Is poker a game of chance?

A game of skill?

Both?

Politicians in the United States seem to think it is solely a game of chance.  They ignore the elements of skill that put the same players atop moneylist after moneylist, tournament after tournament.  They focus on the turn of a single card affecting a single outcome and ignore the reality that skill wins over the longterm.

It’s an odd spot of blindness as Football players, Pool players, Scrabble players, Basketball players, all will tell you an element of chance can sometimes shape or determine an outcome.  A crazy bounce, a random gust of wind, or a bird making an ill-fated flight path can all alter these games of skill.  Sure, the element of chance may have less of an impact in sports but it can determine a winner.  

Right now, there is a new man in the White House.  Barack Obama has started a website seeking to solicit input on how his administration will shape the United States.  Do your part to get poker recognized as a legal game of skill.

http://pokerplayersalliance.org/action-alert/ppavote/

The benefits of recognizing the legality of poker and regulating the industry in the United States far outweigh any misguided notions about the game.  Regulation can ensure measures are properly in place to reduce the scandals of unregulated companies set up in the tropics, they can better monitor the age of players logging in and trying poker for the first time, and they can tax the industry.  Potential tax revenues exceed 1 to 3 billion dollars per anum. 

Preaching to the choir here.  Anyone playing and reading about poker understands the game well enough to realize just how far the U.S. is behind the rest of the western wold.  Why an American can’t sit at his desktop and do the same thing he does when he drives to casino is perplexing to say the least.  Still, it’s important for poker players in general to advocate the expansion of the game worldwide.  Do your part by visiting the linked website and get poker on Obama’s agenda.