Poker is Gambling

I could not see poker as gambling ever. In fact seeing it that way I think makes you a bad poker player. You are right that luck plays a fundamental role in poker, but it is also played by cunning, serenity, patience, the study you have of poker, the experience you have gained at the tables and in online games, this and many other factors during the game are what make the poker experience something that goes far beyond simple gambling. Regards.

It is hilarious (if they really believe there's no gambling involved, which is doubtful) to hear people say poker isn't gambling. Yes (The actual points the above are trying to make with those comments are valid) , skill is involved for sure, variance over time favors the skilled player as well. Online of course relies much heavier on variance as in normal live play, a good skilled read can net you a win much more often. Also yes, I also believe poker overall is indeed a skilled game.

However, that all being true.... Every. Single. Time. that you enter a pot, calling, raising, limping etc. You ARE gambling that you either will end up with the best hand or that you can make the rest fold regardless. You may change the word from gambling to hoping/praying/guessing/(is skilling a word?) if that's the kind of player that you are, but the fact remains it is a gamble

Herkstwin said:

You've nailed it!! I believe 'luck' is overused. When we see a player hit a 2 outer on the river, we call it 'luck'. It's actually just the odds, the math, doing its thing.

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In the big picture you might call it statistic, odds, but for the individuals involved, they would call it good luck or bad luck.

nutself said:

In the big picture you might call it statistic, odds, but for the individuals involved, they would call it good luck or bad luck.

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Good way to put it.

I think you're a bit right. Chess is more strategic than poker. On the other hand, poker has a higher percentage of luck. They are both very good games.

Jay R said:

Poker is Gambling. Chess is not. Therefore in Poker Luck plays a big amount on one’s success. If you are dealt AA, KK over & over there is little strategy. We see WSOP poker champions like Jamey Gold win one year & nothing after. When analyzing his hands he made hand after hand by luck.. there was little skill. So Poker is gambling-Luck plays a big part. Chess is skill, little to no luck involved

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NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO and NO. DON'T BELIEVE POKER IS MOSTLY LUCK THAT'S NONSENSE.

All forms of poker require skill. If you play against people that are better than you then you will have a losing record in the long run or if you're better than them will have a winning record.


The bad/mediocre players will have their moments or their tourns in the short run but will have limited success over the long term.

IF the bad players didn't have success here and there then they wouldn't keep coming back to play, and that's exactly what the better players want. They want you to believe its all luck and in any given moment you can win against them, lol.

That dead money will be getting ready for Vegas soon going to the big summer tourns to feed hungry pros that will enjoy their company at the tourns and side cash cashes like they do every year. And a lot of them will think they can sit right down and beat these folks that play the games at the highest stakes, for a living or study these games for years and years, lol.

This type of thinking is why Billy Baxter's case against the US was so important to folks that actually treat this as a trade and not some recreational nonsense that folks thought was all about luck like pulling a slot arm.

Unbelievable.

The moves you make are planned just like in chess and you have to make adjustments to your opponents play but to think poker is a big game of chance is not right.

Jay R said:

Poker is Gambling. Chess is not. Therefore in Poker Luck plays a big amount on one’s success. If you are dealt AA, KK over & over there is little strategy. We see WSOP poker champions like Jamey Gold win one year & nothing after. When analyzing his hands he made hand after hand by luck.. there was little skill. So Poker is gambling-Luck plays a big part. Chess is skill, little to no luck involved

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Yes
But are you seeing a guys that ever play chest participate in a chess tournament ?
In poker its pretty common. That why poker is so profitable, not chess

Poker is gambling. The main thing is not to lose big money, so as not to ruin your life.

Definitely is not chess but not gambling either, at least not for those who reach to the final table. Usually they are a few)

I don't think poker is a gambling game, it really has its share where you just risk it; But I think poker is a game that requires a little bit of brains

Jay R said:

Poker is Gambling. Chess is not. Therefore in Poker Luck plays a big amount on one’s success. If you are dealt AA, KK over & over there is little strategy. We see WSOP poker champions like Jamey Gold win one year & nothing after. When analyzing his hands he made hand after hand by luck.. there was little skill. So Poker is gambling-Luck plays a big part. Chess is skill, little to no luck involved

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Oh, but there can be some luck in chess if your opponent is pre-moving in online Blitz or Bullet

For example, you can go for something like this as white in the opening: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 Bg7 6. Bh6

If they pre-moved more than half the other moves, 9/10 times your opponent will have pre-moved something like Nf6 there :dontknow:

Works especially well against stronger opponents going Berserk in Arena tournaments ;P

Skill

I love to watch Phil. Yes he is skilled. But watch his games and you will see he is very lucky. Most of his play is questionable. Why so many tilts. Most of Phil's wins are coolers from he'll or pure suck outs. So the only skill is patience.

Phil played when the field was much smaller. Not taking anything from him he is a great player. Great

Watching Daniel and Polk play. Daniel says people don't realize how much luck is involved. No luck no way you can finish. On goodby youtube.

It's all about how you want to play poker if you don't care if you win or lose then you really can only rely on your luck and you don't have to think too much about how to play. But if you want to achieve something in poker then it will not be enough and you need skills. It's true that you need luck, but just because some people seem to just win with luck doesn't mean that poker is all about luck. But already said how you see poker depends entirely on what you expect from poker

I guess the debate will go on. I think that's because poker is a bit of both and the balance depends on the player!

I also believe that poker is primarily gambling. Although poker includes certain elements of the sport, I believe that poker is a gamble where the patience, discipline, experience and luck of the player play a key role.

I have heard this question many times and my opinion is that it all depends on the player!!! If a player is prone to excitement, then luck in his game will play a decisive role !!!

Kinda funny...I too play both chess and poker and have been told I am a “lucky player” in both games.

Poker is between Chess to Slot for skill and luck. The slot is pure luck when the machine\software determines when going to pay. Poker is a combination of skill and luck. You are grind medium to large player MTT fields then you need to have the skill to change gears but need the luck to catch enough hands. The skill is to build a bankroll by consistently running deep in MTTs.

chess has no variance..

Chess is strategy, planning, reaction. Poker is gambling. Pre-flop I am a dog to one hand, and that hand hits. Variance is one thing you can count on in poker. Some days, variance is on your side, often it is not.
You can plan and strategize perfectly in poker but your opponent may have the one card that beats you; you never know with variance.

It's gambling if you just look at 1 game/session. If you follow a skilled player over a month, it looks less like gambling.

Poker is gambling, no second thoughts on that. But Skill does matter, with a significant edge one can reduce impact of negative variance over long-run.

Than bigger distanse in poker = bigger value of your skill.

if you bet 100 dollars on a chess match between you and another player isnt that gambling as well? i dont think gambling and luck are always related to each other however i agree that luck plays a major role in poker, however the best players are going to be the ones who makes the best decisions in the long run... i dont know how many of the wsop main event champions were profitable players in the long run... winning one major event is not a good parameter to determine whether a player is good or not.

Jay R said:

Poker is Gambling. Chess is not. Therefore in Poker Luck plays a big amount on one’s success. If you are dealt AA, KK over & over there is little strategy. We see WSOP poker champions like Jamey Gold win one year & nothing after. When analyzing his hands he made hand after hand by luck.. there was little skill. So Poker is gambling-Luck plays a big part. Chess is skill, little to no luck involved

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I disagree completely, Poker is a combination of skill and a bit of luck.
Like chess you must exploit your opponents weaknesses and take advantage of their mistakes.