Poker
Poker can offer a long-term advantage to a skilled player because it is played against other players and not against the house. The casino usually takes a rake or a time charge. Whether a poker player can win enough from the game to cover the rake and make a profit depends not only on the player's skill, but on the opposition's lack thereof - the degree of difficulty can vary widely from casino to casino. Tables with relatively easy opposition are referred to as "soft."
There is another advantage to playing poker as opposed to games where play is against the house: since the house has no direct interest in the outcome of a poker game, successful poker players can operate openly without risk of being banned by casinos.
Read more about this topic: Advantage Gambling
Famous quotes containing the word poker:
“The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent.”
—David Mamet (b. 1947)