Poker’s Luck or Skill Debate

Poker’s Luck or Skill Debate

Monday, 26 November 2012

Is poker a case of luck or skill? It’s a debate that’s raged for a number of years, with a plethora of “experts” offering evidence for both side of the argument. While some of the insights are far from helpful, The Telegraph’s journalist Tom Chivers has taken to the felt in a quest weigh in on the debate.

Having penned an article based on scientific research that suggested there wasn’t as much skill as many believed in poker, Tom was taken to task by some of the regulars in London’s Vic Casino.


With a heads-up challenged issued, Tom decided to take them up on the offer and see if a rank amateur could beat a seasoned pro.


Tinged with nervousness, his follow-up article does a good job of explaining the strange paradox between luck and skill apparent in the poker world.


Indeed, he draws on the comments of Nate Silver who asserts that “Roulette is a game of lots of luck and no skill, and poker is a game requiring huge amounts of both. In fact, there’s so much luck that the skill is obscured.”
Such a keen observation was certainly backed-up by Chivers’ own experience at the felt.


Read the full article and to see how Chivers got on in his heads-up grudge match.


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Tags: Daily Telegraph, skill versus luck, news