I'm known as a professional gambler rather than just a professional poker player, and I have to admit that I am. I've been known to bet on just about anything. And because of that I've surely had my share of losers. If I had stuck to poker, I'd probably be a far wealthier man today. But old habits are hard to break, and I just like to gamble.

However, it's more than just liking to gamble. I'm very competitive by nature. As long as there's a contest-any kind of contest, even if it's a marble shooting contest-I want to be a part of it. If I can't be an active participant as I am at poker and golf-and therefore betting on myself-I have to bet on one side or the other, be it a football game, a prizefight, or whatever.

My competitive nature is one of the reasons I feel I've been so successful playing poker. You've got to play hard to be a consistent winner at poker, and I'm able to do that instinctively.

I was a very fierce competitor as an athlete in high school and college. That competitive spirit remains with me. I'm sure it has a lot to do with my success at the poker table. I've never lost the feeling of exhilaration that comes when you're doing the best you can and gambling real high. There's no feeling quite like it.

Next to poker, golf is my favorite game, and I'm considered a pretty good player-probably a little better than the next guy. Unfortunately, quite a few of those next guys have played a shade better than me when we got to betting on the course. I remember going back east one year with my best friend Jack Binion and ending up playing golf with a millionaire. We kept raising the stakes until finally we had $180,000 riding on one hole. He putted out for a par to my bogey and all that money just flew away. And that's just one of several such stories I could tell you. Now, the title of the first Super/System was originally How I Made over $1,000,000 Playing Poker. The title of my next one is going to be How I Lost over $1,000,000 Playing Golf. There's definitely a moral in there somewhere.