Could Poker be a Game of Chance?
on Nov.05, 2008, under Poker
With over 40 million searches every month for the keyword Poker, it would appear that wise heads in the Washington Capital are still debating whether or not this avidly played game is a game of chance or not.
Without a doubt, no one in their right mind would have this “Game of Chance” discussion about national, state or provincial lottos. Likewise, no one would argue this about a heads or tails coin toss.
Don’t believe me? Try concentrating really hard, using zen energy, meditation or any other form of intelligence or mystical energy on the outcome of a repeated Coin Toss experiment and let me know how it worked out for you.
However when it comes to Poker there is always something peculiar about the arguments brought to bear on the matter. Speculation, conjecture and a lack of common sense was the norm. It appeared that true scientifically researched answers were not to be had… until recently…
A February article in the magazine Gaming Law Review tries to lay this issue to rest. Micheal and Douglas of the Western Reserve University in Cleveland basically “had a go” at it. There really is only one way to prove or disprove most theories, right? Test, test, test!
To objectively prove a “skill and not luck theory”, one needs to ensure that tossing the heads or tail coin more frequently doesn’t give one a certain “skill or knack” for tossing either heads or tails at will. I think i am hearing a chuckle or two. In the same way, one must also prove that playing poker more frequently doesn’t give one a sense of intuitive or increased ability to win any more often after practice than without.
Let me not keep you in suspense. To the absolute astonishment and no little chagrin from those watching from Capitol Hill, the strictly controlled test group who was given strategy tips did significantly better right out of the gate than those who diligently studied just the history of the game. And in direct contrast to our imaginary control groups who tried to learn to influence the toss of a coin thru strategy and experience, the history buffs after some time playing the game, also managed to improve their outcome considerably.
Thinking of hitting the poker tables this weekend? Take a couple minutes and study some poker and player strategy first. It can’t help but improve your game. As a good friend once said, Knowledge is free; loosing your money at the table is not.