As in every game and sport that raises passions, poker has collected throughout its history a series of famous phrases that deserve to be remembered. Some of them are instructive, others are cocky and others are simply unmissable, in this post we are going to make a compendium of mythical poker quotes that have gone down in the history of the most popular and most played game of chance in the world.
Famous poker quotes that will go down in history
There are famous poker phrases that you will know, but others you have probably never heard and it is worth knowing them not only for the moral they may hide, but also for the situation in which they occurred. There are situations in which the tension could be cut with a knife, and others that were simply hilarious.
“He who invented poker was brilliant, but he who invented chips was a genius”. Its author was Julius Weintraub, a professional poker player, and this statement, halfway between obviousness and witticism, made a multitude of followers laugh. It is one of the most well-known poker quotes and not a few players imitate Weintraub during breaks in the middle of a conversation.
“You have to understand that everything you do at the poker table conveys information. You can’t be eating a sandwich or looking at your cell phone”. The ever-wise Daniel Negreanu, AKA Kid Poker, has left us with a few famous poker quotes and this one is especially useful for the more inexperienced amateurs looking to improve their game.
Indeed, every little detail gives information at the poker table, from a throat clearing, a gasp or a certain pose. Absolutely everything can be used by other players to try to fleece you. The first step is to be aware of it, the rest is practice and discipline.
“If you’re going to be born with an instinct for the game, you better have a sense of the odds. Otherwise, you’ll be a lousy gambler”. At times Jack Dreyfus was lost for manners, but it’s undeniable that, seen in perspective, it’s one of the wisest poker player quotes you can read. In just a few words, Jack teaches you what it takes to play: a good instinct or extensive knowledge of probability and statistics. We’re inclined to go with a combination of both, but we won’t argue with good old Dreyfus….
“Learning to play two pair is worth as much as a college education and also costs about the same”. One of the most shattering and true poker quotes in memory. A good reflection of the swings that a player’s luck can suffer over time.
“Much of the money you make in poker comes not from the brilliance of your play, but from the ineptitude of your opponents”. Lou Krieger is one of the most charismatic figures in recent poker history, and he never misses an opportunity to make his mark with one of his controversial poker quotes.
The truth is that good old Lou couldn’t be more right, since in poker you not only depend on your cards to win, but also on the cards of the others or, failing that, on the ineptitude of your opponents. It is one of the poker player’s quotes that resonates most even today among younger trainees.
“I don’t look for a losing opponent to fleece him, I look for a champion to make him a loser”. Remember the legend Amarillo Slim? An old-time player of great presence and undeniable class. Throughout his prolific career he has left us some mythical poker quotes, and this is one of the most remembered.
They say that one is judged by the size of one’s enemies, and making a champion bite the dust is one of the greatest satisfactions a poker player can get. It’s not exactly one of the funniest poker quotes, but it’s a good illustration of the mood of this unrivaled poker figure.
“In poker, the mortal sin is to mistake a bad play for bad luck”. James Bond was created by Ian Fleming, a writer known for his love of poker and his profound reflections. One of the most famous poker quotes was said by him, and the truth is that he was right: in poker it is fatal to confuse bad luck with the ineptitude of not having known how to play well, something that leads to failure for those who are not able to differentiate it.
“I always play with the players, not with the cards”. Speaking of James Bond: a very similar phrase said the world’s most famous super spy in Casino Royale, when Bond is going to star in a poker game to confront a villain who is after the pot.
The truth is one of the most famous poker quotes and it was said, fiction aside, by the player Gun Hansen. A poker player always plays with the player in front of him and the key to win is many times to know how to put the rivals on the spot, a fact that motivated this statement.
“That is not poker”. If we talk about hot quotes, pay attention to this one from Daniel Negreanu. You may remember their confrontation during the Main Event of the World Series of Poker, when Kid Poker made a postflop bet of 300 points and his opponent raised all-in to 5,000.
The look on Negreanu’s face was seen by all, including his opponent, who blurted out a dismissive “this is poker”. Kid Poker could not be silenced, telling him right there and then: “No, that’s not poker. That’s the way you play poker, but it’s definitely not poker. It’s one of the most famous, and most deep-pocketed, poker player quotes in living memory.
“I thought you had kings”. If you were looking for funny poker quotes, hold on because there’s a good one coming. We place you: During the Poker After Dark show, 2005 WSOP Ladies Event champion and fellow Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Tilly was playing against several opponents, including Patrik Antonius, the one involved in the anecdote, and Phil Ivey.
When Antonius had spoken, Tilly’s face looked unhinged and some still wonder today why she shared her impression that the Finnish player had kings. He certainly read the game as no one else had and his conclusion could not have been more wrong. The situation was so nonsensical that Phil Ivey’s reaction to hearing it has been meme fodder ever since.
“Math is idiotic”. There are those who can’t control their arrogance, and Barry Greenstein blurted out this phrase in an outburst. No wonder: he had only a 25% chance of winning the pot and managed to win it, to the detriment of Tom Dwan, who had a chance of winning and eventually fell to the former.
Barry, in full euphoria, said in this context that “mathematics are idiotic. If you feel you are going to win, you have to pay”. The truth is that it worked out well for him (which contributed to making this statement one of the most famous poker phrases in the recent history of this game), but as a general rule it is advisable not to get carried away by hunches and to pay attention to statistics.
“Bring me more Russians!” Another of the most mythical poker quotes in memory. Tony G uttered these words during the 2006 Intercontinental Poker Championship, when he faced off against Ralph Perry. Tony was provoking Perry during the whole game and finally got him to pay him an all-in with KJo.
What happened next? Tony G became hysterical when he saw the hand, he had called him with, and when the dealer started to uncover the community cards, the beast was already unleashed. After eliminating Perry, he told him he was a lousy player and shouted his famous “bring me more Russians”. He gave us one of the funniest and most forceful poker phrases, yes, but what an atmosphere there must have been at that table after that.