Poker and politics

I am an poker fanatic and I was keep running into people who keep telling me that poker is all luck. There is no skill involved and that people just get lucky all the time. Other than explaining to them the kind of skills needed for being successful at poker, I give them this food for thought: If poker is all luck, how come you see the same people in every tournament making the final table, people like doyle Brunsen or Daniel Negranu(sp?) or Johnny Chan? There are people like Doyle Brunsen who have consistently been beating people at poker for damn near 40-50 years.

How is this all related to poker you may ask? Simple.

The people who actually think about this concept and realize that it's totally not luck and that there is skill involved, are by and large moderates, left leaning republicans, democrats, etc. These are the people who are open, who think critically, and who don't usually believe things bush says blindly.

The people who blow me off and tell me that I'm full of shit are usually my republican friends, including my GF who also plays poker regularly. These are the same people who listen to bush and other republicans and believe them without even thinking. These are the same people that support the republican candidates and the iraq war because they believe all the rhetoric without doing the research or thinking to themselves, "how can this possibly be true?!"

Again, this is not to say that all republicans do this, or that democrats don't do this to. I'm just saying that these are the trends I have seen in the midwest.

Please leave your thoughts, and stories of anything like this you have noticed in your area =D

I mainly play 7 card stud. I don't get to play very often because, as a female, you tend to get shunned from the neighborhood games. So I usually don't get to play unless I go to a casino which is not often.

I've only played on-line for "play money" and I hated it. Granted, it might be better if you played for real money (because my main gripe is how stupid people bet with play money) but I doubt if I would like it much either.

Poker is a skill. I didn't even realize that there were many that would dispute that. Yes, there is an element of chance because of what cards you have. A skilled player can take a pot without shit in his hand.

My mom use to play penny ante with us when we were kids. She told me more than once to learn how to play poker well because that's just what life was...playing your poker hands.

btw....I am a backgammon player (and I don't mind playing it on-line). People get caught up in the skill versus dice luck debate all the time. As you point out, it's always the same people winning the tournaments. Sure you loose a few games because of the dice but in a match you won't overcome that skill. However, it has become very easy for me to debunk the backgammon skill versus dice. I tell people to download JellyFish Light. You can either use the random dice or provide the rolls yourself. Usually an intermediate player won't win but a very small percentage of the games. Too bad there isn't such a way to illustrate poker but poker is so much more.

I mainly play 7 card stud. I don't get to play very often because, as a female, you tend to get shunned from the neighborhood games. So I usually don't get to play unless I go to a casino which is not often.

I've only played on-line for "play money" and I hated it. Granted, it might be better if you played for real money (because my main gripe is how stupid people bet with play money) but I doubt if I would like it much either.

Poker is a skill. I didn't even realize that there were many that would dispute that. Yes, there is an element of chance because of what cards you have. A skilled player can take a pot without shit in his hand.

My mom use to play penny ante with us when we were kids. She told me more than once to learn how to play poker well because that's just what life was...playing your poker hands.

btw....I am a backgammon player (and I don't mind playing it on-line). People get caught up in the skill versus dice luck debate all the time. As you point out, it's always the same people winning the tournaments. Sure you loose a few games because of the dice but in a match you won't overcome that skill. However, it has become very easy for me to debunk the backgammon skill versus dice. I tell people to download JellyFish Light. You can either use the random dice or provide the rolls yourself. Usually an intermediate player won't win but a very small percentage of the games. Too bad there isn't such a way to illustrate poker but poker is so much more.

That is, if you're anywhere near L.A.

We have a mixed gender bunch and have been playing together for years.

As for the skill issue raised by the thread-starter, there are all sorts of differences between conservative and liberal players. I find that liberal players tend to prefer the "California Low", where straights and flushes don't count against you and aces are ones. Conservatives tend to dislike this.

Poker has an ever-changing dynamic, too; that's probably why many conservatives don't like or understand it.

very good point... I'll have to remember that one... =D