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jasoncalac...
2
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BEST ANSWER  chosen by asker   |  jasoncalacanis  |  June 13, 2009 09:58 PM
I used to love chess, but obviously I've moved on to poker.

In poker you have two ways to win: having the best hand and convincing the other player you have them beat. In chess the reality of the situation is very complex, but very transparent.

Poker has so many human elements--deception, intimidation, portraying false weakness or strength--that it would be like playing chess if everyone got to have two extra pieces in their pocket that they could pull out at any given point at time.

I think both games are a great way to keep yourself and your mind active.
tags: poker, chess
Asker's rating:  
Many good answers, with excellent points. Jason obviously knows what he's talking about with both games, so I have to give him Best Answer.

voted helpful: philipy, rslakinski

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philipy
philipy  |  June 14, 2009 01:55 AM
I didn't know you played chess!

Found some interesing articles online.

http://www.jeremysilman.com/spiritual_journey_dw/poker_vs_chess.html

-- Quote

Self-deception is difficult to maintain in chess once you find some quality opposition, whereas in poker it takes a long time for most players to figure out that they are in trouble from the very beginning. Often the bad player in poker never does understand just how much of an underdog he is. For some inexplicable reason in America, it is quite acceptable to meet your friends once or twice a week at a poker get together and throw away a certain percentage of what you have earned during the rest of the week!

-- /Quote

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/07/poker-vs-chess.html

http://chessproblem.my-free-games.com/chess/games/ChessArticle.php?art=c008

http://www.chessfriend.com/poker-strategy/poker-strategy/why-should-a-chess-player-try-online-poker.html

-- Quote

After poker was getting popular, you saw quicky some chess professionals switch to this game. Why?

Because they saw the financial potential in the game.

Successful examples are IM Ivo Donev, GM Josef Klinger, GM Tibor Tolnai and GM Matthias Wahls.

At poker tables (even at high stakes games), you can find every day players which maybe have only 1200 - 1500 ELO, when you would rate them like in chess.

These players don't mind to lose quite a sum every session because they have fun in the game.

The same players would never think about to play chess with a GM or IM for money.

The fun factor is based on this:

Even the 1200 ELO poker players can win sometimes big pots when he is playing with a table full of pro's.

That's the luck factor. Long term he will be always the loser. But short term he will sometimes win.

If the same player (ELO 1200 in chess now) is playing a chess tournament with 9 chess GM, he will end up with zero points.

That's the difference.

-- /Quote
philipy
philipy  |  June 14, 2009 02:34 AM
And maybe the best one of all:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3497

-- Quote

What's a nice girl like Almira Skripchenko doing in a gambling den in Las Vegas? Taking part in the Ladies World Poker Championship, that's what. Like so many other chess players the former European women's champion is flirting with poker and taking part in national and international tournaments....

-- /Quote
ezekeal
2
Votes
ezekeal  |  June 13, 2009 05:03 PM
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.

voted helpful: buddawiggi, stanar

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philipy
philipy  |  June 13, 2009 05:11 PM
Interesting thoughts.

Chess is not really about memorisation as such. It involves memory and pattern recognition in the same way that reading involves recognising words. You couldn't read if you didn't know a lot of words and their meanings, but just knowing how to spell things isn't that useful!

Which Kasparov book did you read?
xave
0
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xave  |  June 13, 2009 06:59 PM
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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cilantro
1
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cilantro  |  June 13, 2009 07:25 PM
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.

voted helpful: philipy

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macmarlon
0
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macmarlon  |  June 13, 2009 08:33 PM
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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cmptrvir
1
Vote
cmptrvir  |  June 13, 2009 10:15 PM
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.

voted helpful: philipy

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stanar
0
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stanar  |  June 13, 2009 10:25 PM
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.
tags: money, poker, chess
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machochewb...
1
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machochewbacca  |  June 13, 2009 10:29 PM
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.
tags: chess, poker, game, theory

voted helpful: philipy

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hotnamelis...
0
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hotnamelist  |  June 13, 2009 10:56 PM
Chess: No luck.
Chess: No money.
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kirkmichie
0
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kirkmichie  |  June 14, 2009 12:33 AM
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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dbiddie
0
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dbiddie  |  June 14, 2009 01:13 AM
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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