How do you explain the skill behind poker to someone?

It can be damn near impossible to convince someone that over the long run you can turn a profit by playing a gambling card game like poker. They can't see past the short term variance and luck aspect. It's even worst when you play them and they crack your aces and use that as proof this game is pure luck. What are some of the easiest and quickest ways to explain to someone who has never played a hand of poker that the game takes skill. Usually I just use rock, paper, scissors as an example. Obviously putting money on a game like rock, paper, scissors seems completely random at first, then I explain if you know that someone is picking rock 80% of the time you can easily turn a profit by picking paper 100% of the time, assuming they don't adjust. Often times when I use this example they say it is to far fetched to compare that simple example to poker, and the concept blows over there heads. What ways do you guys explain the skill in poker to someone who doesn't get it?

how some players are consistent long term winners. you cant be 'lucky' for life, just not possible, its understanding when to gamble and when not to and when you master that you are good to go.

I think trying to explain the skill factor of poker to someone who doesn't understand it, and who doesn't want to understand it is almost impossible. Like you stated they are focused only on the luck part of the game, which we all know is part of the game. The best way I have persuaded someone regarding luck vs skill is the same way you attempted, we play poker. Not just once, but many times, kinda like a heads-up tournament between us and the first one to a certain number of wins wins. Now luck can work against me, but I've done this a few times and haven't lost yet due to they are really bad at poker, but it proves my point to them. Good luck and keep being an ambassador of the game to the uninitiated.

are you trying to prove it to your family? . I just dont need to explain it. People can see it themselves. On the other hand, I usually talk about experiences that I've gained from the game (mindset, assets management, patience, etc...) rather than the imaginary money you could have

Poker is about taking risks and knowing when to take risks. It's about knowing your opponent, getting information an acting accordingly. In the end poker is knowledge and all type of knowledge ultimately means self-knowledge.
You judge the hand you play based on your experiences, the more knowledge you have the more good calls you'll make. It's neither an aggressive game nor a soft game, it's where the Yang meets the Yin creating a soft aggressiveness or an aggressive softness keeping you in control, just like water.

Explain them that )

its both not only skill.its skill about 60-70 % and luck the other nymber.
same is on backgammon where you need both skill and luck!
thats my opinion.

When my girlfriend sees me playing no matter what I tell her, she's always going to think I'm playing just one more card game.

I think this view of her would only change if I started playing tournaments and had good results

I explain the skill in poker is just winning the hand by bluffing in practice, in theory the results speak loudest.

I tell my family, if it wasnt based on skill, how do you see the same ppl around the final table. and How can someone like Doyle Brunson, borrow a million bux from a bank, and his profession, be a gambler..lol

i have a hard time explaining this to my roommate. he also plays but he sees it as luck, as he's playing majority of hands dealt to him and loses. he also bases my play in free rolls, in relation to me busting out and rarely making a ft or cashing, as justification for me not to pursue this ft

I've noticed that when someone is good at poker, although he does not always win, he does it most of the time.

However, sometimes we can see real newbies winning big games without even knowing how they have been able to.

It is not the first time - or the last - that we see people with less skills winning poker. So, is poker lucky or is it skill? I think the combination of both is good, sometimes the luck factor influences in many occasions, but most I think it is in our ability to read opponents, flops, the outputs we have to make a good, I think beyond the factor Luck is much more skill that I think in the long run that will give us more chances to win than luck alone

Best is to try yourself. To fill the bruises the best way.

I used to think that poker had a larger skill component than luck. But after having seen tens of thousands of hands go against the odds, I'm totally convinced that some people are just plain lucky, and others are not.

For example I just watched someone go all-in pre-flop with A7o (as if it were actually AA) against QQ. There was absolutely no reason for him to play the hand that crazily, yet he did. Even though the odds were 3:1 against, A7 won with a full house - Aces over sevens. A7 expected that outcome, knowing full well that the other player was almost guaranteed to have a much better hand. Why was that?

The only way to convince someone that poker is a game a skill is to be a consistent winner to a degree that they see the financial difference in your life. Otherwise they will look at the game with Lottery eyes.

Simply ask them to join pokerschoolonline and there they will learn all about poker from basics to expert

MattRyder said:

I used to think that poker had a larger skill component than luck. But after having seen tens of thousands of hands go against the odds, I'm totally convinced that some people are just plain lucky, and others are not.

For example I just watched someone go all-in pre-flop with A7o (as if it were actually AA) against QQ. There was absolutely no reason for him to play the hand that crazily, yet he did. Even though the odds were 3:1 against, A7 won with a full house - Aces over sevens. A7 expected that outcome, knowing full well that the other player was almost guaranteed to have a much better hand. Why was that?

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I don't think it's that simple. and I think as a player we need to downplay pocket pairs and stop automatically thinking they are instant winners preflop...

I think the key to winning this game is preflop decision making. Just because the odds were against him with A7 off doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad play....How many chips does he have? Does he have position? Did he make a read on the player? Is the player he facing on his last few BB's?

Then again it could be a horrible play that worked out.....These things happen in sports all the time, it is any less skillful?

studaddy420 said:

i have a hard time explaining this to my roommate. he also plays but he sees it as luck, as he's playing majority of hands dealt to him and loses. he also bases my play in free rolls, in relation to me busting out and rarely making a ft or cashing, as justification for me not to pursue this ft

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I am learning it's best not to discuss poker with people who have that belief that it's a luck game. I keep it to myself and let the results I will have speak for me.

Luck is there today, but tomorrow is not! This requires skill and a long record of playing at different limits! And the most important thing is to play in one discipline all the time, for example in MTT and not play at all at all and everything will turn out !!!

It is both. It's pure luck making a gamble on a gut shot and hitting your straight, etc. Or going all in with bottom pair, and turning a set. But, the skill comes when you got nothing, and you bluff a pair of aces, or a low set off the pot. Or when you hero call with bottom pair, and he's got air. Skill is getting him to call your shoves, or playing loose 'cause he thinks your most likely mis representing weaker hands, or bluffing, and you flop a boat, and he pushes you all in with top pair. The traps are where you want to get clever, and practice setting them up with your table image, hand history, reads, etc. Remember- I want to know what cards he thinks that I have.

Sure luck can be a component from hand to hand poker but luck can't hold true for 5000 hands - skill on the other hand can!

If people can be so close-minded to think that poker is just luck from playing a couple hands let them think like that and then ask them to come back after 1000 hands and I guarantee their bankroll will be $0

It's true most players are not patient enough, they play hands because they are bored, and they try to win too fast. But some players err on the other side as well. They fold too many hands because that allows them to win slowly. The trouble is they don't win enough to survive mistakes and random drawdowns, and they don't improve their game.