Three poker expressions explained

There are a lot of expressions and sayings in poker, and like everything else about the game, how these sayings are interpreted is open to debate. In this column I’ll take a look at three of the most famous sayings in poker and give a couple of different opinions on what they really mean.

Trust everyone, but always cut the cards

One of the most well-known sayings in the history of poker (a long history which has plenty of well-known sayings) is the adage coined by Benny Binion, “trust everyone, but always cut the cards.” While at first glance the saying seems to imply that card players cannot be trusted, or that you shouldn’t trust anyone, the real meaning of the phrase is quite simple: It’s fine to trust people, but when things matter (i.e. when money is on the line) you protect yourself the best you can.

This doesn’t mean that you should suspect everyone in a card game of being a cheat, but you also shouldn’t blindly believe that there isn’t a single cheat in the game either. So when given the opportunity, you should simply cut the cards.

A chip and a chair

The saying in poker that all you need is “a chip and chair” is often interpreted as meaning that so long as you have any amount of chips left you are still in the tournament. While this is the obvious interpretation of the quote attributed to Jack “Treetop” Strauss, there is another, better, interpretation of the poker saying: Stay positive!

Basically whatever happens in the game of poker (and if you play long enough you will eventually see just about everything possible) you need to remember it could be worse; you could be felted.

While it’s silly to think a single chip is giving you a reasonable chance to win or cash in a poker tournament, it’s the mindset with which you play that single chip that matters: Are you going to blindly toss it away because you have given up, or are you going to make the best play possible and let the chips fall where they may.

Poker is like sex: Everyone thinks they are good at it

Dutch Boyd is given credit for this gem, and like the saying implies, everyone thinks that it doesn’t apply to them. Unfortunately, while the saying could very well mean that there are a lot of bad players, a better interpretation would be that you are most likely not as good as you think at the game!

Instead of projecting this saying on your opponents, you would do better to do some self-reflection, and see if it’s not you who has a thing or two to learn about the game of poker.