America's Most Popular Game

"Poker is a microcosm of all we admire and disdain about capitalism and democracy . It can be rough-hewn or polished, warm or cold, charitable and caring or hard and impersonal. It is fickle and elusive, but ultimately it is fair, and right, and just." --- Lou Krieger

Krieger's view perhaps began as an elaboration of earlier (and less poetic) characterization of by Walter Matthau:

"The game exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great."

Favorite Pastimes of Captain Kirk?

McCoy was giving one of his periodic lectures to Captain Kirk.

"Jim, I recommend you give up drinking, cut out poker, stop staying up late, and, especially, quit running around with women. That would be best for you."

"Frankly, Bones," said Kirk, "I don't deserve the best. What's second best?"

Good enough to call?

"If it's good enough to call you gotta be in there raising, all right. I mean tight but aggressive, and I do mean aggressive. That's your style, Professor. I mean you gotta ...you gotta think of it as a war." --- Mike (Matt Damon) in Rounders speaking to his Law Professor (Martin Landau).

Probability, The Long-Run, and Team Work

"In the long run there's no luck in poker, but the short run is longer than most people know." -- Rick Bennett

"Poker is the only game for a grown man. Then, your hand is against every man's, and every man's hand is against yours.  Teamwork?  Who ever made a fortune by teamwork?" --- Somerset Maugham

"The true logic of the universe is the calculus of probabilities." James Clerk Maxwell, quoted in The Feynman Lectures (Volume 1, page 6-1).

Former Secretary of the Treasury, Robert E. Rubin, on the central premise of his book In an Uncertain World:

" ...a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are about probabilities."

Versus Chess, or Even Business?

"Industry executives and analysts often mistakenly talk about strategy as if it were some kind of chess match. But in chess, you have just two opponents, each with identical resources, and with luck playing a minimal role. The real world is much more like a poker game, with multiple players trying to make the best of whatever hand fortune has dealt them. In our industry, Bill Gates owns the poker table until someone proves otherwise." - -- David Moschella

Table Quips

"Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines."

"Over the long run, those who win the most pots lose the most money."

"The guy who invented gambling was clever, but the guy who developed chips was a genius."

Perspective on Opportunity?

"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Being Precise

"There is no sense in being precise, when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.'' ---- physicist, mathematician, economists, and proto-computer scientists John von Neumann, quoted by professional gambler Barry Greenstein in his autobiography Ace on the River.

Navigation: May I suggest Steele's Home Page? or perhaps that Nice List of Informative Rants?