Do You Rely On Skill or Luck To Play Poker? by Itay Paz

There seems to be a huge debate about the roles of luck and skill involved when people play poker. Some say it is all skill, and some say that luck is often the determining factor. There are others that say each are important and some will give an different answer depending on how well they just played their last hand or their last tournament. There is no denying there is an amount of both involved, but how much seems to be the debate. What the casual observer really doesn't understand about poker is that it is much more complicated than it seems, and it can take a good player many years to master just one type of poker. Even then, they may have some things to learn.

For the most part, a person who wants to play poker should expect a mix of luck and skill to determine the outcome of any hand. There is no skill involved when the cards are dealt. There is nothing anyone could do to change what they get, and though this is a large part of the game, skill comes in after that. The luck of the draw is important, and if a player gets a bad hand, all the skill in the world might not save them, but then again, if they are skilled in bluffing, they could easily win with that hand. A new player might think a bad hand is very bad luck and fold, but a more seasoned player might see it as an opportunity to use their skills to overcome that luck.

It can be a matter of perspective too. If you talk to someone who may have just lost a large pot, they will claim it was all about the luck. It was not skill, or lack there of, that caused the loss, it was simply very bad luck. However, if they win a large one, they may claim it was all a matter of skill. A good player must learn to turn luck in their direction by learning the skills they need to overcome whatever comes their way while they play poker. Not every hand can be a winning hand, and sometimes no amount of skill will improve the odds, but accepting that both luck and skill are involved can help any player because a better poker player in the long run.