The Structural Misunderstanding of Live Poker: How the Tournament Inherited the Limits of Cash Game
The path toward live poker regulation in Italy clashes with an obstacle rooted in the history of the discipline. An original error that no one has ever corrected. We call it the structural misunderstanding. The Origins of the Misunderstanding It all begins at the end of the 1960s. The context is one of mass production, […]
Live Poker Regulation in Italy: the Role of Police Chiefs
The debate on live poker regulation in Italy is complex. Its facets touch law, sociology and sports policy. To understand the origins of the problem it is fundamental to analyze the report “Sport discipline and the game of poker” by Prof. Crismani. This document played a fundamental role in the development of the Skill Poker […]
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 oldest forms of gambling are dice games. Archaeological finds testify […]
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 The word game derives from the Latin […]
Skill Poker Index: What They Are and How They Work
In the first article of this series we asked the fundamental question: is Texas Hold’em poker a sport or gambling? We saw how variance dominates live tournaments and why mathematical probability alone is not enough. The Skill Poker Index (SPI) were created to answer this problem. What Are the Skill Poker Index The Skill Poker […]