It seemed like a miracle when a group of miners were found alive after an accident in a gold mine in Chile last week. Miraculous indeed but still a massive ordeal for the miners, especially with the prospect of having to spend a further four months stranded in a tiny underground chamber before they can be rescued.

So what are the miners doing to keep mind and soul together? Playing a whole lot of poker it transpires. According to the daughter of former Chilean football international Franklin Lobos who is one of the trapped miners, the men are getting a serious number of hands in. In an interview in the Daily Mirror, Carolina Lobos revealed her confidence in her father's ability to survive saying, “"It will be difficult, I'm sure, but I'm not worried about him. I know he is happy and content down there because he is playing lots of poker and cards. It is good for his mind."

The trapped men are receiving a steady supply of water and medicine, as well as letters from family members via a six inch wide hole. Experts are hopeful that they will remain in decent physical shape while the rescue tunnel is built. Let's hope that poker does the same for their mental strength.