The Luck Factor in Poker: The One Variable You Can’t Master

If you've been playing poker for a while, you'll know that several factors contribute to success.  For example, online poker greatly benefits from having superior technology. The advent of online gambling means that you can play virtually any casino game you want from the comfort of your home, and these are done via software. 

The better the software your online casino uses, the more accurate the odds will be and the better for all involved. According to casino expert Ricky Davies, players can find leading poker software on more than a few platforms that also expose users to plenty of perks, including bonuses and loyalty rewards. While all of these improve the poker experience, luck still plays an important role.

How Luck Comes Into Play

Ultimately, winning a game of poker will require understanding its most basic rules. The goal of the game is to end up with the best hand out of all the players at the table. The dealer of the game hands out cards, and your goal is to have the best possible 5-card hand and to get the other players to fold. 

Generally speaking, there are several strategies that poker players employ to increase their chances of winning. For example, you're encouraged to build strong starting hands and fold your weaker hands over time. As your hands get stronger, you're encouraged to build bets to force your opponents to fold. You should also play only the stakes that you can afford to lose if all goes left. With all these in mind, it should seem that anyone can hack the game of poker. After all, people play competitively, and once you know the rules, you should be able to win, right? The truth is, it is not that simple, because much of the success in the popular game of poker comes down to luck.

Position

As we've said, poker players sit at the table and are given cards by the dealer. While this might seem like a standard part of the game, your position at the table goes on to influence whether you win or lose. For example, if you are the last player dealt cards, you will be able to see the moves of your opponents and predict how strong their hands are. Alternatively, you're encouraged to play more hands if you are in a late position, as this increases your chances of winning the house pot.

Hand Distribution

Perhaps the most apparent way that luck comes into play in poker is literally the cards you are dealt. When the game begins, the dealer gives out cards to players after shuffling them. This creates a sense of randomness as no one can choose the cards they receive and simply have to work with what they have. If you are lucky and you're given especially good cards, you can build a strong hand this way. If you are unlucky and receive weaker cards or your opponents simply receive better cards, there isn't much you can do. 

The Actions Of Your Opponents

A major part of playing poker is bluffing, i.e. claiming to have a stronger hand than you actually do in a bid to get others to fold so you can take the winnings. While much of bluffing comes down to psychology, i.e. acting more confident than your actual situation, the response to this is the lock of the draw. You might try to bluff, but your opponents might refuse to fold, in which case you are put in a bad situation. Also, you might simply be up against people who are better at bluffing than you, and there isn't much you can do about this. In the same way that the cards you are dealt can impact your chances of winning, the players you are paired with can make or break your strategy. 

Finally, you have to consider the impact of community cards. Even if you have a strong hand, community cards flipping/changing in one direction or the other could weaken your game. 

Takeaways

Ultimately, poker is as much about luck as it is skill, as even the best players can be helped or undone by outcomes outside of their control. The main things to consider are your position at the table and, thus, the position you play in, the cards you are dealt, the cards your opponents are dealt, the trajectory of the community cards, and the power of your bluff. As much as you should strive to learn the rules of Poker, practice and improve your strategy, you should always accept that some things will be down to luck, and hopefully, this luck will be in your favor.