Tom McEvoy says that, “There is more to poker than life”. Poker is certainly a complex game that we can only hope to learn as much as possible when we play. Wilson Mizner was a promoter who alludes to the gambling nature of poker when he says “Gambling, a sure way of getting nothing for something”. This is a great quote and often true if you do not take care of your poker bankroll and recklessly buy into games you should not be buying into. Max Shapiro agrees with Wilson, “They say poker is a zero-sum game. It must be, because every time I play my sum ends up zero.” This is untrue if you work hard and study, profit will find you.

Playing poker with knowledge of the risk management is essential. We all love the game but it has hurt a lot of people. Every poker room wants players to enjoy the game responsibly, that way everyone wins. The late Stu Ungar knew this more than most and he is quoted saying, “It’s hard work gambling and playing poker. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Think about what it’s like sitting at a poker table with people whose only goal is to cut your throat, take your money, and leave you out back talking to yourself about what went wrong inside.” Often it was Stu Ungar taking the money, but his drugs and sports habit betting cost him dear.

In poker tournaments the swings make it a prime target for some brilliant poker quotes. WPT commentator Mike Sexton said “One day a chump, the next day a champion. What a difference a day makes in Tournament Poker.” You can hear him say it in that distinctive voice of his! General David Shoup has good advice from a military perspective when he says, “The commonest mistake in history is underestimating your opponent; happens at the poker table all the time.” Read all the advice you can on player profiling and never overestimate your own abilities. That can be fatal to your poker bankroll.

The best quotes are the funny ones. These are memorable and you can tell opponents this to break the ice and get them talking. Puggy Pearson was a great straight talker on poker and is both funny and wise when he said, “Everything is mental in life.  The butt was made to lug the mind around.” Robert Turner said a great line perhaps belonging on the stage when he said, “A person should gamble every day, because think of how bad it would be to walk around being lucky and not know it.” Poker players may find it difficult to justify their losing play this way!

There are many other excellent quotes by both well-known poker players and actors. You will even hear some great lines at the poker table so keep a note of them and use them in your poker blog postings or personal journal entries. Poker quotes are a great way of learning about the history of poker and the people that made the quotes famous.

Respecting the history of poker is a good way of keeping perspective and keeping you focused on becoming the best poker player you can be for the right reasons, rather than just for the money.

By Malcolm Clarke