Live Poker as Gambling: the Structural Anomaly Demonstrated in the Field
Is a poker tournament gambling? No theory settles it. A hand does. I played this one myself, in an international tournament, and it ended in the worst way possible — that is, having done everything right. I am telling it because it brings into focus the flaw the format has carried since it was born, […]
The Structural Misunderstanding of Live Poker: How the Tournament Inherited the Limits of Cash Game
Poker tournament vs cash game: the two share almost everything, and the problem sits precisely in that “almost”. The elimination format was never designed — it was copied from the money table, with a single change added on top. It is worth seeing exactly what was taken unchanged and what was altered, because that is […]
Live Poker Regulation in Italy: the Role of Police Chiefs
In Italy there is no law on live poker in clubs. There is an article of the Testo unico delle leggi di pubblica sicurezza, Italy’s consolidated public security act, and the Police Chiefs who apply it. Everything else follows from that: authorizations granted in one province and denied in another, the appeals, and a 2008 […]
Gambling: Origins, Types and Social Impact
Gambling has its roots in the Arabic etymology az-zahr, meaning “dice” [Treccani]. It is defined as a recreational activity in which the main purpose is profit and winning or losing depends largely on chance. Skill plays a negligible role [Ibidem]. The Origins of Gambling The Social Effects of Gambling Texas Hold’em Poker in This Context […]
The Game, Chance and Skill: Where Does Texas Hold’em Poker Stand?
What is a game? What is a sport? And where does Texas Hold’em poker stand in this continuum? These are apparently simple questions. But the answer determines everything: legality, regulation, sports recognition. And, ultimately, the legitimacy of the Skill Poker Index. The Game: An Ancient and Complex Category Caillois’ Classification How the game works, and […]
Skill Poker Index: What They Are and How They Work
The first article in the series asked the question: is Texas Hold’em poker a sport or gambling? The study’s answer is a tool, the Skill Poker Index. This article is about what that tool is made of: which authors it comes from, with what method it was built, and how it would have to be […]
Is Poker Texas Hold’em a Sport or Gambling?
It’s the question every live poker player has asked themselves at least once. You played perfectly. You read your opponent. You made the right decision. Yet you lost. The wrong card came out on the river. And the tournament was over. Your fault or bad luck? This tension — between skill and chance — is […]