Poker can be a rather stressful time for professional poker players and although the aim is to remain calm at all times, this cannot always be the case. Just ask Phil Hellmuth.

The confident player – who isn’t ever short of a word of two – has been discussing his famous temper to those assessing free bets, saying that it comes with who he is.

The American said: “When I go off - that happens maybe four minutes a day and usually happens late - that's where I see the enormous injustice of having some horrible player make some crazy-ass move and outdrawing me. Then I'm melting down. “

“I'm still embarrassed about it. My poker friends say they love to watch me - they want to hear what I'll say next. I think I did a pretty good job in 2011 of not having too many meltdowns. Keeping my emotions in check translates to me playing a lot better.”

He also spoke positively about playing the game part-time, avoiding overkill. Something has which kept his hunger and motivation for poker as strong as ever before.

He continued: “When I started playing, I saw a lot of people who were 45 and unhappy. I told myself I'd never be in a position where I had to play all the time.”

“And I haven't been. Because I've been playing part-time for the last seven years, my passion for the game is stronger than ever. Right now, I just want to play."

This is a fantastic attitude to have of course. If you are enjoying the game, you are much more likely to succeed at it. After all, if you are making lots of money from a job you love, it isn’t the worst way to live your life is it?

On another subject, the amount of players learning the game online, Hellmuth said: “A lot of young players dominated on the Internet and thought they'd come into the real world and dominate.”

“A lot of these guys who thought they were great disrespected all the old guys and went broke, and they can't figure out what went wrong. But there are a lot of young players who have made the adjustments and they're now great tournament players.”

Hellmuth certainly isn’t afraid to dish out some praise, but there is no doubt that his main focus is his own game and in 2012, he wants lots of success.

“I had three second-place finishes in 2011. I know I can have three firsts in 2012. I'll leave it with that.”