Anyone who plays poker seriously understands that it is not gambling. To a professional, the game may appear to be merely skill-basedand success is only a small part of it. The extent to which poker is a gamble (such as the kind that takes place in a casino house) depends not only on the game, but also on the player himself. Poker[1] can become a sport that is not based on success, but is not always so.
The reader may wonder why this might be. I think an analogy will work best here. Let's imagine two slot machines (the ones with knobs and three rotating icons). The first one is the kind you find in a casino at home - coins are thrown in, the knob is pulled and the result is unpredictable, although always tilted in favour of the house. Another slot machine allows you to check the odds and probabilities of winning. These change each time the knob is pulled. Both the first and the second slot machine can be played completely blind, the strategy changing only to win more money. With the first slot, the winning strategy is simply not to play. In the second case, a clever player can adapt to changing circumstances - by matching the potential odds and the probability, it is possible to calculate the betting range.
It is quite obvious how this analogy relates to poker. At the same time, it shows that poker can be both a game of chance and a sport. It all depends on how well the player knows his odds, provides for the adversary's hand range etc. The less is known about the mathematics and optimal strategy of poker, the more poker becomes like playing a slot machine.
True, poker is Fundamental skills Game. This base remains unchanged across any variation - Spin N' Go, N-max cash, etc. For example, although Spin N' Go requires much more aggressive play because there are fewer hands per tournament (in the Hyper Turbo structure), the optimal strategy is to know odds and hand range still applicable. The closest Pokerstars comes to turning poker into gambling is Pokerstars Spin N' Go MAX, as there is a limit on the number of hands after which all players are forced to go all-in. However, even Spin N' Go MAX does not turn poker into a pure gamble.
To judge by the slot machine analogy, gambling occurs when:
- Unknown probabilities.
- An uncontrolled investment in winning.
To be absolutely precise, all it takes is (1) and the game will not be gambling. Even if we imagine a variation of poker with only blinds and a choice between all-in orfold, such a game would still be based on a (minimum) capability. The winning strategy would always be all-in some high range (AA-KK or more) and fold everything else. A player who played sub-optimally would be closer to pure gambling.
The second rule does not transform the game from gambling to sport, but it does enormously expand the possibilities for the expression of ability. It is not only the available (and predictable) cards of the opponents that are important for an optimal strategy, but also the relative value of the hand and the potential amount of chips to be won against the possible risks.
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