Texas Hold Em? A Strategy Game? What a Crock!?

Question

If you get down to it, I think Texas Hold Em is a game of (not pure) luck. It's all a part of hoping that your hand, the flop, turn, and river cards are sequent to your victory. I don't get how anyone considers Hold Em a game of strategy and skill. Yugioh is a card game of strategy. Stratego is a game of strategy. You cannot really use the cards to your advantage unless you have a high hand, or if luck is on your side. What do you think?

Answer 1

the question you pose is VALID and asked at one time or another by all aspiring "WORKING PLAYERS" ,"GRINDERS" or professional and amature players alike,it boils down to just ,HOW LONG IS THE LONG RUN?? It happens to me every night I take some BAD BEATS from the idiots that play suited cards heads up or catch a 3 outter to beat my set or chase that ACEx all the way to the river to crack my overpair-I could go on but NOBODY really likes bad beat stories(someone elses especially) if you can't believe what others are saying just do some easy math -a fairly common spot to find yourself is after the turn with an inside straight draw (4 outs) with no flush draws threatening, if it's one bet for you to call and 12 bets are in the pot ,YOU MAKE MONEY everytime you make THAT call in that spot ,if it is offering 11 bets or LESS you LOSE money everytime you make the call -Now my math my be weak and there are people reading this who will POO-POO my logic and or math but the bottom line is if you can grasp the concept of the long run ,not just the out come of a few HUNDRED hands then POKER is for you ,but if this logic escapes you don't fret as you are in the majority who play for fun or low stakes

Answer 2

Let's say you're playing with 9 other players. If you won $90 every time you had the best hand and lost $10 every time you didn't have the best, then the game would be a game of pure luck.

The strategy is in:
A) figuring out how to increase your winnings when you have the best hand,
B) how to decrease your losses when your hand is not best, and
C) (better yet) how to win money even though your hand is not the best.

There have been a few times where I would catch a monster hand and get paid for it, but then I would bet aggressively the next few hands, to the point where I overheard a couple of others say "I can't believe how lucky he is". But the truth is that despite the fact that I got lucky on only one hand (which happens to everyone at one time or another), the aggressive bluffing turned one lucky hand into a profitable winning streak.

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Give you an example of a specific hand, to show you the difference between strategy and luck:

No-limit, $1-$2 blinds.

I get 10-10, make a $5 bet, and one other person calls behind me. There's $13 in the pot (including $5 of mine), my opponent has $300 still in front of him, and I have him covered with $350 in front of me.

Here's the luck part:
The flop is 10-6-2. I've flopped a monster (three 10s).

Here's the strategy part:
Can I turn an $8 win into a $300 win?

I'm first to act after the flop is dealt. What to I do?
A) Bet small, ($2 - $10)
B) Bet big, ($25 - $75)
C) Bet huge, ($100-$200)
D) Bet all-in ($300)
E) Check (planning to call if he bets), or
F) Check (planning to check-raise if he bets)

What do you do?

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Here's another example in which luck is almost completely taken out of the equation:

No limit, $1-$2 blinds.

Someone raises to $5, You have 10 of diamonds, 8 of spades, and you're the only one to call.

The flop is K-J-9 of diamonds, giving you an inside straight-flush draw. He checks, you check.

The turn is a 3 of spades. He checks, you check.

The river is the A of diamonds, giving you the second-highest flush. If he has the Q of diamonds, he has you beat. If he has a smaller diamond, he may think he has a good hand but you have him beat. If he doesn't any diamond, you have him beat and he knows it.

He goes all in for $250. Do you
A) call
B) fold

How much luck is involved in this decision?

Answer 3

You either just don't play well or you don't understand the game. The game of poker does have luck as a factor but if you have a grasp of the game over time skill does win out over luck. Why do you see the same people at final tables all the time? It's because they play well with skill, they don't get better cards or have any more luck then anyone else. Bluffing, chips size, position, and the ability to read you opponents are key to winning. Bad beats happen all the time but if you play the right way you can beat others players.

Answer 4

First, Yu-Gi-Oh is maybe 20% skill and 80% luck. Sure, you have to know how the cards work, but 90% of the players use cookie cutter decks and to win you basically need to get a good opening draw. I've been playing for 5 years and have traveled the country playing the game. I've seen the best players lose to a luck draw by their opponent.

Answer 5

I think luck of course is involved, but strategy is involved as well. If you watch how and what the other players bet on you can plan your strategy to beat them out of the pot. You can always use the bluff against some while with others it wouldn't work at all. It is not the cards you have but, the cards others think you have.

Answer 6

See Less Flops - You should only be playing about 25% of hands which is a cardinal rule of online poker that nearly everyone violates. Eliminate - The worst thing that can happen is you get beat by a guy who would have folded earlier had you put the heat on. Don’t Call - You should be aggressive which means betting or raising. Calling means the other guy is in control. Mix It Up - The more you mix it up, the less read your opponents have on you which is especially good in online poker where you have more of a mystery. Don’t Be Scared to Fold - A good fold will save you more money than a good bet will make you

Answer 7

Its not all about luck.
If you have a strategy in some situation it helps you to turn things to your favour. Granted: The situation itself is detremined by luck but its up to you to deal with it, like:
When you are in late position or last to act, you can raise with a drawing hand on the flop. This will likely make your opponents check to you on the turn, thus giving you the opportunity to check (if your hand does not improve) or bet (if you hit your draw). This will save you money if you do not improve and will reward you with profit if you hit. However, this move will backfire when you are re-raised on the flop. In these situations, it will cost you money but it remains a good play since you obtained information and have a good draw to a better hand.

So thats a strategy.

Answer 8

I def. think its a skill game. If it wasnt then there would be no tax forms at the IRS that clearly state "proffesional card player".
Now having one of theese years doesnt make you a pro, however if you can look back and say youve filed for the last 5 years as a pcp then yeah I would consider you a "pro" of that game.
annieduke.com
take this young lady for example, she could have been a doctor!
now she plays cards for a living, what a pimp.
im thinking that this skill does not come easy so if you want to master it id sugest you read evrything and keep playing while always attempting to make yourself better unless your a card playing prodigy.
you probly wouldnt have wrote this if you were.
I hear UB is the new place to play.
gl

Answer 9

Dont disrespect something you dont understand. The strategy comes in when you determine how to play a hand, how to play people when to bluff how much to bet and so many more things. Of course you are going to think it is a game of luck because you can't see the subtleties. Yugioh is for children by the way.

Answer 10

The strategy is learning about your opponents,when to and not to bluff and money management makes a game of some stategy.