Poker is 80% skill and 20% luck

[anasslaaleg]

Many people think poker is all about luck. Sure, the cards you get are random, but what you do with them is where skill comes in. Reading opponents, managing your bankroll, choosing the right spots to be aggressive that’s the 80% skill part.
The remaining 20%? That’s luck the bad beats, the miracle rivers, the flips that could go either way.
In the short term, luck can make or break you. In the long term, skill will always rise to the top.

 

[Fallenglory]

It's about learning and improving yourself. I like to review hands live and study after sessions.

It's how you deal with the (bad) luck that defines if you will be a winning player in the end.

 

[fundiver199]

Add to that: many MTTs have the most "important" hands at the end of the tournament when the blinds are high. I refuse to think that Phil Hellmuth is an absolute beast HU

You can play almost perfect poker at the beginning of an MTT, but if you don't get lucky when it's time to take those flips (often coinflips), it can all be for nothing.

Yes the variance in MTTs is even higher than the variance in cash games, especially if you play in large fields. For live MTTs its probably fair to say, that many of the most famous and successfull players would never have made it to, where they are today, if they had not hit a sunrun out of the gate. Those, who did not get so lucky, have for the most part had to find another career path, and we dont even know about them due to survivorship bias.

There is a lot of glamour surrounding live MTTs, and sites like Hendon Mob make them seem very profitable by listing the total cashes of MTT players. But these dont dont take into account the buyins or travel expenses or how much of their net profit these player had to share with backers. So if someone is considering to make a career out of playing live MTTs, they might want to think twice, if its really as good, as it looks.

 

[reeseflamees]

I think skill is easy every body has it
So players needs Lucky
55 % Lucky
45 % skills

 

[uesleisuptitz]

I partly agree with what you're saying. No matter how good you are, there will always be a little bit of luck involved, and sometimes it's for you, sometimes against you. I've seen very strong players lose just because of a bad beat, and this reminds me that variance is always part of the game.

I also think that nowadays there are a lot of free ways to learn, so you don't have to spend money to improve. Watching videos, reading online, and playing at low stakes can teach you a lot if you stay disciplined.

 

[Newzooozooo]

I think that when it comes to online poker, it's more like 80% luck and 20% skill. Of course, it all depends on what you're playing. But when it comes to hyper tournaments, that's exactly the ratio: 80% luck and 20% skill.

 

[riff_raff312]

I think it all depends on the day the person the cards you're dealt and how you play the those particular cards or if you play them at all so i'm going to call it 50/50 this of course is only my opinion,anyway good luck and have fun with it .

 

[odonob]

Nope, mostly luck, if you get the cards the skill is in not knocking yourself out. Very little skill in the game in all reality, mainly due to the random output of cards and how they hit. The opposite of a sport where skill and power will largely determine the winner.

 

[Ruslan L]

In poker, the ratio of skill to luck changes depending on the distance of the game. In the short term, luck plays a more important role, while in the long term, skill becomes the dominant factor.

I agree. I believe that the more experience a player has, the better their skills are, and in this case, the luck factor becomes less significant.

 

[awesomebitting]

I always say poker is 33.3% Skill 33.3% Strategy and 33.3% Luck
I would say thats a bit more accurate, dont you think?

 

[Gritz18]

DOES ANYONE WANT TO SAY THE OPPOSITE?

When we talk about Cardschat freerolls, I would say it's 99.9% luck and 00.01% skill.😁🤣🤣

 

[fishvolatil]

Luck definitely plays a role, but don't underestimate those who invest in studies - over the long run, making the correct move and correctly adapting to your opponents' play style will pay off and luck won't matter that much any more

 

[ARsergio]

I understand that the percentage of luck is 35% and that is studying

 

[recerveau]

I believe it's 70% skill and 30% luck.

 

[ch1r4q]

You're right that luck will always play a role in poker, no matter how good you are, variance is part of the game. But over the long run, skill is what separates winners from losers, especially across hundreds or thousands of hands. As for studying, the internet has made learning way more accessible whether you're a fan of structured courses or books, its all out there.