Poker is a game of
skill, not of luck. There is some luck involved, but
luck evens out over time, and the skilled player knows
how to take maximum advantage of every situation, be it
folding or agressively betting.
One of the major
differences between an amateur player and a skilled
player starts with hand selection. The newbie
player looks at their cards,
then trys to find reasons to play them,
the experienced skilled player looks at his cards and
finds the reasons why they should be folded. When
the skilled player selects a hand to play, they do it
for valid reasons based on postion, prior play, reads on
the other players, and the overall table action.
Luck can be a
factor in tournaments.
Overall, high
starting chips, low starting blinds and long blinds
means more hands played and more time to wait for the
big hands. These are tournies where patience and
skill is a bigger factor in winning money.
Low
starting chips, higher starting blinds and shorter
blinds mean fewer hands played, and luck is the bigger
factor.
What is
luck?
No one really knows
exactly what luck really is, but there is a great
quotation from Thomas
Jefferson:
"I'm a great
believer in luck, I find that the harder I work, the
more I have of it."
