Luke Schwartz, on himself

favicoMy game is way too deep for anyone to figure out. The minute that I start thinking that they are figuring me out I’ve got so many different gears and so many different plays in my no-limit heads-up book that they are going to have to play like a million hands against me. They’re never going to be as good as me at no-limit heads-up – I’m always one step ahead so they can try and figure me out as much as they want but it’s not going to happen.
I think that it’s definitely fair to say that I’m one of the top no-limit heads-up players and it’s definitely fair to say that I am one of the best online no-limit cash players.

Luke “_FullFlush1_” Schwartz – 12/2009 – in Poker Player

Daniel Negreanu, on creativity

favicoMake sure to think outside the box. It’s not enough to simply memorize how to play certain hands, it’s important to understand why the hand should be played that way. Poker is a beautiful game with so many variables, you can’t play it with a defined set of rules as you would in blackjack. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies. Even if they fail, you will have learned something.

Daniel Negreanu, in Hold’em Wisdom for all Players

Jack Strauss, on Limit vs. No Limit poker

favicoLimit poker is a science, but no-limit is an art. In limit, you are shooting at a target. In no-limit, the target comes alive and shoots back at you.

Jack “Treetop” Strauss

Lou Krieger, on game selection

favicoI believe the single most important decision in any form of poker is game selection; determining which cards to enter a hand with runs a close second.

Lou Krieger – in Lou Krieger Online

John Cernuto, on fearless poker players

favicoThe player I fear the most doesn’t have a name. He is the type of player that you see especially in Europe. They are not afraid to lose. They don’t value their chips, they don’t value their money. They f*** don’t care. When I’m in a pot, I care. I worry about risks. But they don’t. It’s hard for me to put somebody like that on a hand. [...] I fear people like that.

John “Miami” Cernuto – 11/2009 – in MadeInPoker

Ed Miller, on passive games

favicoWhen the game is passive and many pots are being played five-, six-, or seven-handed for the price of the big blind, overlimping often handicaps you. It forces you to play primarily “make a hand” poker, and therefore it deprives you of many of your potential edges. Try raising instead.

Ed Miller – 08/2008

Liz Lieu, on dating

favicoAs far as being a female poker player, it just complicates dating a little more. I have a really hectic schedule. I don’t have a typical 9 to 5 where I can meet a guy in a more normal setting. Most of the guys I meet are indirectly involved with poker somehow or some piece of poker business. I don’t date poker players however! To me they are like my co-workers and if it doesn’t work out, you have no where to go or hide if it gets ugly. Your personal life gets spilled over to everyone else in the community. As a general rule of thumb, it’s a pretty bad idea to date other poker players.

Liz Lieu – 11/2008

Joe Cada, on illegal gambling

favicoPoker isn’t gambling. It’s a hobby, an activity, a game. It’s not about luck – it’s about logic, decision-making, math. We all should be able to play poker on the Web if we want to, and I believe that making it illegal strips us of our rights.

Joe Cada – 11/2009 – in Time

Steve Zolotow, on Continuation bets

favicoIf you think that a caller is weak, you can always try the effect of firing a second bullet. Fearless players will even fire a third bullet on the river. I’m not a big fan of firing multiple bullets with nothing. My experience has been that after the first bullet misses, players fire the second one into their foot and the third one into their brain.

Steve Zolotow – 02/2008 – in Card Player

Phil Hellmuth, on winning his 11th bracelet

favicoOn June 11, I won my record breaking eleventh WSOP (World Series of Poker) bracelet, which was promised — last year — to my sister Molly, who was born 11/11/71. I have given all eleven of my bracelets away to family members (my parents, my wife, my sons, etc.), except the main event bracelet from 1989. In any case, I won event number 15, which was a $1,500 buy-in no limit Hold’em event, with over 2,600 players. Who says the pros can’t beat big fields?

Phil Hellmuth – 06/2007 – in Phil Hellmuth’s blog