Is Texas hold em a game of skill?

Good poker is 80% skill and 20% luck even the best players can't do anything if Lady luck turns against them...

Absolutely.

Although the cards themselves are pure chance, poker isn't about winning hands, it's about winning chips.

Imagine a good player and a bad player are playing each other.

When the bad player is dealt 2 Aces, there's an 80% chance he'll win a few chips.

When a skillful player holds 2 aces, there's an 80% chance he'll take most of the other guys stack.

That's where the skill comes in.

well if it is, I dont seem to have any, but then again, I only play occasionally with my sons !!

yes it is a game of skill. sure you can win a hand due to luck but there is a lot more to it than that. knowing when to bet and when not to. reading the other players. not letting them be able to read you. knowing when to fold. its most definitely a thinking man(or woman)'s game

yes skill
and luck
but even a good skilled player can win a big pile of chips with a bad hand
and aless skilled player can lose a good hand (or not get many other chips)
i also feel its about knowing your players. after the 5/6th hand you know how the others play and how good they are, you can then use that to your advantadge!

hell no. its common sense and luck. its playin the odds. ZERO skill involved.

with sunglasses

Skill and luck, it is gambling;0)

Very much so
I learned that one day in auto tech while paying with actual money :(

It's a skill I don't possess, since I've never played it. Lots of people are hooked on it, though! Have you ever played?

Skill game is when poker pro play against poker pros. Once beginner poker players play, there is a factor of luck, because some of amateur player actions are compulsive and emotion driven rather than counted mathematically.

Among players of equalcard skills, psychology skills can trump some degree of dumb luck.

Texas holdem can be a game of skill. In playing this game you have to have a good decision making on playing with your cards. Having experience in is a big plus to get a win.

I play and find luck and skill in careful measure during play but according to laws in my state--Texas, Texas Hold'em is a game chance and subject to the laws of gaming. 3 things allow people to play leagally in their homes-1) no house rake, 2) not played in public and 3)players have same chances of winning.
At times all players can be lucky but not all player play skillfully.

I like to think it is a game of skill but have been beaten by players that were lucky if not more skillful.

It's a mix of skill and luck. Texas hold em is a 30% skill and 70% luck a player could have to win. Skill - ex. whenever you hit a full house on the first flop, then you keep checking till the fifth card, and no one thought someone's hit the full house or trips, then they bet a huge amount or all-in, then everyone's else calls or folds, then you simply just call it without anyone having the idea of someone having a higher card ranking, that's what you call skills. Luck - ex. having any cards, could be high or low card, but hitting the higher card ranking e.g. full house, three of a kind or 2 pair, that is luck.

By all means yes. The skill aspect is when you bet and how much you bet, which can be largely based off your knowledge of your opponent and knowing what he will/won't call. Also if there is a flush draw on the board and you believe you have the best current hand you have to bet enough so that no one gets proper 'pot odds' to call your bet and go for their flush (or straight, or really any hand that will beat you by drawing out :).

I've found that depending on what time you start playing, that it's more of a game of being able to stay awake. I'm a good player, but have intentionally lost before just so I could go home and get some sleep. Well that and my ride was getting anxious to leave...1 AM is pretty late in my town. :-)

No just the way the cards fall.

Absolutely a game of skill. I just read in Poker Pro magazine that pots are won 90% of the time before the river card. I do not remember if this is based on live games or just online games. If I have position on you and you check the flop, I bet you must fold unless you believe I'm bluffing. Thats skill. You will need some luck to play this game. Skill will pay off far more than luck.

yes it is a game of skill because it take a lot of thought and stragy to play this game

for me call casino game is a game of chance and luck. being a veteran and a newbie is not always not a factor in winning.. it's about luck. well that's for me of course.

50-50
You cant win without luck,but you also cant win without the skill.
The more experience you have the more luck you need when paying against players at your lv. of skill

Depends on how you play. If you grind for a living, there is pretty much no luck involved, for example you 4-table sessions online of say 1000 hands with a safe bankroll management. In this case, thee luck in the long run (say 50000 hands) evens out, that's just statistics, and all it comes down to is your skill (in playing AND game selection). Same if you just play a lot in general, even MTT players have consistent graphs, but there the variance is much bigger and the 'long-run' expectancy needs to be calculated by looking at the data of a whole year.

However, if you just occasionally go to the casino, or take shots at games much higher than your bankroll can actually afford, the luck plays an important factor because of variance.

You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, and know when to walk away.

I'd say it's mostly a game of skill, but when the skill level at a table is equal for all involved luck plays a bigger part. The trick is to play against opponents you know you are better than and knowing who to play against is one of the most important skills for a pro!