For this critical play, I played a few rounds of Texas Hold’em poker online on a website called Replay Poker, created by Replay Gaming. It is a play money poker site; you cannot gamble or win real money.
Argument: Poker puts people at risk for addiction due to its blend of skill and chance, which can lead players to develop a false sense of control over the game’s outcome. This illusion of mastery encourages increased risk-taking, as players continuously evaluate probabilities and make strategic decisions based on the odds of completing a winning hand. Despite the skill involved, the outcome is heavily influenced by the randomness of the cards dealt. Additionally, the short duration of poker rounds provides frequent and immediate feedback on wins and losses, fostering continuous play and making it difficult for players to break the cycle. This combination of perceived control, probabilistic engagement, and rapid gameplay cycles creates a compelling and potentially addictive experience.
Poker puts people at risk for addiction by providing just enough requirement of skill that players overlook the fact that winning is predominantly a result of chance. The variation in types of hands and ranking of their play value adds an element of knowledge that more experienced players will be able to recall with ease, allowing for quicker judgement of what type of bet to place. There is skill involved in being able to quickly recognize patterns within your hand and between your hand and the dealt cards on the table. There is enough skill at play to provide the illusion of being able to control your outcome during each round. Below are a picture of possible card hands in order of their value from most value to lowest.
This extra layer of gameplay gives players an active task (pattern recognition) to do that perceptually provides more agency and control for the player and distinguishes the game from other types of gambling. As mentioned in the “Programming Chance” chapter, slot machines have concealed odds and risks that offer no mode of control for the user and that purposeful obfuscation lures people in. However, as discussed, they do offer interactivity in that the mechanical movement of the machine parts e.g. levers and wheels results from the player’s actions. Thus, in poker, where the lure to continue gameplay lies in creating an illusive skewed ratio of skill to luck, players are more susceptible to addiction because of perceived agency; whereas in more automated, “hands-free” gambling systems that are completely up to chance, continued use is created from the thrill of the unknown but with an added layer of sensory fun (flashing lights, manual lever pulling) that maintains some physical excitement.
Based on my experience, I argue that beginners are at the greatest risk for addiction because as with other games, it is necessary to play over and over again to build up skill, whether that depends on your pattern recognition, your ability to bluff, to call other bluffs, etc. I had only ever played poker once before this experience, so I found myself stressing over constantly glancing between the cheat sheet and the actual game site to see if I was overlooking any runs that could be valuable. For example, in the screenshot below, I mistakenly thought I had a royal flush but forgot about the same suit requirement. However, shortly after, I roped myself into another round to prove that I had improved my skill.
Eventually, the repeated plays initially carried out with the intention of “getting better” at the game soon transition into playing to transform your skill into a vehicle for making money. The quick turnaround of each round also lends towards easier repeatability and games or tournaments can go on for as long as desired. Unlike other games, the decision about when the game actually ends is predominantly up to the players and if real money is at stake it can be hard to break out of the play cycle as a result of attempts to win more money or win back money you lost. Games like Monopoly (even if gameplay lasts for a while) have defined endings e.g. when one player bankrupts all the others, and while you can always play multiple games, the length of a single one is already very time intensive. In poker, each round, depending on the number of players, can be completed pretty quickly. The average amount of time for a single “game” in which all five community cards are dealt and all betting rounds are completed, typically lasts only a few minutes. Poker’s quick rounds can create a cycle of immediate gratification or loss, which can be compelling for players, especially when real money is at stake. This contrasts with the prolonged strategy and investment required in games like Monopoly. Each round’s outcome can quickly influence a player’s decision to continue playing, aiming to win more money or recover losses. As nicely summarized in Anthony’s Balance lecture, “people suck at math” and the independence of probability from game to game does not often register, making the perception of multiple losses in a row seem unlikely and solvable with “just one more round”.
