Poker, Game of Luck or Skill?

[Martinez]

Must be skill because I keep making final tables and have no luck what so ever lol.

 

[arizoney]

yes poker is a game of skill and luck its figured in the odds i presume. and a old saying goes if i didnt have bad luck i wouldnt have any at all lol.

 

[PokerFunKid]

I've asked a poker pro at the EPT Barcelona what he tought about the luck vs skill. I asked him if he think you need more luck or skill to win a tournament such as EPT, WPT's, wsop or even online WSOOP. He said that there is a bit luck ofcourse. But he also said the more skill you have the less luck you need. He made an example about he sees his self in the best league, for example the bundes liga but he's not the best player in the league, his 'team' would need more luck to win from Bayern Munich, but less luck to win from the worst team in the Bundes liga, and so it is with poker. This made me think you don't really can say poker is ...% luck and ...% skill. Ofcourse you've got some luck things in poker, like busquet was 0,4% chance to stay in the tournament on the river 9-handed, and then he won the tournament. Thats really lucky and he needed the luck to win the tournament. But he deffinetly has skill or else he wouldn't end first. There is a reason there are poker pro's who have a straight line of winnings overall. This can't be a long constant line of luck.

By the way, won a EPT t-shirt with that question lol

 

[PokerFunKid]

That comment made me smile. Luck is plays a role EVERYTHING, even the most risk-averse activities. For example, I plan a picnic and there is a chance that a tree will fall on me. Now the risk of this actually happening is not zero even if the park I choose has no trees (a non-zero, however small, probability can be calculated for this event...i.e., the probability that a tree blows in from a few miles away and falls on me). From the point of view of probability, I would be lucky if the tree did fall on me but from my own point of view I would consider myself lucky if it did not.

As long as the probability of something happening is not 100%, that something is a slave to luck. What can we say we know with 100% probability? How do I even know, with 100% probability, that I exist?

you made my day lol

 

[STL FAN]

The difference is one does exist because the game of poker is an abstract game; meaning filling in the blanks had to be done to gain a skillful edge. The other is “word” that is have been gave life that has no bearing on poker, but people use this word to explain away how they won or lost. One has nothing to do with the other. The % are what they are and when all the money goes in the % either hold up or they do not or they could split; otherwise if the hand does not showdown then” luck” has nothing to do why this writer wins or loses. It is decisions made throughout the hand.

There are no wild cards so; this writer never lets a weakness of mind influence thought to explain away weakness or strength of play. From the beginning which this is where a person must understand how the hand was entered” luck” was not a choice there was no outside influence of potential doom or glory because of a word. The writer has to trust the information to make decisions, the game is based on decisions and mistakes because of the abstract, and the writer wins or loses based upon the decisions leaving him to live with the results good or bad. Then analyze the play, move forward and work on better decision making skills even if there was not a negative result.

Freedom to enter was a choice because a person who actually takes poker serious would not say “I am going try and get lucky or I hope I am not unlucky in this hand”? The only way “luck” could happen if everyone had the same % to win with no skillful advantage, and the game the only game that comes to mind is the lottery. Otherwise since poker is a skill game; this writer has a skillful advantage over his opponents and “luck” played no part in how this writer would win or lose; experience and skill can alter the true outcome of any given hand. Winning or losing cannot be explained away from word that is given life as a way to justify good or bad fortune. This writer makes conscious choice to play and the choices made reflect his play, the choices made good or bad; will not ever be explained away be a “word”. This writer will not let anyone take this away from them; or the writer could fall into despair and fail himself from weakness of thought that would creep into their game just the same as a “leak”, then all of this could be justified as a reason not to improve.

 

[TeUnit]

such a difficult question, really depends on which variant- but i would say its mostly skill

deep stack probably more skill than short stack variants

 

[Zombie_card3]

80% Skill and 20% of Luck
This is Poker

 

[paulox732]

i think that is 90% skill and 10% luck, but when the game is in the luck zone you lost the control completly

 

[AWW_DIN]

Poker is all luck!?!?!

So Playing online poker i seem to hear the same thing over and over again. "Its all luck".... LMAO I cant agree with this what so ever. But the more i play online poker the more i lean toward believing this is true in the online aspect. I mean i have see well played hands and perfectly executed bluffs online and even been the bluffer and bluffee lol. But time and time again i see luck trump skill online. Was just wondering if anyone else had thoughts on this subject.

 

[bunetae1986]

There will always be luck in poker but not whole tournament. You need skill to get in final table

 

[JOHN_EVR_PT]

hello

sometimes have luck but the skill and experience of players are vey important to the sucess

 

[basse]

I think everyone agrees that chess is a game of skill. Now, optimal strategies in poker are much harder to compute than optimal chess strategies (e.g. computers beat the best humans in chess 18 years ago, only now is that happening in poker). Given this fact, I think it's extraordinarily foolish to claim that it's a game of luck.

 

[Poker Orifice]

Luck = shorterm Skill = longterm

Luck = when 'they' win
Skill = when I win

 

[Poker Orifice]

So Playing online poker i seem to hear the same thing over and over again. "Its all luck".... LMAO I cant agree with this what so ever. But the more i play online poker the more i lean toward believing this is true in the online aspect. I mean i have see well played hands and perfectly executed bluffs online and even been the bluffer and bluffee lol. But time and time again i see luck trump skill online. Was just wondering if anyone else had thoughts on this subject.

My thoughts on this are > 'No' but also 'it depends'

 

[jtholdm]

LUCK OR SKILL

To me the game is mixed I think that poker in general is 30% skill and betting 30% luck and 40% reading your players. I used to be on full flush bit left because of the amount of donkeys that were their you don't stand a chance. Although it is true that donkeys will burn out they just will be replaced by another one I do believe best cards will hold up in the long run but to see these new young player with the any 2 card attitude makes the game frustrating for those that really want to play. Full Flush is full of them I am glad I cashed and Left so far Bet on Line and Americas Card Room has worked for me because the pool is a bi better players

 

[businessplay]

Poker obviously game of skill but still some luck needed like the ratio will be be 80 percent skill and 20 percent luck but still u have to play poker with skil so...

 

[jumanur]

10%skill 90%luck

 

[horizon12]

Skill, ie your capability and abilities, contrasted luck factor in poker. The higher your skill, the less your success depends on luck or chance.

Not having the skill of the player, without a doubt, can in a short period of time to achieve great success, but it's just a fluke that does not replace the skills necessary for a conscious strategy game plus.

Skill poker player in general - is a set of abilities needed to win the game for a long period of time. These include: the right choice of starting hands, a good selection of table , corresponding to bankroll management, tilt stability and mind of the player.

 

[jtholdm]

I have noticed like in freerolls it is basically more luck than skill that is why I play them a certain way and stick my game plan like a reg cash tourney I have found that poker is 30% luck 30% skill and betting and 40% knowing your players Not to say that their are not variations of this percentage but that is what I have found Because you can have the best hand and still loose if you don't get the right cards

 

[n3rv]

The more you play with skilful players, the less it is about luck...

But I think the majority of poker players underestimate the sheer vastness of variance.

After playing and watching over 1 million hands of poker, I am less inclined to gamble my chips away than when I first started, but it still doesn't matter much when the fish keep riding the bets and hitting their miracle cards.

 

[Frankie40]

Skill will always win out over uck in the long run. Putting %'s into play will always help the skilled player. Luck players rely on feel and hope and in the long run, neither of those will be profitable.

 

[Rob3rt]

Well, about 1 week ago I deposited $50 into pokerstars account. Right now I have $210 4 tabling 5nl Zoom. I would say there is a big luck factor in this game but also there is a lot of skill involved.

 

[Derusss]

In long run poker is skill game.

 

[Mrjamesbond1977]

Its a combination of both skill and luck.

 

[kamm]

If players are more experienced and blinds are slow and stacks are more deep---> skills are more imortant.