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The Best Poker Player Quotes from the Legends

Quotes from poker’s greats can tell you a lot about the player, and also about the game itself. Take these legendary quotes to inspire your own game…


The Reigning Champ:  Daniel Negreanu

The only person to be named WSOP player of the year twice, this Canadian champ knows a thing or two about poker.

Global Poker Index called him the player of the decade, and we’re inclined to agree. He has earned more than any live tournament player – $32,315,816!

This famous quote shows his prowess at the poker table.

“The majority of players are looking for reasons to fold. I am looking for reasons to play.”

The Brat: Phil Hellmuth

Known as “poker brat”, Hellmuth is widely known for his temperamental attitude at the table.

Once the youngest player (at 24) to win the WSOP Main Event, he beat the great Jackie Chan to claim his victory.

Renowned for having a big head, this great but cocky quote perfectly demonstrates his attitude towards the game!

“If there weren’t luck involved I’d win every time.”

The Upstart: Dutch Boyd

Dutch Boyd is the youngest at our table of poker player quotes.

Inspired by the poker film Rounders, Boyd played poker round the clock while studying Law at university. His controversy and turbulent lifestyle have given him a wild-card reputation in poker circles. This cocky quote shows exactly what he thinks of his fellow players.

“Poker is a lot like sex. Everyone thinks they are the best, but most don’t have a clue what they are doing.”

The Celebrity: Matt Damon in Rounders

This quote has been interpreted several different ways, but for most people it is associated with one of the greatest poker movies ever.

Matt Damon’s epic portrayal of Mike McDermott in Rounders had millions of poker fans convinced they could be the next Jackie Chan.

“If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.”

‘The Kid’: Stu Ungar

First dubbed ‘The Kid’, and then ‘The Comeback Kid’, Ungar is the definition of living life fast and loose.

Thought of as the best poker and gin rummy player of all time, Ungar’s bright talent perished. Spending all his winnings on drink and drugs, Ungar died aged 45.

His legacy lives on, and here’s his ultimate famous quote which sums up his feelings about losing!

“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.”

The Mob Boss: Benny Binion

A Las Vegas icon, supposed mob boss Benny Binion was famed for founding the World Series of Poker in the 1970s.

As reputed as he was for his knowlege as as a casino owner, he was also feared. Theft, illegal weapons and two murder convictions are on his list!

However many acquaintances regarded him as “either the gentlest bad guy or the baddest good guy you’d ever seen“.

“My motto is I don’t trust nobody till they can afford it.”

The President: Richard Nixon

This last one the is ultimate quote for fans of history and poker alike. A poker player himself, President Nixon was no stranger to the poker table.

In a private interview, Nixon admitted based on events that occurred during the Cuban missile crisis, his Russian counterpart Nikita Kruschev would have been “a superb poker player”.

This top poker quote show that only a truly skilled bluffer can appreciate a good bluff.

“Nikita Kruschev would have been a superb poker player…”


Do you know any other great poker quotes? List them in the comments section below or continue broadening your poker intellect with betting on college sports

18+ | Please play responsibly | Terms and Conditions apply | Commercial Content