I have probably said this before, I think the whole Luck vs. Skill discussion is stupid. First of all, there is no luck in poker; what everyone calls luck is actually variance. Variance is a measurable constant, subject to regular laws of mathematics and not some random happening of the univese. Second and more important this Skill vs. Luck debate detracts from the more important issue of personal freedom. No one and I mean no one has the right to restrict my personal freedom when I am not harming anyone else. Playing poker harms no one. Just drop the "Saving the Children" drivel and the "Terrorist Laundering Money" crap. Individuals earn their money and have the right to use that money any way they choose. It's call freedom.
I bring this up today because of a BBC piece that aired the various views in the Luck versus Skill conversation. Below you will find a few of the semi-salient points in that discussion. Take a moment and read it through and I hope you have the reaction I did. Someone is having a debate about all the wrong issues. Doesn't matter what country you live in or where your server is or how far you have to drive to find a "legal" cardroom. Somebody in some government office is looking for a way to stop you from playing poker. Don't you want to do something about that?
Here are some of the quotes from the British Broadcasting Corporation piece which examines the topic from the perspectives of a professional poker player, a statistician and a regulatory authority spokesperson.
"In any one hand of cards there is a large amount of luck involved. It is 20 percent chance and 80 percent skill which is done by creating the odds in your favour, so it is 100 percent skill in setting the right odds."
"You could get your cards in the best possible position and still lose that hand. That reflects the fact that you have skill to get to that point, using skill to get yourself into a position where the odds are in your favour. The bottom line is that skill is involved and it's all about creating lots of small edges on your opponents."
"There is a great deal of skill in poker. It's a combination of two types of skill, assessing the chances of the cards and the bluffing skill...it's very complex. Working out the probability of cards is a small part of the game."
"When gambling involves high stakes the government believes it should take place in a properly regulated environment that includes proper licences."
Notice no mention of personal freedom nor privacy. On the other hand this conversation took place in the atmosphere of regulation in the UK and not in the prohibition mentality of the U.S. I guess we should count our blessings, or maybe count our freedoms as long as we have some of them.
