Have you heard the famous Amarillo Slim quote, “If a woman ever wins the world title, I’ll slit my throat with a dull knife.” Needless to say, Slim is from the old school and that school is totally against women playing poker. Oh, they will laugh and says things like, women belong barefoot and in the kitchen, but inside, I think what they really mean is that women belong anywhere but at a poker table. When I was writing “Queens Can Beat Kings,” I wanted to tell that story, but I wanted to be sure of the quote, so I found Amarillo Slim at a World Series of Poker event some years ago and asked him. He said that his actual quote was, “If a woman ever wins the world title, I’ll eat my boot.” Many who were present back in 1987 when he made the quote, swear that he said “slit my throat.” When he quoted himself as saying that he would eat his boot, was he bluffing? At any rate, during his lifetime, I hope to hand him the salt and pepper for that boot or the knife for the throat slitting!
Some not so famous WSOP quotes are from my friends when I asked them, “How do you feel when you sit down to play in the WSOP $10,000 main event once a year?”
Mike Caro: (The Mad Genius of Poker) “Those who go for straights and flushes arrive in planes and go home in buses.”
Jenny Kaye: “I compare no-limit hold’em, especially the main event, to a ballet. You’re on your bloody toes all the time … dipping to great lows, but also reaching great highs.”
Mike Laing: I don’t scare easily, but when I play the main event, it’s fear – like someone is holding a gun to my head.
George Marlowe: No-limit, particularly the main event, is like trying to do a soft shoe through a minefield. You can be blown to bits at any time.
Tom McEvoy: “When I shove all my chips into the center of the table and await my fate, there is always a lump in my throat.”
Scotty Nguyen: “Playing the Big One, Baby, is like playing the Masters, I imagine. Hard to describe – it’s definitely a real natural high, Baby.”
J.C Pearson: “It’s kind of like a war zone, and you’ve got to duck a lot of bullets … for days, to survive.
Another from Amarillo Slim: “Very seldom do the lambs slaughter the butcher.”
Maria Stern: “Playing the Big One is almost as exhilarating as having great sex, and it makes your heart race just as fast.”
Dr. Max Stern: You know you are writing history when you play the WSOP main event and winning it is making history!”
Susie Isaacs is the most published female author on the subject of poker and she has a new novel out White Knight, Black Knights, (destined to be a best seller!) Visit her website for full descriptions on all of her books: www.susieisaacsbooks.com.
