Quotes from Phil Hellmuth

No matter how much you may want to think of Holdém as a card game played by people, in many respects it is even more valid to think of it as a game about people that happens to be played with cards.

Keeping my emotions in check translates to me playing a lot better.

I was the youngest world champion in history when I won the WSOP in 1989 at age 24.

Poker is about understanding human behavior and managing emotions - yours and the other guy's. That's huge in poker, and it's huge in business.

Trust me when I tell you that Andy Roddick has the game to win a major poker tournament. I've played Hold 'em with him several times and he consistently demonstrates the kind of playing style and competitive drive that gives him a legitimate chance to win.

All-star lay downs are all about reading your opponents, trusting your instincts, and then making the right move.

Some people know me as the bad boy of professional poker and call me The Poker Brat. Sometimes I deserve that nickname, but not always.

Consistently playing suited connectors like 8c-7c for raises and reraises will cause big chip swings. If that's what you want, well, strap on your seatbelt, because you've got a turbulent ride ahead of you!

Internet players have successfully addressed the all-in play from a mathematical perspective. For example, it's fairly common to see a net player move all-in over the top from the big blind with a hand like K-Q when they have less than twenty big blinds remaining. And for good reason - it works!

Before you decide to play with live straddles in your home game, remember that this twist essentially doubles the size of the game. It's often used by players who have been losing and are trying to get lucky and win a big pot.

No doubt about it, in order to win the WSOP Main Event, plenty of stamina is required.

If you read people great then you can become a great No Limit Hold 'Em player.

When I started playing, I saw a lot of people who were 45 and unhappy. I told myself I'd never be in a position where I had to play all the time. And I haven't been.

I'm so much better off when I trust my instincts. But they're not perfect.

Exercise clears my brain of the stresses of poker's ups and downs, and allows me to re-focus my mind on the next day.

Every poker player has ups and downs because luck is also involved. When a great poker player smashes, he's making the right moves and making the right reads and he's getting lucky.

The real reason why I don't play in many big cash games is because I can't stomach the thought of losing $100,000 or more in any given session. If I play three consecutive days at the Bellagio, I might win two days but lose big on the third. Really, who needs the agony of losing that much money? Not me.

What gets lost is that half of poker is reading people. When you're reading well and you're making counterintuitive plays, a strictly math player will get scared and start making fewer moves, and then the person is even easier to read.

Look, most players can't stand to be outplayed by an opponent's bluff. Quite honestly, though, it doesn't bother me that much.

I typically don't bet out on the flop because I've been in the business of trapping my ultra-aggressive opponents so much that I've simply forgotten the benefits of a simple flop bet!

Without a doubt, the WSOP in Las Vegas is by far the most prestigious event in the poker world.

I've studied the way the Internet kids play. I want to know what they're thinking when they play pots against me.

If you are too into the fans and adoration and the world thinking you are the greatest, then you do not perform well.

Here I am getting $50,000 for personal appearances. Everyone wants a piece of me. But my kids think no one could possibly think Dad is cool.