What do you say to someone who believes the game of poker is all based on luck? Detailed answers please!?

Answer 1

You'll probably never convince them it's not because they don't value the importance of strategy or reading people in any aspect of their life.

But if you feel they might explain it like this. It's not about the cards in your hand, it's about the people at the table with you. Bad and mediocre players almost always have something that gives away their strength. Even the greats give it up once in a while, that why the same person isn't always winning on televised games.

Good poker players also know their probabilities. It's not luck, it deduction, the question isn't will I get lucky and get what I need, the question is how LIKELY is it I will get the card/cards I need or how likely is it my opponent can beat what I have. Couple that with any information you gather through "tells" or "table talk" and it's hard to view poker as anything other than a game of skill.

Strategy also comes into play, not just hand to hand or tournament/game strategy but overall "life" strategy. Pros don't risk what they can't afford. And only a percentage of what they win ends up in the next game. It's how you ensure that if the unforeseen happens, you aren't wiped completely.

People that don't know these concepts or don't follow them are the ones that make it look like poker is all about luck, and quite frankly, tend to have gambling problems.

Answer 2

Poker is far from all luck. If you play Texas Hold Em' and other poker games, there is skill involved in knowing what cards have been played and what cards are still possible of being used. And you have to pay attention to poker faces as well, once you've been playing with someone for a while, you can catch on to their face and what their tendencies are.

Answer 3

There's an element of luck, and an element of skill. The distribution of the cards is all luck. How you rate the strength of your hand against the potential strength of your opponent's, and how you bet based on that information is all a matter of skill.

If he thinks it is all luck, I would urge him to go to the nearest casino. There are many poker player there who would just LOVE to meet him. After a few thousand dollars, he may start to comprehend the presence of skill component of the game.

Answer 4

The odds of drawing any single card are 1:52 in a fresh deck. What are the odds of drawing 4 aces?? At any given time in the game you can calculate the percent chance of having a good hand. You can also calculate (with less accuracy) the odds for your opponents). So, if your odds are OK. Stay in. Odds are bad, fold. Odds are great, raise. Really good players will generally know the odds at all times in the game. If you don't know what I'm talking about then don't bet more than you can afford to lose.

Answer 5

i would ask them if it makes sense that everyone gets about the same number of winning and losing hands over the course of many years, and most people would respond yes to this, and they would be right...then i would ask them, "if the cards break even then, how come people have made millions while playing the game for 30, 40 years or more? it can't just be luck if the cards break even!"

i rest my case

Answer 6

It is a matter of luck and skill. The cards you get depend on the luck of the deal or draw. How you play them depends on your skill at bluffing, betting, and knowing when to fold.

Answer 7

The skill is knowing when you need the luck and when you actually have a winning hand.

Answer 8

Give him concrete examples of Luck v.s. knowledge and skill. Luck-heads or tails coin toss
knowledge and skill-a game of Chess.

Answer 9

if you know what you are doing and how to play the poker face then it is not luck; it is very strategic

Answer 10

What do I say to them? Hmm, same answer Johny gave you. "Let's Play!" They will find out soon enough that it's not based on luck and I'll be richer.