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Poker players and pastries alike rejoice as Danish court rules poker a game of skill.
Another salvo has been fired in the battle over classifying poker as a game of skill as opposed to a game of predominant luck. A Danish court handed down a ruling at the end of last week that poker can be won or lost based on the amount of skill a player possesses and not on how lucky they are. Said the judge, "You can win in poker based on being clever enough to hide your strategy, even though you might have a fairly poor hand."
The ruling came as a result of the president of the Danish Poker Association, Frederik Hostrup, being charged with organizing illegal poker games. The hotel and restaurant trade organisation, Horesta, sued Hostrup on behalf of Danish casinos. Hostrup claimed he was not guilty because poker is not gambling.
Over the past year, several countries have faced this question with differing outcomes. In the infamous "Gutshot" case in the UK, the judge was unconvinced that poker was not predominantly luck and fined the owner of the Gutshot poker club, Derek Kelly, and closed his club. In Russia, poker has been re-categorized as a sport on the basis that it is an intellectual skill game and now all poker tournaments are sporting competitions.
In the US, Robert Wexler has introduced "The Skill Game Protection Act" (HR) 2610, which seeks a carve out for online poker as a game of skill. Carve-outs are currently specified for horse racing, fantasy sports and lotteries on the Internet and the Skill Game Protection Act will add poker to that list.
The argument will continue to wage over this popular and growing game and whether or not its participants rely predominantly on skill or luck.
Another salvo has been fired in the battle over classifying poker as a game of skill as opposed to a game of predominant luck. A Danish court handed down a ruling at the end of last week that poker can be won or lost based on the amount of skill a player possesses and not on how lucky they are. Said the judge, "You can win in poker based on being clever enough to hide your strategy, even though you might have a fairly poor hand."
The ruling came as a result of the president of the Danish Poker Association, Frederik Hostrup, being charged with organizing illegal poker games. The hotel and restaurant trade organisation, Horesta, sued Hostrup on behalf of Danish casinos. Hostrup claimed he was not guilty because poker is not gambling.
Over the past year, several countries have faced this question with differing outcomes. In the infamous "Gutshot" case in the UK, the judge was unconvinced that poker was not predominantly luck and fined the owner of the Gutshot poker club, Derek Kelly, and closed his club. In Russia, poker has been re-categorized as a sport on the basis that it is an intellectual skill game and now all poker tournaments are sporting competitions.
In the US, Robert Wexler has introduced "The Skill Game Protection Act" (HR) 2610, which seeks a carve out for online poker as a game of skill. Carve-outs are currently specified for horse racing, fantasy sports and lotteries on the Internet and the Skill Game Protection Act will add poker to that list.
The argument will continue to wage over this popular and growing game and whether or not its participants rely predominantly on skill or luck.
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