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Poker Players Alliance praises study revealing that poker is a game of skill
- 3-30-2009
Members of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), an independent group with more than one million members nationwide, have praised the results of the "Statistical Analysis of Texas Hold’em" study conducted by Cigital, Inc. in conjunction with the online poker site PokerStars.com and released last week, which provides statistical information and other data showing that the results of poker games are mainly determined by the players' decisions and not just chance.
"As a poker player I can tell you that knowing when to hold or fold is not based solely on the cards that are dealt, but a series of decisions based on skill and the actions taken by the other players. This study provides the raw data to back up the compelling arguments made by poker players around the world that it's skill, not pure luck, that determines the outcome of this game." said Senator Alfonse D'Amato, the Chairman of PPA.
The results of this study will help the PPA in its effort to legalize poker exclude the game from a list of activities considered as “gamblingâ€Â. Over the last months, several courts and judges in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina determined that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and that it should be exempted from being qualified as "gambling".
The study used data gathered during 103 million hands of Texas Hold’em played online in December of 2008. According to Cigital's report, more than 75% of the hands the result was determined before the card showdown. Only 25% of the games ended up with the players revealing the cards to determine the winner, but only half of the showdowns were won by the player who had the best hand. The other half of the showdowns were won by players with inferior hands that used their ability to persuade the other players to fold before the showdown.
"The question of whether poker is a game of predominant skill or chance is not about the player's ego, but the nature and legal protections of the game. In courtrooms across the country, judges and juries are finding that poker is a game of skill – not chance like lotteries or slot machines – and this study confirms that fact." said PPA Executive Director John Pappas.
"As a poker player I can tell you that knowing when to hold or fold is not based solely on the cards that are dealt, but a series of decisions based on skill and the actions taken by the other players. This study provides the raw data to back up the compelling arguments made by poker players around the world that it's skill, not pure luck, that determines the outcome of this game." said Senator Alfonse D'Amato, the Chairman of PPA.
The results of this study will help the PPA in its effort to legalize poker exclude the game from a list of activities considered as “gamblingâ€Â. Over the last months, several courts and judges in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina determined that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and that it should be exempted from being qualified as "gambling".
The study used data gathered during 103 million hands of Texas Hold’em played online in December of 2008. According to Cigital's report, more than 75% of the hands the result was determined before the card showdown. Only 25% of the games ended up with the players revealing the cards to determine the winner, but only half of the showdowns were won by the player who had the best hand. The other half of the showdowns were won by players with inferior hands that used their ability to persuade the other players to fold before the showdown.
"The question of whether poker is a game of predominant skill or chance is not about the player's ego, but the nature and legal protections of the game. In courtrooms across the country, judges and juries are finding that poker is a game of skill – not chance like lotteries or slot machines – and this study confirms that fact." said PPA Executive Director John Pappas.