Poker, Game of Luck or Skill?

[oooo]

"It's just ten percent luck / Twenty percent skill / Fifteen percent concentrated power of will / Five percent pleasure / Fifty percent pain / And a hundred percent reason to remember the name" [Fort Minor - Remember the name]

Just kidding, it's more like 75% skill and 25% luck, for the winners at least.

 

[alittlepoker]

Skill is big in live games that same skill on the net is where the luck can knock % down in my opinion

 

[Julys]

Skill and luck , more skill because you can win lying with bad hands...lucky isn't everything

 

[11012015]

I do a lot and began to think that it all depends on luck. Without good luck poker is - calculator!:call:

 

[IntenseHeat]

This is a never ending question. In fact, there are two variations of this very topic floating around this forum right now. If and when these threads every die out, it will only be a matter of time before someone else once again asks the question of whether poker is a game of luck or skill.

I’m generally going to say that poker is a predominantly a game of skill, with luck being a factor. How big a factor we consider luck to be would probably depend on the last game and the last few hands we played.

Have you ever been in a game where you have been taking the whole table to school for hours. Changing styles, going from passive one minute to aggressive the next, switching from tight to loose and back? You’ve gone from playing ABC poker to trapping and check/raising to chip bullying. Your play has been unpredictable, your reads have been solid and your timing impeccable. You’ve nearly quadrupled your stack. Then it all goes to hell.

Someone goes on tilt, goes all-in with nothing against your top two pair, only to hit running cards and make a straight, costing you a third of your stack. Minutes later, someone hits a gutshot on you, costing you another big chunk of chips. Then you pick up pocket aces. After some pre-flop raising and re-raising, you end up getting them all-in against a pair of 8s. Just as you start to think that you will take down the pot, play until your big blind comes back around and leave the table with more than double your buy-in, your opponent rivers a set, taking you down to the felt.

If I were to ask you whether poker was a game of luck or skill, or how much does luck factor in to the game of poker at the point when your chips stack was at it’s peak, you might answer that question one way. If I were to ask you the same thing ten minutes later, after variance had just taken a bite out of your ass like a great white shark and you had just bled out on the felt, you would probably give a very different answer. For some players it’s always skill when they win and always luck when they lose. So the answer to the question of whether poker is a game of luck or skill would depend on whether you are winning or losing.

 

[Ducbim]

Poker is a game of skill for sure. The luck factor is just variance.

 

[greedisgood]

In the long run it is definitely skill. the luck factor increases when players are more skill matched.

 

[ROGUE63]

currently playing a 11 cent tcoop sat on stars now these ppl must believe its a game of LUCK .just saw the funniest comments in chat there a guy goes allin with 47 off then curses the rigged software LMFAO

 

[freeringo]

luck is just random skill!!!

how you react to bad luck is what defines you as a poker player!!

 

[thetick33]

is a mixture but your statement question is too wide open to have a correct answer.

Every arena is different every time frame every table tournament etc.. because of variance but also your skill level.

Can you rely on poker without luck not for long. You need some cards you need cards to hold up

I dont care what level you are at you will make mistakes and at times say in mtt tourney at least a few times you will mis guess read whatever and need some help. I dont thnk have ever played say over 7 hours where didnt make a mistake and get a lucky card so to speak. Didnt mean was out of a tourney if had lost that hand etc.. but would lose that stack on that hand and got some timely fruituitous not sure how to spell that word luck lol.

I also think with my own poker history that I have different kinds of luck and it builds till I have great great days or a rush or run not sure how long cause it varys.

The luck first bad beats? (bad beats to me is when you have best hand before flop,,, at the flop still best hand guy stays in so say you have jack ten? flop jack 8 4 rainbow guy calls he has jack 3 ,, turn 9 river 3 to me that is unlucky beat or bad beat.

A suck out is when have a clueless player say they have 24 unsuited and flop is 10 9 6 rainbow. You again have say jack ten. You are ahead flop you preflop raised a bit you bet decent on flop so say blinds 100 200. Preflop raised to 400 to be kind called by clueless suck out king Flop you match pot or say 2-3rd of flop guy still calls 5 hits board You all in suck out hits 3 on river for miracle str8.

That is super ugly bad luck or same situation you high bet and suck out hits 2 2 or flush etc.. this is beyond a bad beat is why is this person with basically life support not laying down hand and by what miracle do they hit lmao.

So that is the two types of bad luck you need to avoid and good luck decent luck is when your cards hold up You have jacks and the win coin flips with ak. You have aa and it holds verse kk.

For me if I can get odds in favor and not running monsters into monsters? So when have aa the other only has say 10 10 or when have kk I do not run into aa? I just need my average luck for things to hold up if get rush etc.. than can be very lucky. Is days everything works queen 7 hits four queens so you have to play every hand that is a rush not luck really.

Poker comes around though you have to read your luck no when to not play for money cause you might have great hands? But luck just aint in your favor.

Yesterday 10 events luck was not with me but I HAD MONSTERS and had or got to chip lead in every event swings were huge if had played 1-2 nl ring i might have lost 5000 bucks was that insane.

AA to kk 3 times kk to qq twice aa to jj 2 losses aa to 33 two losses qq to jj once I hit low end str8 flush to high in. I had quad aces and kings four times.

So cards amazingly good. Running into monsters and people out catching me out flopping me lol.

Some can call that bad luck I was laughing all day cause soon today might be the day or sometime in next week. I will get these similar hands and they wont get beat That is poker variance everday for a week cards are better taking more on more luck out. I went two weeks of just struggles though no real luck at all ok cards a money here and there nothing really worthwhile

So yes luck is something you need yet depends on how long tournament is how many people how skilled the opponents are what poker styles they play etc.. Skill in long run is what wins for anyone the higher the skill the less you need luck.

Is nice though when the boat backs up god hands you a gift and you are pretty much dominating everyone and everything hits. If you dont believe in that I am sorry you just havent had it happen

I have those tourneys or days or whatever are pretty dammed cool.

Over time playing enough you should know when you are lucky at what stage luck is happening when your on a rush etc..

Cannot tell you how much money I have wasted cause am not paying enough attention to cards and playing rooms and hit a rush but folding not watching every hand? Miss many should have played lol. Catch all of a sudden hey every flop is filling my hand play that 92 lol. Just limp in to everything till rush is over.

Others might disagree with this and say no but thats that type of boatload of luck maybe is cause people see you loosen your game for a bit but than they push and you keep catching everything

those are good days.

You have to see it though. Know is happening.

Will add one last statement. If I push too hard? Luck tends to work against me most of the time. So my style of play tends to be see flops determine what need what other might have etc.. over push push push.

I like to push push push and I change up game but honestly most days me pushing? Cards dont hit I miss flops etc..

So would I like more luck as it seems at times others have? The queen nine player lol that pushes and pushes and hits for str8 on river lol. When you have aq and they were aggressor lol offsuit of course well sure wish had their luck but for me?

Wish luck was more on favor that they simply do not get paid off for weaker play my hands hold and thank the poker gods or whatever

 

[veronica]

I think there are players who do not lie luck but having the ability to play, also i think are not always good hands buf it you have to have ability as each hand is played.
Must have patience to wait for them we know good hands and ability to learn steal at the right time, ability to read the play of others, whether in conclusion poker is skill and not luck.!!!

 

[Geldi]

This question is as old as himself poker. If poker - a game of chance, then it falls under all the laws of gambling. If poker - a game of skill, the laws on gambling should not be applied to the game.
online poker has become so successful because of the unique combination of skill and luck. If luck was not at all, in poker, as in chess, there would be so many fishey, who believe that they can play well. If all it was only luck that poker would not be professional players.
If you are new to poker and think that poker - a game of skill, then you think is absolutely correct. The best way to understand this question - it yourself playing poker and learn it.

 

[bifelis]

From long term of view you can beat the game and make money. But in certain game variance plays important role - you can loose even with AA vs 23. But statistically you will gain money if you are better than your opponents.

 

[kartelis]

tell me about luck... was playing turney. on that particular hand i folded but one dude desperately wanted to take the pot so he reraised all the time when turn card came hi reraised again and the other guy shoved with k8 of hearts and the agressor had 53 off suit one was chasing flush the other had absolutly nothing and the river was 3 so he won. the funny thing about that is when he called hi had 5 high btw i would had straight on the flop if i would have played that hand would be easy win

 

[bunetae1986]

Skill and luck. More skill then lucky. You need to read other players

 

[tothbopo]

Skill are required to win in the long run.

Luck is needed to win every hand unless you hold the nuts that can't be beaten in any way

 

[enolan]

If you play enough hands the Luck factor is equal for you and the villans you play against (so Luck is cancelled out ... a statistical fact), all that remains is Skill.

 

[alexis8888]

I play poker for 6 years already and come across bad beats regularly. And bad beats are related to luck or unluck rather than to skill.

 

[avner]

since u enter pscological issues and statistics to the calculation, poker is about 60% skill and 40% luck

 

[BiliousBetil]

The Scientific Method

Hmmm. Let's consult this fortune cookie: "In human endeavors, chance favors the prepared mind." Well, that settles it. Skill wins!

 

[DondoDond]

poker is a mathematical game, I think the matter skills

 

[bradfordzilla]

both, skill more than luck

 

[21sam]

90% luck, 10% skill, but at the distance still turns out to be decisive.

 

[LinkornU]

Today I can say it's obvious game of luck. Nothing but luck.
Playing 5nl cash games I've lost 42$ so far today with pre/post flop all-ins where my opponents had no more than 30% to win.
In one of this hand a villian had less than 4%.
So, yeah, luck is what determines how good you are at poker.

 

[Boyan Yordanov]

I always encourage myself with that one:
,,The only good luck many great men ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome bad luck.''

Channing Pollock