Russ Hamilton: Legalize It   Russ Hamilton began to play poker at the age of 7. In 1984 he moved to Las Vegas. He said that he made it for better weather, but I don’t belive. Back in 1984 he was already a succesful gambler.   In 1994 he won at the WSOP and took $1,000,000. In addition he won his weight in silver because 1994 was the year of the silver annivesary of the WSOP. It seems that after that Hamilton calmed down. Since that he didn’t try to win the title. He played only for money.   Though Russ Hamilton hadn’t written a book on poker he has several advices for poker players. One of them gives you an opportunity to evaluate your skills.   He advices to ask yourself the following questions: 1. Do you complain when you take a bad beat? 2. Do you say “I’m never lucky”? 3. Do you ridicule bad players when they beat you? 4. Do you take shots or shoot angles? 5. Do you tell bad beat stories frequently? 6. Are you a jerk at the table?   Answered yes to any of these questions? Then according to Russ Hamilton “you are not maximizing your potential”. He says that it is impossible to be a real good player with a negative attitude: “The only thing a negative attitude will do, is cost you money.” Hamilton’s Wins 1) 1994 – NL Holdem (Championship Event) – 1st 2) 1996 – NL Holdem – 4th 3) 1997 - PL Omaha – 7th 4) 1999 – NL Holdem – 18th 5) 2004 – NL Holdem – 139th