--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It wasn't a popular thing to be a…" description: "\"It wasn't a popular thing to be a professional poker player in the '80s.\" — Phil Hellmuth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/phil-hellmuth-4613_player_it-wasn-t-a-popular-thing-to-be-a-profes_1641079.png" --- # It wasn't a popular thing to be a professional poker… ![“It wasn't a popular thing to be a professional poker player in the '80s.” quote by Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/phil-hellmuth-4613_player_it-wasn-t-a-popular-thing-to-be-a-profes_1641079.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/phil-hellmuth-4613_player_it-wasn-t-a-popular-thing-to-be-a-profes_1641079.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/phil-hellmuth-4613_player_it-wasn-t-a-popular-thing-to-be-a-profes_1641079.png) > “It wasn't a popular thing to be a professional poker player in the '80s.” [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Professional poker was once a niche, socially unconventional career choice, especially in the 1980s. **In simple terms:** Poker was rare then. Key Takeaway Recognize changing social norms. Themes career gambling social perception Mood reflective historical Type advice observational When to use this quote - career counseling - media analysis - gaming industry Key Concepts risk management subculture historical context Questions to Reflect On - How would you advise someone entering a niche field? - What shifts made poker mainstream? A Different Perspective Stigma can hinder opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker/) ## Related quotes > [But when I will call it a day, I could become a professional poker player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vieri/but-when-i-will-call-it-a-day-i-could-become-a-professional-poker/) [Christian Vieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vieri/) > [It's almost like, when someone plays poker for the first time, they might be a professional poker player out of ignorance, just accidentally winning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-hill/it-s-almost-like-when-someone-plays-poker-for-the-first-time-they/) [Jonah Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-hill/) > [Prior to Box, I was a professional wiffleball player and then a professional poker player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-smith/prior-to-box-i-was-a-professional-wiffleball-player-and-then-a/) [Dylan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-smith/) > [Some people know me as the bad boy of professional poker and call me The Poker Brat. Sometimes I deserve that nickname, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/some-people-know-me-as-the-bad-boy-of-professional-poker-and-call-me/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [Every poker player has ups and downs because luck is also involved. When a great poker player smashes, he's making the right moves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/every-poker-player-has-ups-and-downs-because-luck-is-also-involved/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [I have been on TV quite a few times as a poker player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-buss/i-have-been-on-tv-quite-a-few-times-as-a-poker-player/) [Jerry Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-buss/) > [Obsessing about statistics won't make you a better poker player. In fact, you'll end up wasting too much valuable time on that stuff when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/obsessing-about-statistics-won-t-make-you-a-better-poker-player-in/) [Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/) > [I'm just a poker player who does a bit of TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/i-m-just-a-poker-player-who-does-a-bit-of-tv/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [I'm not a poker player; I play slot machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy/i-m-not-a-poker-player-i-play-slot-machines/) [Lemmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy/) > [My biggest problem in live games is that I love the game so much and I don't think I ever met a poker player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/my-biggest-problem-in-live-games-is-that-i-love-the-game-so-much-and/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [President Obama is a poker player, which the media used as part of the narrative that he was more calculated and careful as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-mccain/president-obama-is-a-poker-player-which-the-media-used-as-part-of-the/) [Meghan McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-mccain/) > [To be a great poker player, you're going to have to learn this fact: Everything that's said at a poker table is worth listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/to-be-a-great-poker-player-you-re-going-to-have-to-learn-this-fact/) [Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/) > [I am a poker player, but I am not a good poker player. 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I want to know what they're thinking when they play pots against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/i-ve-studied-the-way-the-internet-kids-play-i-want-to-know-what-they/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [Oakley's sunglasses are hot and I feel a little extra cool when I wear them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/oakley-s-sunglasses-are-hot-and-i-feel-a-little-extra-cool-when-i/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [I was the youngest world champion in history when I won the WSOP in 1989 at age 24.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/i-was-the-youngest-world-champion-in-history-when-i-won-the-wsop-in/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [All-star lay downs are all about reading your opponents, trusting your instincts, and then making the right move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/all-star-lay-downs-are-all-about-reading-your-opponents-trusting-your/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [When I started playing, I saw a lot of people who were 45 and unhappy. 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