Macro Effects on the Game?

I was thinking a bit today about poker and winning and losing.

Let's say there is a small card room with on average 5-6 games going.

The people playing in these games mirror the general poker population. Most are losers, a few are break even, and a smaller few are actually winning.

Except for the few that are winning, the rest are passing money around between each other with the house draining some off in the rake.


Now let's say that you add into this mix 1 or 2 more winning players. What, if any macro effects on the long term state of the game are there?


In larger casinos with many tables and games it seems that adding a winner or two wouldn't effect the game that much. But in a smaller environment as I described, are there any perceivable changes?

I believe the solution is resolved in my Law of Conservation of Energy. Yes, Yes, I know someone else took credit for my discovery but that is another thought. There is only so much matter (profit) in the poker universe, it is finite. Now some of that matter is turned into energy (rake) and although is not lost to the entire universe it has become unusable as far as you are concerned. Some very tiny amount of this energy is returned in a form called comps but this is so trivial as to be nearly unimportant. The remainder is allocated according to two factors:

1) Relative level of skill (this subject is quite complex in itself but suffice it to say that a literal translation should be used ie: Your skill level relative to that of your opponnents)

2) Short term fluctuations due to the variability of probability. (commonly called running bad or good and also luck)


Assuming all the above to be true adding more relatively skillful players will reduce the amount of energy (profit) available for distribution throughout the specified area for each individual. In other words yes it will affect your cardroom. But look on the bright side, if you are a loser you are unlikely to lose any more but the winning players will simply win less. This brings you closer to the mean, and for this you should feel proud!


Einstein

aka Jimbo