Poll: Poker - Luck or Skill based game?

[CoffeeScamp]

I'd say a small element of luck - getting the right cards. You could get lucky and have awesome cards, but so could anybody else at the table, so I think that evens itself out.
I have to say I think it's down to skill whether you make money overall.

Disclaimer: I only know about Texas Hold 'em, mainly because of my bosses who have both made nice money from playing, both online and in the casino. Though maybe not when drunk, from stories they've told the odd time..

The skill comes in being able to hold on to so many variables: knowing what cards you have, then after cards come down in the flop, what effect they have on your hand as well as opponents hands.. your position in relation to the dealer, and then reading the expressions and body language of the other players..

I'd say this last part is the biggest, and the reason I'm no good at the game
Things like knowing when your opponent is bluffing - being able to calculate what sort of hand your opponents have, based on facial expression, body language, words, the bets they're making now, and the way they played in previous hands. All this, and knowing the probabilities of them having a better hand than you, to figure out if they're bluffing when they keep betting, or are just an aggressive player trying to scare you into folding.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Skill. I've seen crappy hands beat 4 of a kind. It all about the bluffs, man!

 

[Enigmers]

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.

Chess is 100% luck based. If you win, it's because you were lucky enough to have been born to smarter parents than your opponent!

 

[anthony87]

Wow....I'd like to play a few hands with the 50% or so that voted for "Luck"

Sounds likes some easy money right there.

 

[KimberlyGoreHound]

Luck. There's certainly skill to it, but it's at least 51% luck.

 

[Kurokami]

I'm just curious to see what the general concensus of people is. Do you feel that the game of poker is a game of luck or a game of skill? I have purposely left out any options inbetween for reasons of my own. I am also purposely not giving my own opinion just yet so that nobody is in anyway biased by it!

Also, leave comments below giving your reasons for choosing one of the other!

EDIT: I felt out a middle option as I felt close to 100% of people would have chosen this option. I'm more so cusrious which people think is the more prevailant factor out of the two.

Prevailant factor is luck in winning your hand, however skill does draw in as that's where 'making more than you lose' comes in to play in the game.

 

[caprisun]

skill. obviously if ya hace amazin luck can do it, but skill rly matters

 

[rewood4]

Both: winning takes luck, but betting takes skill.

 

[unoleian]

I can't really answer this poll, because it can go either way. Some people hit good cards, others are just very good at making you think they have great hands.
Ina way, I guess maybe it might be more skill-based, because no matter how awesome your draw, if someone else can bluff you into bowing out, what difference did your luck make?

 

[Enigmers]

However if you just don't get the right cards or someone else IS getting all the cards, there isn't much else you can do.

I have played poker for years and can tell you that luck is irrelevant. There is no way anyone will have enough luck to substitute for skill. The idea is that everyone has as much luck as everyone else, so it boils down to skill. (I think someone else mentioned this as well.)

 

[Julianking93]

Takes luck to get good cards, take skill to mind fuck everyone into thinking what you want

That's why I love the game. It's a good place to fuck with people's heads

 

[real life potato]

Well to ruin the validatity of the poll the answer is both. As luck is required with getting cards while skill is required with calculating chances of getting cards, calling bluffs and bluffing, etc

I did not include the middle option as I feel 90-100% of voters would have chosen that one. I'm more so looking for which people think is more important within the game if that makes sense?

You can't win poker with either or. If one relied on skill alone, that person may end up getting shitty cards like a 2 and an 8 in one go. If it was just luck, the person may try to bluff when the person has a full house... Without say, this would be quite detrimental to one's money pile.

 

[EboMan7x]

There is no skill involved in keeping a straight face.

 

[Nevyrmoore]

There is no skill involved in keeping a straight face.

It's not just a straight face, it's how you act. A brush of the ear, a rub of the chin, scratching the back of your neck. All of these are tells, and if you do certain actions depending on what hand you have, your opponent can read that and decide what course of action to take.

It takes a good degree of skill in knowing your tells, controlling them, and using them to throw the others off.

 

[Valiance]

About 80% luck, ~15% skill, and 5% stupid mistakes from other players.

 

[LANCE420]

as a poker player, skill skill skill skill all the way