Poker featured in Science Magazine

To satisfy my inner dork I have a subscription to Discover, a magazine that covers all the latest and greatest scientific news, theories and findings.

Imagine my surprise to see our beloved poker as the subject of one of the feature articles in November's issue! Titled "Big Game Theory", and subtitled "What are so many physicists doing playing poker for hours on end in gaming rooms from Vegas to Monaco? Probably winning", the piece explores why physicists in particular are drawn to the game:

"Perhaps poker appeals to physicists because it is an intricate, complex puzzle, steeped in statistical probabilities and the tenets of game theory. The best players evince a rare combination of skills in math, strategy and psychology."

String theorist Jeff Harvey of the University of Chicago says "Chess is like classical mechanics. Poker is like quantum mechanics. In chess there is only one right move. In poker there is no single right move. There is a probability distribution of right moves."

Also mentioned in the article are Chris Ferguson, of course, as well as physics "gurus" like Michael Binger (who placed 3rd in the 2006 WSOP ME) , Michael Piper and a fan club favorite of some CCers, Liv Boeree.

To me this would be a great article share with people who, though highly educated, still believe poker is a degenerate acticity.

TIme for a mass mailing!

Ok, seriously though, very interesting read, do you have a link with the article, havn't been able to find it as of yet. I also really like the line about how in chess there is only one right move and in poker there is a distribution of right moves. Well said.

I originally posted a link but then when I checked it in my post it wouldn't work--a subscriber's only deal--so I deleted it. If you can find a working one that would be great!

I'm glad you pointed this topic out. The science behind poker opens up the "true" psychology behind the game likewise with game theory. One might add Body Language toward this as well.

Reliable sources claim that several of our regular members do engage in degenerate activities. Poker isn`t one of them.

It's really true though. That is what I really like the most about poker. I've always loved psychology and I loved math as a kid too. Poker has just about everything I enjoy rolled up into one. It's very exciting. I was an economics major in college and poker is just one big application of game theory (this is what John Nash came up with (the movie a beautiful mind was based on his life)).

Everything about it is just really fun. It's like one giant puzzle with the unpredictability(sometimes) of human nature thrown in.