A Game of Chance

By Golds1983 on Oct 30, 08 02:55 PM in

IS poker a game of skill or luck?

A debate that has raged for generations, and one which I believe I now have an answer to. It is categorically, definitely and indisputably a game of chance.

The five per cent of hands where your talent and intuitive reading of the cards pays off, is easily outweighed by the 95 per cent of encounters where the God of poker spits in your eye and rakes your chips.

Playing online for the past 18 months, I have seen my game steadily fall apart.

While the subtlety and skill of reading your adversary's tells may be eradicated online, I am told that the truly adept gambler should still be able to study betting patterns and get to know these online opponents. So surely there is room online for subtle check raises, cheeky bluffs and elaborate traps?

Maybe on the $200/$400 tables populated by the ultra-rich and the ultra-good, but not in the $12 tournaments which I can afford. For my money I would have to say that online poker is a little bit like James Blunt's music career, a lack of talent is no impediment to success.

Last night I signed up for my preferred game on Pokerstars, No Limit Hold 'Em, five minute blind increases, and 180 fellow poker players. Scratch that, 20 fellow poker players, and 160 donkeys.

With around half the field eliminated I had a slightly below average stack of $2000. Though I needed to make a move, I was nowhere near the last chance saloon.

Lady luck appeared to be smiling as I picked up pocket Kings in middle position. There was a call in front of me, so I threw in a standard raise of $300, three times the big blind. My spirits soared as no fewer than three opponents joined me for the flop.

The dream was still alive as the first three community cards were thrown across the online felt.

The flop came: 8D, 7S, 2C

I searched my brain, but could not think of a safer board for my Kings. To make things just that little bit sweeter, the player under the gun came in for $600, just under half of my remaining stack. Unable to resist, I indulged in a Hollywood pause, before pushing my entire stack into the pot.

For a second, I feared that over-aggression might cost me the spoils, but thankfully I secured a call from the initial raiser and another player. When they rolled over pocket 10s and an off-suit Jack 8, I was already counting the cash.

The pot was around $6000, enough to fire me into the tournament chip lead.

But fate, and more importantly, my 18-month-long "river card curse" conspired to bring me back to earth.

A harmless Queen on the turn was followed by a sickening blow on 5th street. The over-zealous raiser had spiked a miracle 10, one of just two cards in the deck that could have robbed me of the huge pot.

I turned from my screen, no longer able to summon the anger that I once felt at such poker injustices, so regular have they become.

How could I turn my ire against the player now counting up MY chips?

After all it's just a game of luck, isn't it?

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