how much luck is involved in poker?

Answer 1

There is an element of luck, getting great starting hands consistently is lucky. The skill is in how you play them. Knowing how to play different hand in different positions is skill. Maximizing your win and minimizing any losses is skill. Being able to "read" your opponents and recognizing tells is skill. Looking for betting patterns when playing on line is skill. Knowing how, when and who you can steel blinds from is skill.

And then there is the odds. Playing drawing hands takes a lot of skill. Calculating your outs is skill. Being able to calculate pot odds (amount of $$ in pot / likely hood of drawing your card) is skill.
Knowing the odds of individual hand is beneficial in how you play the hand. for example AA is about 86% to win in a heads up hand, if you let 4 other players play the hand your AA is now only about 50%. How would you play it? And here is a shocker A K vs 7 2, It seems like A K is a huge favorite but actually it is only a 2 to 1 favorite. wow !! So next time your short staked and will soon blind out consider an all in with 2 live cards if you think your being pushed by 2 other live cards.

Over the long run each player is equally lucky in getting good starting hands. That's just how luck works. How you play the game is skill.

Answer 2

On any given hand or any given day luck can be 99% or 0%, but over then long run (1-3years) it is 80%skill and 20% luck. There is some luck in the game but if it was all luck then why do you see the same pros at the final table time after time, its not because they get any better cards then you do, they just play them more skillfully then you or i do, so skill is a bigger part then luck.

Answer 3

You can't think of poker as a luck game. Believe it or not its skill, and probability. Many people say that they would rather be a lucky beginner than an unlucky pro... its splitting hairs. EX: 9 person game, person in first position raises alot , 2nd, 3rd fold... 4th goes all-in... you have 3,4...and you call, just 3 people to the flop and you flop 2 pair, why they might say you're lucky, its probability because if they bet that much pre-flop then of course they had high cards and you were taking the chance that low cards would come out... Analytical thinking and Betting Skill. hope this answered your question.

Answer 4

It is a combination of luck and skill. Even the top pros will tell you that in the NL Holdem tournaments you need a certain amount of luck to win. Having said that, a player who relies solely on luck is a huge underdog when matched up with skilled players. It also depends on the situation. In a heads up match when the blinds are high in relation to stack sizes, you will need luck to win. Players will often enter a pot with marginal hands since weaker hands are often good enough to win against a single opponent.

Answer 5

A LOT of luck is involved when u first start after awhile u learn to work with what u got like my dad taught me when i was 4 and now im 14 and so far only 4 ppl have beaten me

Answer 6

Hard to determine how much of it is luck. If you have to quantify it skill definitely over the long run will be a determining factor of your success in this game. You do have to be lucky in order to win some tournaments or hands. But overall your ability to assess the situation and make the correct decisions consistently will determine your ability to win.

I've been playing for about 7 years, and I will take luck over skill anyday.

Answer 7

I believe that luck, skill and experience all factor into a good poker player! Mostly, I think it's having the nerve to explore THE BLUFF!! lol

Answer 8

The amount of luck is irrelevant, since all players automatically have the same amount of luck throughout the game.

That's where the skill, judgment, experience, and courage come in handy.

Answer 9

mostley luck but some skill

Answer 10

a lot. u never know what kind of a hand u will be dealt.