Is poker a game of chance or skill?
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Is poker a game of chance or skill?
1–10 of 42 posts
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#2Short summary, for anyone who already knows the basics of poker: yes, the cards are random, but everyone's bets are a function of their statistical competance and their ability to make inferences from other people's bets, and therefore poker is a game of skill. It's a fine article but it appears to contain very little new insight.
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#3Short summary, for anyone who already knows the basics of poker: yes, the cards are random, but everyone's bets are a function of their statistical competance and their ability to make inferences from other people's bets, and therefore poker is a game of skill. It's a fine article but it appears to contain very little new insight.
Wouldn't that mean that it is a game both of skill and of luck?
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#4Short summary, for anyone who already knows the basics of poker: yes, the cards are random, but everyone's bets are a function of their statistical competance and their ability to make inferences from other people's bets, and therefore poker is a game of skill. It's a fine article but it appears to contain very little new insight.
Wouldn't that mean that it is a game both of skill and of luck?
In much the same sense as stock market investing is "luck": randomness is present, but you're provided extensive tools to mitigate its impact.
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#5This article is correct, mathematically, from what I can tell. However, the author seems to not understand the meaning of skill.
Apparently to the author a skilled player is one who knows and plays all the odds correctly whereas an unskilled player plays randomly, or sub-optimally. If all players are equally knowledgeable of all the probabilities involved, then the game is a game of luck.
A true game of skill is one in which there is no luck factor. No matter the relative skills of the players, the most skilled player will win. For example, boxing is a game of skill. Poker is not. Two grand masters of poker playing against each other, the result will be determined by the cards. They might as well play Candy Land instead.
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#6This article is correct, mathematically, from what I can tell. However, the author seems to not understand the meaning of skill. Apparently to the author a skilled player is one who knows and plays all the odds correctly whereas an unskilled player plays randomly, or sub-optimally. If all players are equally knowledgeable of all the probabilities involved, then the game is a game of luck. A true game of skill is one…
Exactly. Chess is another example.
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#7Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#8Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#9This article is correct, mathematically, from what I can tell. However, the author seems to not understand the meaning of skill. Apparently to the author a skilled player is one who knows and plays all the odds correctly whereas an unskilled player plays randomly, or sub-optimally. If all players are equally knowledgeable of all the probabilities involved, then the game is a game of luck. A true game of skill is one…
I think you are forgetting the element of psychology that enters in to poker.
While it's true that all the top players understand the odds equally well there are some players that are still considered better poker players as their ability to read other players is better tuned. That's the skill element.
Re: Is poker a game of chance or skill?
#10This article is correct, mathematically, from what I can tell. However, the author seems to not understand the meaning of skill. Apparently to the author a skilled player is one who knows and plays all the odds correctly whereas an unskilled player plays randomly, or sub-optimally. If all players are equally knowledgeable of all the probabilities involved, then the game is a game of luck. A true game of skill is one…
They might as well be playing Candyland? Not really.
The luck of the cards tends to even out over time-- this is why tournaments consist of a large number of hands.
I'm not sure of the specific numbers with Poker, but an expert Cribbage player tends to win about 55% of the time.