Poll: Poker - Luck or Skill based game?

[Old Man Neck]

I think its both. Mainly luck, dealing on your hand. But a lot of skill is required to read the intentions of the other players.

 

[hey_iknowyou]

Luck. You need to know how to use the cards you get, but claiming that it's purely (or even mostly) a game of skill seems pretty vain to me. Sure, luck evens out over time, whatever that means, but how many hands do you need to play for that argument to work out mathematically?

I won't argue that there isn't any skill involved, but it's mostly about estimating your chances - i.e. luck.

In my experience the luck factor will usually have balanced out within 20 hours of play, which if you play in any way frequently is not a huge amount. There are exceptions to this and top players CAN go on awful runs for weeks or even months at a time, this is certainly the rarity of cases though.

Also, estimaiting your chances is not luck, that is a large element of the skill factor. If you are able to accurately estimate your chances of improving your hand to the winning hand then you make your future decisions within that hand based on these estimations. Couple that with being able to calcuate your pot-odds (essentially, how much you are spending compared to how much you can win) then it's impossible to lose in the long-term. i.e. If you are constantly making the correct decision in poker, you are guaranteed to make a profit. The skill comes in with knowing the percentages and being able to accurately put your opponent on the kind of hand he/she is holding.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

Luck and Skill
Getting what you have to deal with is the luck
Knowing what to do with it is the skill

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I've seen people skilled at bluffing so even in the absence of luck, their skill shines through. Combine with with the skill of a player when he has good cards and a good head for the game and I think it's fair to say skill plays more of a part than luck. I'm the unluckiest person I know but I still can play Poker pretty well. I've won more than I've lost anyway.

 

[Denamic]

Where's the 'both' option?
The deal is luck, the game itself is about prediction through odds, 'reading' your opponents and fooling them in turn.
Hence skill-based.

 

[pearcinator]

Its a bit of both but there is more skill involved...

it requires skill to bluff. You might have the unluckiest cards (7,2 off-suit) and still win by bluffing.

 

[hey_iknowyou]

Where's the 'both' option?
The deal is luck, the game itself is about prediction through odds, 'reading' your opponents and fooling them in turn.
Hence skill-based.

I left out a both option as I figured it would be pointless having a poll since 90-100% of people would just go for that one.

 

[EnzoHonda]

"It's all about the card you get." Luck isn't a factor. Everyone is dealing (pun) with the same situation, and thus it's not really an issue. The luck of the draw is equal for everyone. Chance and odds mean that over the course of an evening it will be pretty equal for everyone. (I know it doesn't feel that way though)

A skilled player will beat a novice almost every time. I obviously don't mean every hand, but a proper game with 15 minute blinds (or whatever) will nearly always result in the person who has played for years beating the newbie.

 

[hey_iknowyou]

When you're playing, it's luck. When I'm playing, it's skill.

This made me chuckle

 

[Jark212]

Luck can bring you victory but skill will take you further...

So with skill you can bluff the hell out of any opponent...

 

[eclipsed_chemistry]

I didn't bother to read everyone's comments so sorry if this has already been said, but poker is largely a game of skill. You don't play the cards, you play the people. If you're good at reading people, you'll likely come out on top more often than not. It's not a perfect science, but neither are people.

 

[Serge A. Storms]

Luck. Doesn't matter how good you are, if the other guy has better cards you're inevitably fucked. Say you're playing Texas Hold'em and you see a single ace in the flop. You're holding on to two aces... there's pretty much no way you're going to lose that hand. Say your opponent had a pair of kings...

According to strategy, before those first three cards even come up you'd both be right to lay large bets. You'd be stupid to fold. When those three flip, and say there's an ace, two, six (non-suited). There's pretty much no way for you to lose that. Doesn't matter if the guy holding the kings is a "world class poker player", he's fucked.

(Yes, I know they could still get a flush and beat your three of a kind.)

A world class poker player generally plays like he's going to live past losing one hand, first, and second, would pick up on someone betting like they had an ace after the flop and fold without blowing more than he bet before the flop.

 

[Serge A. Storms]

As soon as actual money goes on the table, the luck always takes a back seat. It's still there, but if you're playing the cards instead of the people, you might win a few hands but by the end you'll leave with less than you had.

 

[j0frenzy]

Of those two, I would argue that skill is the more important of the two, but both are important to win at poker. A skilled player can easily convince you that your full house is worth nothing based on how he bets. Oddly enough, I can generally read people very well in online games but suck at reading people in person. I will admit though that a string of luck can completely ruin any amount of skill.

 

[Enigmers]

Luck is important in the (very) short term, but Skill is definitely more important in the long term.

 

[adderseal]

The skill is in the mind games and bluffing combined with high stakes, makes for intense pressure. But luck too, with the cards you get given.

To my mind the only game that I think is complete, utter 100% skill is chess. There is no luck involved in that game whatsoever.

 

[oppp7]

I have no idea what skill could play into guessing what cards could be picked.