Poker players 'must have the skills'

2008-04-04 16:42:23

Poker players must have the correct set of skills before going to the table to compete with other enthusiasts, according to a US university.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University asked 41 college students with little poker experience to play 920 hands of Turbo Texas hold'em.

They concluded that students given strategies always did better than those who did not have a tactic.

Half of the novices were given charts that ranked pocket card combinations. They were also told that professional players usually play about 15 per cent of the hands that are dealt to them.

Meanwhile, the other group was given no strategies, just a history of poker.

All players improved as the hands progressed but the group that was presented with poker strategies improved at a quicker rate.

The university where the experiment took place is ranked 41st in the US. It claims to have partnerships with "world-class" cultural, educational and scientific institutions.