Now that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, what does he plan to do next?

Many might guess he’ll go to Disney World–for a hefty endorsement fee, of course.

Nope.

Nothing against Mickey or Minnie, but Phelps says he wants to go to the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

And not just to watch, but to compete.

When you think about it, it’s not too surprising he might say that.

He’s just come off the stage for one of the biggest competitive events in the world.

Why not get back on stage for another worldwide competitive event?

Especially one that pays out $100 million in prize money, which is $100 million more than the Olympics pays.

It’s well-known in poker circles that Phelps is an avid poker player and even plays online.

But now for the first time he’s gone public with his affection for the game.

He told the Baltimore Sun, his hometown newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, this week:

“I think it would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker. My game is a little off right now, so I’ll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys.”

Even before winning the eight gold medals in Beijing, Phelps was earning about $3 million a year from endorsements.

He’s expected to rake in at least $10 million a year now.

He should be able to afford the $10,000 buy-in price for the Main Event of the next WSOP.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)

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