Updated on September 6, 2025
Take one glance around the WSOP Main Event room and you’ll probably wonder how so many random people ended up in the same place.
Poker has that power. It attracts people from every possible background and then compels them to sit together for hours on end.
At any given table, you might find successful entrepreneurs, retirees punting away their pensions, and wild degenerates who are only there for the freebies. And, they all have their distinct flavours of poker sayings.
Most of what you’ll overhear in poker games is either gibberish or mumbling that barely counts as English, but every so often, somebody drops poker words of wisdom that are pure gold.
Here are some of the better poker quotes.
Motivational Quotes
Life can be rough at times for poker players. We all seem to know a guy who runs so hot their shoes should melt, but the reality is that everyone experiences brutal downswings due to poker variance.
Here are a few words to keep you going when you do:
“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether you make good decisions.” - Annie Duke
“Poker may be a game of chance in the short term, but in the long run it’s a game of skill.” - Doyle Brunson
“Poker is a war. People pretend it is a game.” - Doyle Brunson
“The player who wins is the one who thinks one level deeper than the rest.” - David Sklansky
On Discipline
Tilt is a poker player’s worst enemy, but it’s not always the raging tantrums that do the most damage. For most players, it’s the lack of discipline that creeps into your game when you’re bored.
It’s a subtle parasite that often goes unnoticed, slowly eating away your profits like acid dissolving a vault lock.
Learning to stay focused is the key to success, but don’t take our word for it.
Here are some expert poker sayings:
“Discipline is the only edge left in poker.” - Mike Caro
“Everyone gets lucky once in a while, but no one is consistently lucky.” - Doyle Brunson
“The fundamental principle in poker is patience.” - Doyle Brunson
“Poker is a lot like life. If you’re patient and wait for the right spots, you’ll be rewarded.” - Lou Krieger
“The waiting game is what separates the amateurs from the professionals.” - Chris Ferguson
“The best players in the world are the ones who have discipline.” - Johnny Chan
“It’s not enough to know what to do; you must also have the discipline to do it.” - David Sklansky
On Folding
There’s nothing more frustrating in poker than tossing in a call when you know you’re beat. You throw in the chips, watching your arms move as if they belong to someone else. You are fully aware that the chips are gone as soon as they leave your hand.
The shock of losing so much poker chip values makes you feel stupid and is more painful than any bad beat. Nobody indeed goes to the casino to fold, but knowing how to do so is key.
Here are some people who agree:
“You will show your poker greatness by the hands you fold, not the hands you play.” - Dan Reed
“If you can’t lay down a hand, you can’t be a good player.” - David Sklansky
“The best players are the ones who can fold when they know they’re beat.” - Stu Ungar
On Ego
Poker is a bit like riding a horse: Everyone thinks they can do it, but they’ll fall flat on their face without patience, training and practice.
Ego is at the heart of this, of course, so here are a few quotes to keep you grounded.
“In the long run, there’s no luck in poker, but the short run is longer than most people know.” - Rick Bennet
And here are a few from guys whose inability to stay grounded is infamous!
“If there weren’t luck involved, I would win every time.” - Phil Hellmuth
“The difference between me and them is, they lose and I win.” - Stu Ungar
“The truth is, I win because I know how to play better than anyone else.” - Phil Ivey
“On your bike!” - Tony G (taunting someone he stacked)
On Luck
It’s easy to blame bad luck when you’re losing every poker hand. However, it’s crucial to remember that everyone is as lucky as everyone else in the long term.
Here are some quotes to muse over when the deck isn’t showing you much love.
“The smarter you play, the luckier you’ll be.” - Amarillo Slim
“Poker is a skill game pretending to be a chance game.” - James Altucher
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” - Seneca
“In poker, as in life, it’s not the cards you’re dealt but how you play them.” - Randy Pausch
“The more I practice, the luckier I get.” - Gary Player
On Gambling and Degeneracy
One of the unique aspects of poker is that there is no single right way to play. Though there are more profitable ways, they only matter if you’re trying to play +EV.
Many people play poker to gamble, execute the perfect poker bluff or to have some fun. Though they want to win, they often don’t care.
Here’s an insight into their world of chaos:
“They say poker is a skill game, but sometimes you’ve just got to gamble and pray.” — Tom Dwan
“Sometimes the worst play is the most fun, and that’s why people make it.” - Phil Laak
“Poker without gambling is like sex without love: you can do it, but it’s not nearly as much fun.” - Jesse May
It can be frustrating (and expensive) when gamblers run well against you, so here’s some advice to help deal with them:
“The key to poker is never losing your head. If you lose your head, you’ll lose all your chips.” - William J. Florence
“A man with money is no match against a man on a mission.” - Doyle Brunson
“A true gambler never chases losses.” - Amarillo Slim
Poker Sayings to Remember
Poker tables are full of chatter: half-baked GTO poker strategy advice, life lessons, and questionable crypto tips you never asked for.
Enjoy the banter, enjoy the wisdom, enjoy the degeneracy… but sometimes the best thing you can do is stack chips and STFU.
Poker Wisdom Quiz
You’ve just breezed through some of the finest words ever muttered at a poker table. But how much of it stuck?
Time to test your memory (and your luck) with this quickfire quiz.
Fill in the blanks — no peeking back at the article.
- Annie Duke claimed, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether you make good ___.”
- Doyle Brunson once said, “Poker is a ___. People pretend it is a game.”
- Phil Hellmuth famously declared, “If there weren’t ___ involved, I would win every time.”
- Doyle Brunson called ___ “the fundamental principle in poker.”
- Tony G made “On your ___!” his trademark taunt at the table.
- Stu Ungar said, “The best players are the ones who can ___ when they know they’re beat.”
- Jesse May joked, “Poker without ___ is like sex without love: you can do it, but it’s not nearly as much fun.”
- Amarillo Slim claimed, “The smarter you play, the ___ you’ll be.”
Quiz Answers
- decisions
- war
- luck
- patience
- bike
- fold
- gambling
- luckier
