A court in East London is expected to decide this week whether poker is a game of skill, chance or a combination of both.
A jury has been asked to weigh up the role played by Lady Luck in the world's most popular card game, after police accused a club owner of illegally hosting a poker session and levying winnings and stakes without a license.
Britain's Gambling Act states that a license is needed for hosting a game of chance but not those of skill, like chess.
So, is poker a game of skill...or chance?
2007-01-17 14:59:13 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Games & Recreation ➔ Card Games
Skill.......you can get lucky but it won't last!
2007-01-22 05:01:17 · answer #1 · answered by teban 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The typical 80/20 rule from business can be applied to answer this question. In retail 20% of customers typically make up for 80% of a particular store's revenue.
The same hold true in poker. 20% of players are winning 80% of the money. So for those 20% of players poker is very much a game of skill. However, for the average recreational poker player it's a game of chance.
The seasoned poker player recognizes all situations where the odds favor them and while taking into account a great number of other factors choose hot to most equitably play their hand. In the short term (during any particular hand) there is certainly chance/luck/random probability involved, in the long run that particular poker player is not gambling. Rather, they are investing. They are in essence comparable to a casino. While throughout the course of a visit or two gamblers might beat the house; in the long run the house will ALWAYS win because they have the probabilistic edge in every game. The skill in poker comes from recognizing when one has this edge and getting their money in during these favorable times.
All elements of life incorporate a certain level of chance; even chess. So there cannot be a definitive answer to your question with the stated premises.
2007-01-19 02:24:35 · answer #2 · answered by Aaron A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it's about 50/50. The entire game is really based on luck of the draw, but by knowing the strength of hands and the odds of achieving a hand based on your cards you can give yourself an advantage over other players - which takes skill. If it was a game completely based on chance then, for example, if a person who has never played poker ever played 10 games against a person who is a professional poker player then each would, theoretically, win 5 games...I can tell you that if the game was actually played between these two types of players then the professional would probably win 9 outta 10 times. So some kinds of skillful advantage does exhist...
2007-01-17 15:10:01 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
By far it is a game of skill. Sure the cards dealt and the ones you get are the luck of the draw, but that's the only luck involved in the game. What YOU do with the cards dealt is skill. Knowing when to bet, when to fold, how much to raise, knowing how to mask your emotions from your opponent, and much more take skill that is not learned overnight.
A game of chance to me would be ANY state lottery, roulette, slot machines, and anything where you just randomly put your money down and HOPE that you win. With poker YOU control your destiny...not a machine.
2007-01-18 01:30:02 · answer #4 · answered by Scott W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thousands of people make a living at poker. Year in and year out the same people make a profit playing poker. In any given session, a person with no skill can win with luck ... but long term it is of course a game of skill
2007-01-17 19:11:04 · answer #5 · answered by Bill F 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is both. You can't decide which it is. But if you dont get the cards, which is chance, you cant have any skill other than bluffing. And that is more of acting, not skill. But if you get the cards then it becomes and act again. So actually there is my answer. It is a game of chance that is played with skill.
2007-01-17 15:10:10 · answer #6 · answered by J M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Skill 70 Chance 30
You need that chance because of you cannot bluff all the time.
But with that skill you can win more even if you have the best cards.
And also you can win when you have absolutely nothing.
But in the end you need to have occasional luck!
2007-01-18 04:10:59 · answer #7 · answered by xeonforever 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is another factor here - time.
One hand of poker is mostly chance.
One hour of poker skill will begin to show.
Over a week the balance tips to mainly skill.
A Month and chance starts to take a back-seat.
A year later chance has diminished to such an extent that we can safely say it is a game of skill!
Just my 2 pennys worth!
Cheers, Mark
http://plan3tgongpoker.blogspot.com
2007-01-18 22:16:05 · answer #8 · answered by m 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes - both. Any single card dealt is 100% luck; skill is the ability to make the proper decision (good bet at favorable odds) based upon the known and upon the possibilities of the next card..
2007-01-18 15:08:13 · answer #9 · answered by James M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If poker was a game of chance then how do the same few players keep making it to the top. No one is that lucky.
2016-03-29 02:34:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's more a skills game, at least in my opinion. No matter how good your hand is, you've got to know how to wait, bluff, go all-in, etc. in order to win. Of course lady luck plays a part on it, but I'll definitely go with skills.
2007-01-17 17:37:41 · answer #11 · answered by cannabia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋