Chess 'n' Poker

        Both are great games, but in poker unknowns are beating the pro's and
winning the WSOP quite often.  No unknown is going to beat Anand.

 It has everything to do with the original discussion. I'm making a very good case for the argument that luck has little to no effect on an individual player's overall success (or failure) in the game of poker. (And by overall, I'm talking about a player's expceted value over the long run - if you're unfamiliar with the term "expected value" just google it and you'll probably get a better explanation than I feel like giving at this time.)

One thing I have noticed watching late night poker (yeh that's right) is that eighty percent of the hands, or more, are resolved without any cards being revealed.

So take from that what you will.

However the poker on T.V must be different as I don't believe the contestants are betting their own real money. There's no pressure.

If you watch major tournaments, then there is a lot of pressure. The WSOP Main Event has a $10,000 buy-in, and even those who get in via satellite spent a lot of time, money and effort to get there.

Watching poker on tv is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

it is definitely their own real money! They all know eachother very well and have played with eachother for years. They really only have the best of the best here on that show. And cash games are very different to No-buys and even rebuy sit and gos or competitions (wsop, wpt). Cash games and sit and gos despite being played practically the same way are very different mind games, mid sets, mind wars and even strategies. Its very much about the percentages, but also there are many other factors when considering your move(play), the way the guy is playing, the amount he just raised (is it worth it just on the off chance he might have AK while i have AQ), the way he raised, the way he talked/moved, the way you think he percieves your play (solid, loose, aggressive). I play on the internet and guys give tells off all the time which i pounce on (if im playing well and on form, but everyone has their off days) and reap the rewards usually. I find it very hard to try and explain to people who dont have an average basic understanding of poker, and even at that i find it even hard to discuss it with many people who even play themselves.

But one thing i find funny when playing online is that if i ever ask anyone about their winnings they all seem to be winning thousands, but i have to wonder where all the people who are losing the money to them. But even funnier is when you can see their stats and even if they have an ROI of -25% they still think they are great poker players and are successful. Now im not a big time great player or anything (but i do have a +20% ROI on 10$-20$ sngs), but alot of poker players are idiots who fool themselves into a false sense of security (maybe thats my bad opinion though).

Also i respect that post by whoever said that the pros tend to lose less when they lose and win more when they win, rather than the amateur noob.

I cant even remember what i started talking about........hmmm tea and biscuits time

it has been said by some historians that American presidents have tended to be poker players in foreign policy, while Russian leaders have tended to be chess players in foreign policy...Just a thought this topic brought up for me......at Vega i prefer throwing the dice(craps)...but that's just me, just thinking outloud here....

What I find really strange is that these televised poker events often seem to have people there watching! How could that possibly be entertaining? You never get to see the cards.

 You get to see the cards in two situations:

1. At "showdown".

2. Whenever a player voluntarily shows his cards.

These situations occur regularly enough to give interest if you know what you are watching. Televised poker is great entertainment for poker players and knowledgeable spectators, pretty much the same for all sports /activities.

But the stands are so far back you can't actually see which cards they are.

The cards are announced, so that everyone knows. Listen in next time you see poker on TV and you'll hear the dealer make the relevent declaration.

I couldn't disagree more.  When I was no longer able to play baseball, it was very painful for me to watch on T.V.  Baseball is better on the radio though, anyway.

I play poker--poorly.  I play chess--also poorly.  I have no interest in watching either played on T.V.

i know quite a few chess players who are poker players

good combination

 When I watched poker on TV they also had a camera under each player's hand so you could see the cards.

Wow all of these poker threads. Can we delete most of them?

hi :) Is your group set? I am grinding a lot nowadays, mainly tourneys.. We can perhaps make skype group as well?!

cya later..