---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Air power is like poker. A second-best…"
description: "\"Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none at all - it will cost you dough and win you nothing.\" — George Kenney"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg"
---

#  Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none…

![“Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none at all - it will cost you dough and win you nothing.” quote by George Kenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg)

> “Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none at all - it will cost you dough and win you nothing.”

[George Kenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-kenney/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Air power is compared to a weak poker hand; without superiority it yields no advantage and wastes resources.

**In simple terms:** Air power without superiority is useless

Key Takeaway

Prioritize quality over quantity in strategic assets

Themes

military strategy air power risk assessment

Mood

strategic critical analytical

Type

military advisory

When to use this quote

- battle planning
- budget decisions

Key Concepts

resource allocation competitive advantage

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you assess true strategic value?
- What alternatives exist when resources are limited?

A Different Perspective

Air power may be constrained by technology

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Air power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-power/) [Like Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-poker-483122/) [Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker/) [Poker Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker-second-5741837/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/)

## Related quotes

> [To me, e-sports is like poker. Twenty years ago, if someone told you that poker was going to be a massive spectator sport, you'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-kan/to-me-e-sports-is-like-poker-twenty-years-ago-if-someone-told-you/)

[Justin Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-kan/)

> [The great thing about athletics is that it's like poker sometimes: you know what's in your hand, and it may be a load of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/the-great-thing-about-athletics-is-that-it-s-like-poker-sometimes-you/)

[Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/)

> [What you see on a lot of televised poker is highlight-reel poker. That's why I used to like 'Poker After Dark' so much. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/what-you-see-on-a-lot-of-televised-poker-is-highlight-reel-poker-that/)

[Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/)

> [I'm not like a poker player. I'm not into bluff. My way is to look someone in the eye and tell them the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-m-not-like-a-poker-player-i-m-not-into-bluff-my-way-is-to-look/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [“Life may deal you a bad hand or take away a good hand you were already dealt. The way you play the hand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-bayani/life-may-deal-you-a-bad-hand-or-take-away-a-good-hand-you-were/)

[Benjamin Bayani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-bayani/)

> [Life, like poker has an element of risk. It shouldn't be avoided. It should be faced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/life-like-poker-has-an-element-of-risk-it-shouldn-t-be-avoided-it/)

[Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/)

> [Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-robinson/baseball-is-like-a-poker-game-nobody-wants-to-quit-when-he-s-losing/)

[Jackie Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-robinson/)

> [Loves a lot like poker. You show your cards too early you'll be leaving early too. The most powerful one in the room is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loves-a-lot-like-poker-you-show-your-cards-too-early-you-ll-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is like a poker game. you've got to know when to hold the hand you got dealt and play it out, likewise, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-a-poker-game-you-ve-got-to-know-when-to-hold-the-hand/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Love is like poker Sometimes you get a good hand and sometimes you get a bad one but that bad hand can be turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wheaton/love-is-like-poker-sometimes-you-get-a-good-hand-and-sometimes-you/)

[Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wheaton/)

> [“It doesn't matter what has happened to you, it matters what you do with what has happened to you. Life is like a poker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/it-doesn-t-matter-what-has-happened-to-you-it-matters-what-you-do/)

[Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/)

> [Just watch your Queen baby like a poker cards fan, I tap that and then play her like GarageBand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/just-watch-your-queen-baby-like-a-poker-cards-fan-i-tap-that-and-then/)

[Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/)

> [“We stared out at the city that hummed and glittered like a computer chip deep in some unknowable machine, holding its secret like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/we-stared-out-at-the-city-that-hummed-and-glittered-like-a-computer/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Air power is new to all our countries. It brings advantages to some and weakens others; it calls for readjustment everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/air-power-is-new-to-all-our-countries-it-brings-advantages-to-some/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

## More Air power quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [A thing of orchestrated hell-a terrible symphony of light and flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-thing-of-orchestrated-hell-a-terrible-symphony-of-light-and-flame/)

[Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/)

> [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/)

[Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/)

> [Air power is new to all our countries. It brings advantages to some and weakens others; it calls for readjustment everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/air-power-is-new-to-all-our-countries-it-brings-advantages-to-some/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [“Smith proposed not to use air power, but to employ an ad hoc group to open Mount Igman road into Sarajevo. This was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-willem-honig/smith-proposed-not-to-use-air-power-but-to-employ-an-ad-hoc-group-to/)

[Jan Willem Honig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-willem-honig/)

> [Air power and military are meant to fight the enemy and not your own citizens... How do you differentiate a Maoist?... It will create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kishore-chandra-deo/air-power-and-military-are-meant-to-fight-the-enemy-and-not-your-own/)

[Kishore Chandra Deo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kishore-chandra-deo/)

> [Air power will not defeat ISIS. It has not been able to deny ISIS freedom of maneuver and the ability to attack at will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-keane/air-power-will-not-defeat-isis-it-has-not-been-able-to-deny-isis/)

[Jack Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-keane/)

> ["He who wants to protect everything, protects nothing," is one of the fundamental rules of defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/he-who-wants-to-protect-everything-protects-nothing-is-one-of-the/)

[Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/)

> [Air power alone does not guarantee America's security, but I believe it best exploits the nation's greatest asset - our technical skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyt-vandenberg/air-power-alone-does-not-guarantee-america-s-security-but-i-believe/)

[Hoyt Vandenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyt-vandenberg/)

> [Why don't we just buy one airplane and let the pilots take turns flying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/why-don-t-we-just-buy-one-airplane-and-let-the-pilots-take-turns/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [The Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can win it. Therefore our supreme effort must be to gain overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-navy-can-lose-us-the-war-but-only-the-air-force-can-win-it/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [If we had these rockets in 1939, we should never have had this war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/if-we-had-these-rockets-in-1939-we-should-never-have-had-this-war/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [I am purely evil; Hear the thrum of my evil engine; Evilly I come. The stars are thick as flowers In the meadows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-mannin/i-am-purely-evil-hear-the-thrum-of-my-evil-engine-evilly-i-come-the/)

[Ethel Mannin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-mannin/)

> [If we maintain our faith in God, love of freedom, and superior global air power, the future looks good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/if-we-maintain-our-faith-in-god-love-of-freedom-and-superior-global/)

[Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/)

> [This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out Isil wherever they exist, using our air power and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/this-counter-terrorism-campaign-will-be-waged-through-a-steady/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

[Browse all 114 Air power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-power/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none at all - it will cost you dough and win you nothing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Kenney"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kenney/air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-hand-is-like-none-at-all-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air power"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kenney/air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-hand-is-like-none-at-all-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/george-kenney-239534_air-power_air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-ha_3165832.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Air power is like poker. A second-best hand is like none at all - it will cost you dough and win you nothing.” — George Kenney",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "George Kenney",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-kenney/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Air power is like poker. A...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kenney/air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-hand-is-like-none-at-all-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kenney/air-power-is-like-poker-a-second-best-hand-is-like-none-at-all-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
