Skill vs chance in poker

The dispute about whether poker is a game of chance or a game of skill is ongoing but at last there is a glimmer of hope.

In a landmark case for poker a Pennsylvania judge dismissed charges of unlawful gambling against two residents who were running a poker game from their garage. Allegations were that they were hosting a $1 - $2 no-limit poker game. State police sent an undercover officer to investigate. The officer went more than just a few times, in fact he went 20 different times in order to prove the illegal gambling case. Whihc leads us to ask: was he having fun or was he just doing his job……? To the delight of the two accused, the judge ruled: "The Court finds that Texas hold'em is a game where skill predominates over chance. Thus it is not 'unlawful gambling' under the Pensylvania Code.'"

Words that will ring in the annals of poker history was spoken by Judge Thomas James in a Pennsylvania court room when he declared that poker is predominantly a game of skill. This was good news for all lovers of the game, who have been waiting patiently for the tide to turn. Now at last they can anticipate a future legalization of the game. The popularity of the game both online and on land over recent years have seen the game played in just about every setting by just about everyone. Celebrities have stepped up to the poker tables alongside the ordinary man, and this game has become the password for entrance to this new society.

John Pappas of the PPA welcomed the judge’s decision saying that while the decision does not have legal precedent outside the two rural counties in Pennsylvania, it can still be seen as a significant victory in the battle to prove that poker is a game of skill. With every bit of ground that this game gains, it improves the chance that poker will finally step into respectable society with its coat and tails in tact and straight into the limelight. Poker should eventually be able to rub shoulders with games like chess and bridge, the difference being of course that money is wagered and that is where the dispute has its roots...