Virtually every poker situation can be broken down to a simple mathematical formula. If there is $600 in a pot and you bet $600, you’ll be getting even money on your proposition. That means, in the long run, you’d have to win that pot half the time to make it a profitable play. When you consider that the hand will play out almost identically with a $400 bet, you’ll see that, mathematically, it often makes sense to choose the smaller bet. [...]
You will rarely see a to professional bet all of what’s in the pot when you watch poker on television. They’ll vary their bets generally between one-third, one-half, and three-quarters of the pot. They understand that by keeping the pots smaller, they’ll have more control over the outcome. And that’s just what they want – to maintain control of the table.
Daniel Negreanu – 01/2007 – in Hold’em Wisdom for all Players

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- February 5, 2010
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The average poker player plays the game because it’s usually enjoyable, interesting, and highly social. The vast majority of players, even those who attend the WSOP, are not professionals. They know upon arrival, they’re the underdogs. That said, I believe what makes playing in the WSOP special is the fierce competition, the potential for fame and glory, and certainly life-altering prize money. But more than anything else, it is about being part of the experience. In what other competition do 90 percent of the participants leave and end up losing up to $10,000 in a single tournament, yet they almost always vow to come back and try again next year?
Think about it. Would anyone in any other activity say they enjoyed an experience that left them ten-grand poorer? Can you picture walking up to a blackjack table, losing $10,000 and then saying – I can’t wait to go back? Imagine walking into a retail store, forking over $10,000 and then leaving out the door with absolutely nothing. Most people would depart with regret and anger. Yet in the decade I have been working the WSOP, I have never once heard a player say he or she regretted playing and sworn not to return to the WSOP the following year. This alone says something about what is really important at the WSOP. It’s not the money. It’s the experience.
Nolan Dalla – 02/2010 – in WSOP News

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- February 4, 2010
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To be successful, you have to live a balanced life. All of those players who just sit in front of their computers all day long, seven days a week, will simply burn out and not really enjoy what life is all about. To succeed in today’s poker world, you must be disciplined enough to separate your social life form your poker life.
Matthew Hilger – 07/2009 – in CardPlayer
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- February 1, 2010
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