| Some
people believe that poker is a game that doesn’t
require any skill. However, if you want some of
the poker tournaments on television, you will
notice the same players advancing to the final
table over and over again. If poker was based
only on luck, this would not happen. The people
who advanced to the final round would be completely
random, and they would not be likely to be the
same group of people each time.
If you watch the poker games in the poker room
at your local casino, you will notice the same
thing. Many times, the same people win over
and over again. That is because these players
are more skillful than many of the people they
are playing against. True, there is some luck
involved. Obviously, everyone doesn’t
receive the same cards. But skill is more important
than luck in poker.
Luck plays a larger part in tournament games
than in cash games. One bad bet can put a good
player out of a tournament. It is not uncommon
for a really good river card to beat out a professional
player’s good starting hand. But even
though a lower level player might get through
one round on luck, it is unlikely they will
make it all the way through to the final round
of the tournament without some skill.
Many states that do not allow gambling have
debated whether to allow poker rooms. Most of
these states have decided that since poker requires
skill, it does not qualify as gambling. If you
are still not convinced, try watching a beginning
player play against more advanced players. The
beginner will have trouble winning unless they
have a really good start hand or get really
lucky. They have a hard time deciding which
hands to play and when to bluff.
Experienced players are able to determine the
best move without any trouble at all. The don’t
make the mistakes that beginning players do.
Poker is a game in which knowledge of the game
is usually rewarded. One reason that cash games
rely more on skill than tournament games is
that it is possible to buy back into cash games.
In tournament games, you are out of the tournament
once you lose your starting stack.
Online tournament play often seems to rely
more on luck than live cash games or even live
tournaments. Internet players are often more
aggressive, bidding up the hands right at the
beginning of the round. The level of betting
in the game also affects the level of skill
in the game. When the limit is high, the games
usually attract more highly skilled played.
In games with low limits, the outcome of the
games often depends more on luck just because
the players do not have much skill. Beginning
players should stick to games with low limits
until they have a chance to develop their skills.
Skilled played seem to have no trouble getting
their opponents to put in as much money as possible
before they win their hands. This is something
that requires a lot of skill. Beginning players
are not able to consistently do this.
Luck varies from one game to the next, but
a player who has developed the skills needed
to win regularly will always have those skills.
That is why the same players end up at the top
of one tournament after another. It is hard
to win in poker if you are relying on luck to
win out against skill.
Conclusions
Most experienced poker players will tell you
that skill is much more important in poker than
luck. When a player is learning to play, luck
is more important, but that is only because
they don’t have the skills. Once a player
is able to learn to determine which hands to
play and when to bluff, the player will notice
that he starts winning a lot more often. The
more he develops his skill, the more frequently
he will win. |
