What is a 'poker' in soccer? Meaning of football goal-scoring feat as Alexander Sorloth shines for Atletico Madrid

It's often said that scoring a goal is the hardest thing to do in football, which is why clubs pay big money for players who can do it on a regular basis.

Good strikers can get goals regularly. Great ones can score more than once in a match. A hat-trick is always something to be savoured — and it often leads to the player in question taking home the match ball as a memento.

Sometimes, footballers pull off goal-scoring feats that truly takes your breath away. Alexander Sorloth did just that in a stunning first-half performance for Atletico Madrid against Real Sociedad on May 10, 2025, turning a record-breaking hat-trick into a "poker".

Never heard of that phrase being used in soccer? Let us explain.

MORE: Updated La Liga golden boot standings | Top goal-scorers in Premier League

What is a 'poker' in soccer?

The term "poker" isn't generally used in the English language when it comes to talking about football, but it's far more common in Spanish. It is used to describe when a player scores four goals in a single game.

It's thought that the name derives from the four suits in a standard pack of cards, which can be used in a "four of a kind" hand in certain poker variations.

A "poker" is one step up from a "hat-trick", which refers to a player scoring three goals in a game.

NORWEGIAN PØKER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uR5mDhWZ67

Alexander Sorloth scores stunning 'poker' vs. Real Sociedad

The term was trending on May 10, 2025 thanks to a remarkable first-half performance from Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth.

The Norway international scored four times in the first half-hour of Atleti's La Liga match with Real Sociedad, where he previously played during a loan spell.

In fact, Sorloth's four goals in the first half of that game equalled his entire tally from his first season on loan at La Real in 2021/22.

Famous players to score a 'poker' in soccer

While it is unusual to score as many as four goals in one game, it has been achieved by some very famous names in the sport.

Dimitar Berbatov, Kevin De Bruyne, Marco van Basten, Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, Johan Cruyff, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo are just some of the greats of the game to have pulled off a "poker".

Lionel Messi scored four times for Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League win over Arsenal in 2010. Two years later, he scored five in a single game in the competition against Bayer Leverkusen.

Robert Lewandowski famously scored five goals in just nine minutes in a match for Bayern Munich back in September 2015, leaving his coach, a certain Pep Guardiola, utterly amazed on the touchline.

MORE: Most goals in Champions League history | Most Premier League goals all-time