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Poker movies have produced some of the best quotes widely used at poker tables. Many of the poker movie quotes also apply to life.
Some of them can give you extra motivation to improve your game, and some will make you laugh.
Although numerous quotes can be understood only by people from the poker world, the more experienced player you are, the better your understanding of some of the quotes will be. For example: “You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once.” – Mike McDermott.
You need a few years at a poker table to get this one. How do you understand it? Feel free to add your interpretation in the comments. Or maybe it’s better not to explain this quote, just in case the sheep will read it. 😉
Below you can find the best poker films and their best quotes. At the end of each section, you will find a video to give you a feeling about the quotes.
Rounders (1988)
1.
“If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker!” – Mike McDermott
2.
“First prize at the World Series of Poker is a million bucks. Does it have my name on it? I don’t know. But, I’m gonna find out.” – Mike McDermott
3.
Worm: “She’s really got him by the balls.
Petra: That’s not so bad, is it?
Worm: It depends on the grip!”
4.
“It’s immoral to let a sucker keep his money.” – Mike McDermott
5.
“You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once.” – Mike McDermott
6.
“You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle. But you can’t win much either” – Mike McDermott
7.
“The game is no limit hold ’em. The Cadillac of poker.” – Mike McDermott
8.
“In the poker game of life, women are the rake man. They are the fuckin’ rake” – Worm
9.
“It’s like the nature channel… you don’t see Piranhas eating themselves, do you?” – Mike McDermott
10.
“Get your money in when you have the best of it. Protect it when you don’t.” – Mike McDermott
11.
“Are you satisfied now, Teddy? Because I can keep busting you up all night if you like.” – Mike McDermott
12.
“I want him to think that I am pondering a call, but all I’m really thinkin about it Vegas and the fuckin’ Mirage.” – Mike McDermott
13.
Mike McDermott : [during final game with Teddy KGB] “That’s 4,400. I’m gonna call you. Or else, I won’t respect myself tomorrow morning.”
Teddy KGB : “Respect is all you have left in the morning!”
14.
“Mike, I learned it from you. You always told me this was the rule. Rule number one: Throw away your cards the moment you know they can’t win. Fold the fucking hand.” – Jo
15.
“We can’t run from who we are, our destiny chooses us.” – Martin Landau
16.
Mike McDermott: “What happened?”
Worm: “Nothing, she closed her legs too fast!”
Molly’s Game (2017)
1.
“You know what makes you feel okay about losing? Winning.” – Molly Bloom
2.
“You got to keep your eyes up, alright? Always got to look ahead. If you look down, that’s where you’re going to go.” – Larry Bloom [to Molly]
3.
“Fear is the greatest thief of dreams and of a fulfilling life.” – Molly Bloom
4.
“Just because there’s all this fear, doesn’t mean [you] can’t do it anyway.” – Molly Bloom
5.
“Because it’s my name… and I’ll never have another.” – Molly Bloom
6.
“He played tight, didn’t give a lot of action and always got his money in good, which means he was running the odds. In other words, he was playing poker and the others were gambling. And he won.” – Molly Bloom
7.
“There is no amount of money, there is no amount of freedom and there is no situation that I can enjoy if I don’t like who I am and the choices that I’m making and don’t feel like I’m acting with dignity and courage and integrity.” – Molly Bloom
8.
“I was in a room with movie stars, directors and business titans. They were going all in, all the time.” – Molly Bloom
9.
Molly Bloom: The law that I’m accused of breaking defines gambling as betting on games of chance.
Molly Bloom: Poker’s isn’t a game of chance. Poker’s a game of skill
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The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
1.
“I don’t need marked cards to beat you, pal.” – Cincinnati Kid
2.
“You’re good, kid, but as long as I’m around, you’re only second best.”- Lancey Howard [to Cincinnati Kid]
3.
“The point is – that what good is honor if you’re dead?” – Cincinnati Kid
4.
“You’re just not ready for me yet.” – Cincinnati Kid
5.
“Gentlemen, this game is five-card stud poker. There’s no limit. No string bets. You can check and raise. A dead man has one half-hour to raise his roll outside and get back in the game.” – Shooter
6.
“It’s a pleasure to meet someone who understands that to the true gambler, money is never an end in itself, it’s simply a tool, as a language is to thought.” – Lancey Howard
7.
“Women are a universal problem in our business. Of course, uh, it’s purely an academic question with me now, but, looking back, I think it’s best not to look for a fixed thing. Just tie into something nice when you’re away from the action and let it wear itself out.” – Lancey Howard
8.
“Gets down to what it’s all about, doesn’t it? Making the wrong move at the right time.” – Lancey Howard
9.
“Listen, Christian, after the game, I’ll be The Man. I’ll be the best there is. People will sit down at the table with you, just so they can say they played with The Man. And that’s what I’m gonna be.” – Cincinnati Kid
You can watch The Cincinnati Kid for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
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California Split (1974)
1.
Gould: “Bet the house on this one
Segal: You’ve been saying this all week. I’m lucky I ‘m not much of a property owner”2.
“You get out of here. You’re gonna kill the streak.” – Segal
3.
Charlie (telling off an angry player after winning with a debatable hand)–
“The man doesn’t know how to play poker. The man is bad. He’s a complete asshole. We all know that, right? The man goes broke, he can’t handle it. The man is on tilt. You wanna hear any more?”
4.
“I feel like a winner, but I know I look like a loser.” – Segal
5.
Bill challenging Charlie for 20$:
Bill: “20 dollars you can’t name the Seven Dwarfs.”
Charlie: “Doc, Dopey, and Grumpy”
6.
“If it takes a watermelon five minutes to water. How long does it take a sweetpea to pee? As long as it takes a pair of dice to crap.” – Charlie
7.
“That’s the greatest punch I’ve ever been hit with” – Charlie
8.
“You better call an ambulance. The man lost the last race, and he tried to kill himself” – Charlie
You can watch California Split for $2.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
Smart Money (1931)
1.
Snake Eyes – Porter: “Who’ll give me a half a dollar for my hand?
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: Uh, I wouldn’t give you a nickel for your whole body.”
2.
“Why don’t you snap out of it. Say, your face is so long, I’d charge you two prices for for a shave.” – Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos
3.
“Well, faint heart never won fair lady… or fat turkey.” – Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos
4.
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: “Of course, you smart gamblers have heard of shaved cards. Well, Nick ‘The Barber’ can shave them a little closer than you can.”
5.
“Boy, am I itching to get into that game.” – Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos
6.
“Marie, open up the suitcase and hang up my checkered suit.” – Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos
7.
Girl at Gaming Table: “I’m in an awful plight. I’ve lost all my money at the roulette table. And I wonder if you could lend me some to get home on?”
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: “Well, I don’t believe in lending; but, I’ll give you ten.”
Girl at Gaming Table: “Ten? Oh, I need five hundred.”
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: “Five hundred? Where do you live, lady, China?”
8.
Edward G. Robinson ( when leaving the game): “Suntan, my hat, my cane, and my gloves. I heard that in a play once.”
9.
Edward G. Robinson: “Well, Nick the Barber gave you a trimmin’, hunh? Well, I’ll be seein’ you boys.”
10.
“Heh, he’s nuts for blondes. Yeah, send your wife around. He’ll go for any old bag!” – Sleepy Sam (as he exits the door).
11.
“This town is gettin’ soft for me.” – Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos
12.
Marie: “These are very nice. I can recommend them.
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: Do you smoke them yourself?
Marie: Oh, no, sir. “
You can watch Smart Money (1931) for $2.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
Runner Runner (2013)
1.
“This is your job. You want a clear conscious, go start a charity. But if you want your own island, and your boss says you gotta go out there and take a beating, go out there. Take it. Come back to work. And say, ‘Do you need me to do it again?’! – Ivan Block
2.
“That little voice in the back of your head right now, it’s not conscience, it’s fear” – Ivan Block
3.
“Everyone gambles. They may call it something else, like the stock market, or real estate. But make no mistake, if you’re risking something, you’re gambling. And if you’re gambling, then I’m the guy you want to see.” – Richie Furst
4.
Agent Shavers: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, a really fucked-up one will be provided for you.”
5.
Ivan Block [about his body guards]: “I brought two idiots to Latin America, Richie. It’s like sand to the beach, but what are you gonna do?”
6.
Ivan Block: “You’ll find another boyfriend when we land at the next stop.”
Rebecca Shafran: “Younger and dumber next time.”
Ivan Block: “Dumber won’t be easy.”
You can watch Runner Runner (2013) for $5.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
The Color of Money (1986)
This movie doesn’t have a poker related plot but there are many quotes that can be applicable to poker.
1.
“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” – Eddie Felson
2.
“You got to be a student…of human moves. See, all the greats that I know of…were students of human moves.” – Eddie Felson
3.
“I can always go back to whiskey, it’s been very good to me.” – Eddie Felson
4.
“You walk into a shoe store with a hundred and fifty bucks, you come out with one shoe!” – Eddie Felson
5.
“You gotta have two things to win. You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls. Now, you got too much of one and not enough of the other.” – Eddie Felson
6.
“I’ll change my teeth, you change your god damned diapers! “ – Eddie Felson
7.
“We got a racehorse here, a thoroughbred. You make him feel good, I teach him how to run! “ – Eddie Felson [to Carmen about Vincent]
8.
“The balls roll funny for everybody, kiddo.” – Eddie Felson
You can watch The Color of Money (1986) for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
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