PHIL HELLMUTH

There are times when success doesn't make sense on a purely mathematical basis. I've played absolutely perfectly before, put in a masterful performance, and then my perfect play evaporated because one guy lost his mind and got lucky. Of course, I've also won that way.

Playing fast and aggressive poker can help manufacture chips out of thin air and is one element of the game that separates the great players from the merely very good. But beware; it can be risky.

Ultra-aggressive players have a knack of making otherwise sound players commit huge stacks of chips with relatively weak hands, like A-Q.

Sometimes when you look back, you think I wish I would have played this hand differently or that hand differently. But then you have to understand that you can't go back and to focus on the present. Whether or not you're applying the lessons you've learned from mistakes you've made in the past.

Through all the craziness, what I know is that I'm a good husband and a good father and I do a great job with my kids.

If I'm going to play without any rest I might as well not play at all. I rest a lot but I work a lot too.

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

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!

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.

The benefit of fast play is that you'll get players to commit their chips with relatively weak hands since it will be hard for them to believe that you have a strong hand every single time. The downside is that your opponents will raise weak when you have nothing at all, forcing you to fold.

Players talk about pot odds all the time, especially when they try to justify a call that they made. Whenever I hear this line of reasoning, though, I can't help but wonder if they properly thought through the consequences of their call.

Look, I never enjoy risking my tournament life with a marginal hand, but if you want to be a poker champion, that's exactly what needs to be done. Just don't do it too often!

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.

I think the key to poker is being steady and giving yourself a chance to win every tournament.

One of my favorite poker shows on television is 'Poker After Dark.'

I've met some of the most famous celebrities in the world but Michael Phelps was the first person I've ever met with whom I was totally star-struck.

When I don't reraise with a premium hand like K-K, I'll just smooth-call. Sometimes I just don't want to announce the strength of my hand to the entire table.

For five or six years, I didn't play in some of the good games leading up to the World Series of Poker, because with so many below-average players there, I reasoned it messed up my game.

Poker is supposed to be fun.

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

By taking the lead on the flop, I can give myself opportunities to win more money when I am strong and pick up some uncontested pots when I'm not.

In 1987, I wrote a goal sheet. I didn't want to waste my life. I'd dropped out of college, and there was a lot of pressure from my parents. I decided, 'If you're going to do this, you're going to become the best in the world at this.'

It wasn't a popular thing to be a professional poker player in the '80s.