Poker Training Site Puts up $1 million to Prove Poker is a Game of Skill

BluefirePoker.com, Phil Galfond’s poker training site, has challenged President Obama or any member of the US Congress who is willing to play a poker game against a poker pro to prove that poker is not a game of luck, it takes real skill to win. BluefirePoker.com is offering to put up $1 million against just $1 with all the money being donated to charities.

If poker were a game of luck, no one would be able to turn down this bet. This challenge comes just as Congressman Barney Frank prepares to introduce legislation later this month that will address the vague context of the UIGEA or the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Specific terms of the game have yet to be announced but the BluefirePoker.com website states each player will have the same amount of chips to start the game. They also say that, “The length of the game must also be long enough to demonstrate the advantage of skill because Poker prowess and experience demonstrate themselves over time - in the long run, the better player wins the game because the player’s skills increase the odds of success.”

BluefirePoker will donate $1 million dollars to the charity of the opponents’ choice if they lose. If they win, they will be demonstrating that poker is indeed a game of skill much more than it is luck. A win will help prove the facts needed in the debate over the legal issues with online gambling. Earlier in the year, Thomas James Jr., a Pennsylvania judge, ruled that poker is a game of skill during court proceedings. He even referred to a quote from Mike Caro’s Secrets of Winning Poker that says, “The money flows from the bad players to the good players.”

It will be interesting to see this $1million to $1 dollar poker game play out. No matter who wins or loses, BluefirePoker.com will have gained some popularity for making such an outrageous bet. Maybe Obama, or whatever member of congress is going to accept the challenge should take some training from the BluefirePoker.com site before accepting the bet.

News Added: 24 March, 2009

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