Is Poker a Skill Game?
A Dutch Professor is doing everything possible to prove that poker is in fact a game of skill. Ben Van Der Genugten, a professor of mathematics hailing from the Netherlands has made statements in his retirement address supporting the notion that poker is a game of skill and can be proven as so using a formula that the Dutch government already uses when assessing other games of skill and chance. An official Dutch court decision in 1998 ruled that poker was not a game of skill and it has had an effect on gaming in the nation ever since, specifically restricting poker to being offered only through one venue in the country, The Holland Casino.
Van Der Genugten used a fairly simple formula to rate the amount of skill necessary in a given game. Assisting him in this task was Peter Borm, a professor of game theory. The two professors used the following formula in their work:
Skill = Learning effect/ (Learning effect + Chance effect)
In the formula a game with a skill rating of zero is a game that requires no skill and is determined purely by chance or luck. The learning effect on the other hand is defined as the difference in play between a complete beginner and someone with the highest level of experience possible. Van Der Genugten found that poker had a skill rating of .04 which is actually quite high and even surpasses the ever popular fantasy sports games that have taken the world by storm over the past five years.
The two professors hope that their findings will force the Dutch government to head back to the tables and to re-evaluate their standing on poker. With poker growing by leaps and bounds, it would be to the advantage of the Dutch government to explore other options of regulating and licensing poker rather than the super restrictive method they currently have in place.
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