A study published last Friday showed that Texas Hold'em is, at least statistically, a set of skills.The research in question is based on 103 million hands and she revealed that 75% of them did not slaughter (showdown). Those hands had earned thanks to bets from players.

75.7% studied hands are not made to the slaughter to be more precise. When these hands, one who knew well bet was the one who won the pot, whether or not he has the best hand. In 24.3% of the remaining hands, only 50.3% of the time the player with the best hand had won the pot. The other 49.7% of the time, the player at the table who had the best hand had slept his game before going to slaughter. In summary, the best hand only won 12% of the time. According to the study, Texas Hold'em could be a set of skills to 88% and would therefore not predominated by chance.

Three times former Senator from New York and now Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Alfonse D'Amato commented, as a poker player, I can tell you that bedroom or its cards do depends on not only the cards themselves, but a series of actions that must be analysed and decisions that the other player at your table have taken. This study, based on a large database, shows us that is not only luck that will determine the success of a poker player.

The database in question was used by the PPA to help him prove that poker was a game of skills during his legal battles. More recently, a South Carolina judge conceded that poker was a game of skills. Other judges in the Colorada and Pennsylvania gave reason to the PPA, which may help to recognition at the national level the game as being one of skills more than luck.

The study was conducted by Cigital based on 103 million hands played on PokerStars, the largest site of poker online. Hands played in heads up and "play money" were not selected for this study, just like the parties to small buy-in (where the big blind are at less than $ 1). It was during the "World Record Week" of last December that the hands were recorded. During this period, PokerStars has recorded the largest number of players to play simultaneously on its site, $ 250,000. PokerStars has worked in connection with Cigital for this study.

The Wall Street Journal author, Carl Bialik held a blog on this study. It highlights the many doubts that there on the study. He mentions such that decisions taken by the players is largely based on the received cards, which is a matter of chance. In addition, he wondered if "the % of hands won the showdown would be the same in a game determined solely by chance."

The Executive Director of the PPA John Pappas said in public after the publication of the study, last Friday: the question about whether poker is a game dominated by luck or skills did not report with the ego of poker players, but with the question of its legality. "In some course justices poker as a game of skill rather than a game where only the chance between online account like bingo, the lotteries and slot machines, and is what we confirmed in this study."
You can consult the study in question (in English original) here poker is a game of skill.