Home / Poker News August 2012 / The Poker Grapevine – Poker Again Ruled a Game of Skill
The Poker Grapevine – Poker Again Ruled a Game of Skill
Posted by: Jo Martin - Wed, 2012-08-22 06:11
The dispute whether poker is a game of skill or luck has been raging since 2006 when the UIGEA rolled a massive hurdle into the path of legal
online poker in the US. Over the years, there were several court rulings according to which poker was a game of skill, but there were also a few which concluded that the luck element far outweighed the skill one in poker games.
According to the most recent development on this front of the battle for legal online poker in the US, Federal Judge Jack Weinstein of New York ruled that poker was indeed a game of skill. The Judge put together a 120-page opinion, which was largely based on the testimony of Dr. Randal Heeb of Yale University, which the Judge had heard last month. Dr. Heeb analyzed a large sample of online poker hands, arriving to the conclusion that player skill was instrumental and overwhelmingly decisive in the long-term outcome of the game. The ruling came in a trial in which Lawrence DiChristina of Staten Island was charged with the operation of an illegal gambling business. The ruling cleared the defendant of the charges and in the same time, it offered the advocates of legal online poker in the US a major boost.
In other news: the WSOPE will return to France next month. The Series will offer a total of 69 cash games and various side events and no fewer than 7 events in which players will be able to take down a coveted WSOP bracelet. The most recent addition to the already busy schedule is the €50k Re-entry
NL Holdem High Roller event, which is certain to be an instant hit with pros looking for some serious prize-pools. Taking place in Cannes, the 3-day event has already attracted a couple of interested high rollers in Paul Phua and Richard Yong. According to WSOPE Executive Director Ty Stewart, 2012 will be the year when the WSOPE grows into the richest and most prestigious European event series.
