There had been some headway in proving that poker is not just a game of chance. In a study released at the end of March, it was proved that Texas Hold’em Poker is statistically a game of skill. The study was conducted by Cigital and investigated 103 million hands on PokerStars. Of these hands, 75% did not make it to show down. This proved that there was substantial skill involved in getting people to fold their hands. Regardless of if they had the best hand or not, players were able to out maneuver their opponents getting them to fold. In the remaining 25% of the hands, the best hand only won 50% of time because the other half of the time the best hand had already folded. This proved that the best hand only took down the pot 12% of the time. According to these calculations, the test proved that Texas Hold’em is 88% skill and only 12% chance.

This data has been fundamental in proving that poker is not a game of chance like the lottery, and therefore should not be subject to the same gambling laws. The PPA has been using this data to back up their claims in legal battles surrounding the ban of poker in the United States. States like South Carolina, Colorado, and Pennsylvania have ruled in the PPA’s favor ruling that poker is a game of skill. These rulings will hopefully be recognized on a national level, and the laws against poker can be reevaluated on the terms that poker is not a game of chance.
Source: PokerBlog.com