After reading the Gary Kasperov and Josh Waitzkin books. It became obvious that chess was all about memorization of scenarios. Poker is also about this but it seems to have a much stronger social element. It also seems that poker players have more fun. Also, both of the great chess players mentioned above have gone on to other non-chess pursuits, whereas Calacanis and other businessmen and celebrities consider poker a great leisure activity. I don't play either, but based on observation it looks like poker players are happier in the long-run assuming fat wallets or low bets.
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If I'm looking for a thinking game, chess. If I'm looking to have fun with some friends, poker.

Although if you want to make chess more social, try adding 2 rows of 8 to each side, and then playing 4 person chess. Or, play shots chess...
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I find chess much more satisfying than poker. I miss the long-term strategy element of chess in poker: every round is pretty much self-contained. In chess, I can slowly build my advantage with every move, and my strategy cannot be derailed by bad luck.
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Both are great games that take intelligent and a great knowledge of the game to win but I personally enjoy the interaction of poker more.

My friends are more opt to come over if I suggest a game of poker to a game of chess...
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1st, people

Poker requires multiple people, so if you've got a group of people who want to get together and play, then it's poker.

For chess, you only need one other person.

2nd skills

Both require a lot of thought. To play poker well, you need to have good math skills, calculating the chance that a jack or a spade will pop up and fill out that straight or flush. You also need to be able to tell when someone is bluffing and how to hide your own tails of bluffing.

Chess on the other hand is less mathematical, and more turn based, in chess you need to be able to keep track of many possible moves and counter moves in order to choose the best move at the moment.

3rd rules
Poker is fairly easy to teach and learn. Just deal ten to twenty rounds with pretend money and everybody should catch on very quickly.

Chess is much harder to teach. Each piece moves differently, and on top of that, there are some moves that can only be done in certain situations. If done on a computer, incorrect moves will be eliminated, and all correct moves may even be shown, depending on the software.

All in all, I'd go with poker. It's easier to teach/learn and more fun since you spend it with more friends. Though, I've never heard of anybody loosing a bunch of money playing chess.
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I will go with poker.

Poker is interactive, tricky, fun, win more money.
Chess is mostly a memory game, you need to memorize the strategic moves and use intelligence to use it at the right moment and the opponent. And some times boring.
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Both can be studied and analyzed using game theory but Poker is more unpredictable because it is a game of chance as well as skill. This element of chance separates poker from chess. I also like the social aspect of Poker too. In chess you don't get the opportunity to play and talk with 9 opponents at the same table.

The downside to both is that they are addictive games. Fortunately you don't go broke playing chess. By contrast, if you don't have discipline or self control in Poker you can easily go broke. Until I go broke, I would have to say that Poker is my favorite. I feel that if you work at learning Poker and game theory there are more opportunities to make money playing this game.
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Chess: No luck.
Chess: No money.
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I think it's a bit like comparing steak and grapefruit, but that might say something about my own preferences. Poker is all about probabilities and reading your opponent, and chess is all about strategy, tactics and to some extent, knowledge of the history of chess/prior games.
Source(s):
just my visceral response - no research

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Of course they are both about strategy, but with chess the strategy is completely against your opponent without the variable of the luck of the draw.

well, winning is always a pleasure and making money is always a benefit.

I never bet on chess but always gamble on poker.

for me chess is a battle of me against you and poker is a battle of me against you and oh by the way the deck says this...

I prefer chess any day. I once played a buddy of mine for 72 hours straight hours ,while snowed in with plenty of adult bev, and it turns out to be one of the best times of my life. BTW i won 24 to 20 :0
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