Poll: playing poker well or having the cards?

Question

My friends make a big deal about "knowing how to play poker." I disagree. You can play like a scrub and win, and you can be an excellent player and lose. Imho, it's just you having the best hand and your opponent not getting their outs.

So, my question is: do you win more money with good cards or with technique?

Looking at the answers so far, one detail I forgot to add: tournament play (I meant that rather than all forms in general.)

For example, I understand pot odds, but if you call every time the pot odds are favorable, you are going to lose every tournament, because you are going to get knocked out in the short term before the long term odds kick in.

Here's one that happened to me: on the river, my opponent checked. I bet the minimum. my opponent raised. thinking they were bluffing, i raised again. my opponent then goes all in. i had a total of 15 chips left. according to pot odds, i should have called regardless of what was in my hand. I folded the losing hand (they made the flush) and with the final 15 chips, lasted long enough so that i moneyed in that tourney.

However, bluffing and stealing pots/blinds is a skill, and that does, without a doubt, result in tournament wins. So, that's why I made this poll.

In my personal experience: in the tournaments i've won, two things have happened: I hit a few early big hands so I became the big stack on the table. Then, I used my stack to bully people around until I entered the top 10. In heads up, I got lucky and either trapped my opponent with a monster or my hand was slightly better then their hand.

In the tourneys i've lost, one of those three didn't happen: i didn't catch a few early hands, I couldn't use my stack to push people around, or I got unlucky in heads up.

So, I understand that it takes both, but I was just wondering which one you make more money off of.

For me, I make way more money hitting my outs. When I try to push people around, I invariably get called and they often make their outs.

Answer 1

A lot of poker is getting good cards. A lot of poker is laying down big hands. A lot of poker is making a read on your opponent. A lot of poker is money management. A lot of poker is not going on tilt because if you do get emotional, you will play stupid and lose your entire stack. A lot of poker is being patient.

Considering all these things and a whole lot more, it's the whole picture of playing your A game each and every session and making the correct bets/bluffs/reads. You can't tell me that PHil Ivey has always had good cards. Poker is a lot of everything which why everyone loves to play it. good luck.

Answer 2

In poker the cards have nothing to do with it, although getting good cards does help, but there is an old poker saying '' play the player and not the cards. So if the player is tight and you have crap and miss the flop then you might make a move to get him to lay down his hand. If i have tight players in the blind and I'm on the button i will raise the pot almost every single time regardless of my hand. The most important thing is position and not cards, now a donkey can on win a tournament on any given day, but poker is all about the long run (1-3 years), playing like a donkey will get you in the end, over the short run even bad players have a shot, but skill and playing proper poker will net you the money in the end.

Answer 3

It depends on the time period. In one night a lucky new player can show up and win a bunch of money. He may even do the same thing a second or even a third night. But sooner or later the skill and math catches up with them and they will lose.

If you watch any of the professional players on TV,they didn't get to where they are today by waiting around for a lucky run of cards. Now sure, every one of them at some point has been lucky, but it is their poker skill that has allowed them to be consistent winners. And that's the key to good poker. It's not how much money you can win tonight, it's how much profit you can make over the next year. All the luck in the world cannot create a long term consistent winner like that.

Answer 4

Poker is definitely a game of skill. Yes you can get by and win by luck, but if you sat down at a table with a pro player for 8 hours you would definitely loose...no questions asked.

The more you play the more you will realise the nuances of the game. Good luck. There are a few poker books listed on these pages that you may find of interest:

Answer 5

In my regular home games, there are a few players who beleive that all you need is luck. They do get lucky sometimes, they will call with any draw and rarely raise when they have a monster, so it's very hard to get a read on them. In my opinion playing well is more important - yes, sometimes you need a little luck to win but over the long term playing well is more profitable.

Answer 6

. Howie is conscious the thank you to Play Poker !! Howie incredibly likes to Poke Her !! Liquor in the front and Poker in the Rear !! LOL !! Poker is super exciting !! Howie Drives Away in His Hippie Van to bypass come across a delightful Poker interest !! 12:37 AM

Answer 7

its possible to win with luck people have done it but most the time if you rely on luck your going to lose ive been heads up with people and had 1/10 their chipstack they got lucky even being there heads up with me i got their with skill from 1/10 down i would just destroy these people you need to learn how to play because when your heads up that is where people really see your skill and if you get beat by someone who has 1/10 your stack that will be embarassing

Answer 8

Summary:

Short term: cards matter a lot

Long term: cards even out, and the differentiating factor is technique

If you play over and over and over again, the luck of what cards you get evens out. Then, your technique is what determines if you win or lose.

Answer 9

Anyone who knows anything about Poker; knows that Poker is more than having the cards.