[stripsqueez]

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The bad players share a common trait in that they don't take responsibility for their own bad play. It's never their own fault. They blame it on fish sucking them out, collusion, pattern maps, conspiracies, and THE RAKE

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i think that most bad players blame poor luck

english law gives a perspective on this debate - english gaming law used a distinction between games of chance and games of skill in determining which games were illegal and which werent - i'm not sure exactly when the distinction arose but i would guess in the 1700's or 1800's

its plain from the wording of the statutes concerned that the 2 concepts of games of skill and games of chance are mutually exclusive - a given game is one or the other but not both - poker has been held to be a game of skill - that seems obvious to me when there are the easy comparisons of say roulette which is plainly a game of chance

i think its wrong to view poker as X luck and X skill - its a game of skill - virtually all games of skill involve luck in the sense you use that word

stripsqueez - chickenhawk