I played a game of Texas Hold Em poker this past weekend and found noticed some interesting things from a game design perspective. There were a mix of players at this table from people have have played only on occasion to people that I would consider relatively experienced (regularly play and for many years). Each person was different but a trend I saw was that those with the most experience seemed to be confident in their game being one with more skill than luck. They seemed to acknowledge the luck and chance involved in the game with some of their comments but overall, they understood that in order to play well over a longer period of time, skill definitely was a factor.
There is luck involved with each round. The 2 cards dealt to each player along with the cards in the flop, turn, and river are all a matter of chance but when to bet, call, or raise often times is a decision informed by skill. Skill in poker is not only about recognizing higher winning scenarios with the cards available but also about understanding other players and their tendencies. There is analysis that needs to be done about what their decisions (check, bet, call, raise) say about the hand that they have. The mechanic of random cards being given to players and random cards presented on the table creates a dynamic of needing to analyze other players and what they might be able to make with the cards on the table. This in turn creates a fellowship type of fun. Fellowship in this case meaning a need to understand individual players and what about them and their decisions might reveal. I’ve learned that poker is a game about having the best hand each round and avoiding having the second best hand. This leads to questions involving other players such as: What are the odds of me having the best hand already? What other hands can people have that might have with the flop already revealed? What did that action by that player mean? Does it mean they have something potentially good with the card revealed or does that mean that they are bluffing?
Depending on the round and players present, large pots of money can be won in a relatively short time period which can lead to the addictive element. There is something about being able to compete and best others then seeing an immediate big reward or payoff as you gather a large number of chips. There is an instant gratification aspect that can lead to addiction. The element of chance also leads to this side because it may feel as if there is always a chance that the next round can have a big payoff.
The difference between the chance in poker and other games is that a player needs to be able to utilize “good chance” for the largest payoff. Skill is needed in order to know how to play in a way to get people to continue betting and playing with you so that the pot gets larger and larger. There is also a skill in analyzing other players moves and the permutations of hands that can be made with the cards revealed. Randomness feeds the idea that there is always a chance to succeed or come back but skill is needed in poker to truly take advantage of the chances given to you.
