With the rise of online casinos, Poker has become a sport with a humungous economic relevance. That said, it is not surprising that governments all around the world try to impose laws to prohibit private online poker offerings in order to promote state owned monopolies as they, naturally, want to get the whole cake – and not only a share of it. The argument is normally that poker would be a game of luck and that a private online casino would not be able to prevent gambling of minors and vulnerable people.

But is it really that clear with all those typical “games of luck”? At least when it comes to Poker, many people oppose that reasoning.

Of course, when getting dealt, the cards are random. That is, when you get a 5 and an 8 unsuited, it is quite unlikely to win the hand, even if you are a “good” player. But in that scenario, you don’t play along and fold instead. Thus, you have the choice of what to do and you don’t depend solely on your luck, but rather on your experience.

And this is what makes the difference between games of luck and games of skill. The more you play the better you get. A beginner would never be able to win the World Series of Poker. And of course, that tournament wouldn’t even exist, if Poker was thoroughly based on luck, because it would be totally random and thus uninteresting for the spectators.

Another very important point about poker is, that you can do so called bluffs. Therefore, Poker is not only about estimating the odds right but also about – let’s call it like that here – acting in order to win a game. And this is definitely a skill that players can develop up to a very professional level.

To sum it up: If you can combine the skills of maths, concentration and acting with a good portion of luck, you have what it takes to become a good poker player.