Poker A Game of Skill According To Doctoral Student Studies

Is the game of poker skill? Or is it luck? Those are questions that have been asked for years by many people. The eventual answer, if there is one, will be a major factor in laws changing in favor of legalized online poker.

A student from Case Western Reserve University, Michael DeDonno, has determined through two poker related studies that the game is skill. He has written an article that details the fact that the game is skill.

The overwhelming idea that DeDonno has found in his two studies is that the game becomes skill when players make their choices of when to fold their hands. The point at which players fold their hands is the part of the game that exemplifies skill.

The players that were chosen for his studies had little insight into the game of poker, but were directed by charts and guides. Most of the participants felt the game was fifty percent luck when they started the game.

"If it had been pure luck in winning, then the strategies would not have made a difference for the two groups," said DeDonno. His finding was that the players that were given hints and strategies did better than those who did not.

The skill versus luck debate has been ongoing for years in relation to the game of poker. Politicians have argued both sides of the debate, depending on where they stood on the issue of legalizing the game online.

This study is one of many that have been done in recent times. No clear cut conclusion has been determined on the issue as of yet.

March 23, 2008
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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