendly and down-to-earth on social media.
This parody account of the legendary coach and broadcaster will have you laughing out loud.
Sports Illustrated's senior NFL writer is a great source for quick news, links to columns and 140-character takes on the league's biggest stories.
Barnwell covers the NFL for Grantland.com. He's extremely knowledgable about the league and about how to bet on its games.
Professionally speaking, Berry's entire purpose in life is to analyze fantasy football for ESPN so he's a must-follow if you want bragging rights over your friends.
Tennessee Titan Jason McCourty and twin brother Devin of the New England Patriots are active and engaging on Twitter. They also share the same account (signing their posts either "J-Mac" or "D-Mac"), which makes their banter and updates all the more entertaining.
As his handle implies, Brian McCarthy does PR for the NFL. He's a good follow for updates straight from the league, as well as the lowdown on its latest innovations and initiatives.
Possibly the most fun team owner in all of sports, when it comes to Twitter, Irsay is offbeat, irreverent and always entertaining.
If you're interested in the business side of the NFL, from marketing to ticket sales, Rovell is the undisputed place to start.
Between now and February, the Twitter account of this popular NFL site will serve you a robust diet of links and news each week to carry you through to next Sunday.
The Texans running back may not be an NFL star yet but he's a star on Twitter, where the Auburn product loves to talk college football.
Bill Simmons has built up a massive and loyal following during his tenure as a columnist for ESPN. His feed is usually good for a few good chuckles, as well as links to his mammoth NFL columns and mailbags.
The SI.com NFL writer is both funny and insightful.
Dave Zirin covers sports for The Nation and always approaches topics from a political angle. He's sure to have plenty to say, especially as repeat NFL concussions continue to make headlines.
ESPN's senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen is a never-ending stream of NFL news on Twitter.
Brees is an MVP-caliber player for the New Orleans Saints, but his tweets also reveal a keen awareness of and intelligence about issues off the field.
Battista covers the NFL for The New York Times. Her deadline game recaps are second to none, and she can also be a good follow for real-time game updates.
Jason McIntyre is purveyor of The Big Lead sports blog. The blog is a great source for analysis, player gossip and media news alike. Following McIntyre is a surefire way to stay up on the national NFL conversation.
Cam Newton's backup in Carolina is a first teamer on Twitter, where he's generous about interacting with fans, and frequently provides funny insights into his life off the field.
The Jaguars place kicker loves to interact with fans and is one of Twitter's funnier athletes.
Blogger Kerry Byrne isn't as big a name as many of the others on this list, but he's a great source for analysis and fresh perspective.
It's Prime Time, baby! Need we say more? The Hall of Famer always entertains on the field, on camera and on Twitter.
The Jaguars tight end tweets all the time. The constant stream gives a nice look into his life and mind.
Bowen writes for the National Football Post, but he has a leg up on most NFL reporters, having spent seven years in the league as a player before entering the media game.
On Twitter, this NBC Sports blog is great to follow for its tireless procession of NFL links and news.
The Patriots running back is a fun follow for his constant interaction with fans.
Follow this account for a wide variety of links to NFL coverage from all angles.
If you take fantasy sports seriously, Rotoworld's football feed is a great way to gain an advantage over the rest of your league.
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