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Poker: A game of luck, chance, and skill

  • 3-6-2008
WDIAV Online Poker FreerollWhen talking about poker to my family, or when trying to introduce the game of NL Texas Hold’em' to new people I meet, or family members -- I often get the same response:  poker is luck; a total gamble.  This is when it hit me that one should truly right an article describing all elements that find there way into the game of poker. One of which is skill- which when used properly can overpower luck and chance in the long run of poker.  Do not get me wrong: poker is gambling, and overall, anytime cards are involved and these same cards are facedown and shuffled: anything can happen.

Sometimes when I see suck out after suck out, I challenge the games credibility.  Why do all the people making the right decisions always get screwed in the end?  Is it because poker is a coin-flip game?  Of course not; moreover what is aired on television is usually sicker and more exciting than what majority of things occur when the cameras cease to be running.  True story: bad luck is a cliché. Sure one goes on cold streaks; however, one is not cursed with bad luck forever.  Using logical analysis, this is easily understandable, but not to stubborn people who will never agree that any skill is involved in poker.

When one is playing NL Texas Hold’em, he or she can fold his hand, make bluffs with strong betting strategies and make crucial reads and many other talents to prove that poker does indeed have another piece in the puzzle: skill. 

In North Carolina, a major case was decided in the courts: to allow poker rooms or not. Many people who fought for the poker rooms in NC stated that the game was not pure gambling, thus should be allowed in certain environments. The antagonists (in the case) fought hardly and boldly. Point after point, the defendants kept stating poker was a game of luck and chance, thus it was gambling whenever money became involved.

To help win the case: the defendants provided video of one of the worst sickouts of all time.  A man lost on the river when being a massive favorite to win the hand.  All in all; there are no poker rooms allowed in North Carolina except for the Indian reservations. Poker can often feel like a gamble; especially when you lose to a bad beat or bad player.  However, if you play day after day and use solid, money-making poker strategy skill will overtake luck in the long run.  When you play online poker you see more hands, thus the bad beats will increase as well.  Its simple math!

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