IIT Delhi calls Rummy and Poker as game of skill
IIT Delhi professors concluded that Rummy and Poker are not the game of chance, instead, these are the games of skill.
Tapan K. Gandhi, a distinguished professor at IIT-Delhi holding the Cadence Chair Professorship in Artificial Intelligence and Automation, and his team have recently conducted a comprehensive study affirming that Poker and Rummy are games primarily driven by skill. Their study, titled "Online Poker and Rummy - A Game of Skill or Chance?" sheds light on the vital role of cognitive and various other skills in achieving success in Poker and Rummy. It also delves into how experience and learnable skills impact a player's long-term success in these games.
Commenting on the report, Tapan K. Gandhi, who serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and holds the Cadence Chair Professorship in AI and Automation at IIT Delhi, stated, "Amidst the ongoing discussions surrounding online gaming and the misguided belief that it relies solely on luck, our comprehensive study thoroughly examines the gameplay of numerous participants to determine whether skill or chance plays a dominant role. Throughout our research, we encountered compelling evidence that clearly demonstrates that these sports demand a level of inherent understanding that aids in developing players' cognitive abilities. Beyond the realm of skill specific to the game, we also observed that softer skills, such as understanding social cues, making decisions under high-pressure situations, and memory retention, all improved with consistent play."
"We are thrilled to present our study, 'Online Poker and Rummy - A Game of Skill or Chance?', which dispels the outdated myth of these games being luck-based and underscores the significant skill required for success," added Tapan Gandhi.
Deepak Dhayanithy, an Associate Professor in Strategic Management at IIM Kozhikode, shared his perspective on the research. He stated, "In the realm of online card games like Poker and Rummy, the analysis unequivocally leaves no room for doubt: skill, not chance, is the driving force behind long-term success. The non-linear trends in skill variables and winning percentages defy randomness, unmistakably pointing to the expertise and patience of the players. Both online and offline, skill reigns supreme, reducing variability, as seen in other sports such as Cricket and Golf, as players rise to the challenge. The research firmly establishes that skill prevails, enriching our understanding of cognitive prowess in the gaming arena."
The IIT study employs quantitative analysis with mathematical tools to ascertain whether long-term success in online Poker and Rummy can be attributed to skill. The data analyzed covers a substantial dataset of users who played between 30 to 100 games in 2-player, 3-player, and 6-player formats. The findings reveal that skill variables improve in both Poker and Rummy as users engage in more games. Moreover, the measured correlation between users' win rates is 0.904, indicating a strong positive relationship and underscoring the persistence of skill in these games. This underscores the importance of skill over mere chance in shaping outcomes over an extended period. The consistency in win rates highlights that mastering the nuances and strategies of the game can significantly enhance a player's performance. Such a robust correlation implies that players who invest time and effort in understanding the intricacies of the game have a higher likelihood of maintaining a superior win rate.
Consequently, the study concludes that: 1) there is no distinction between online and offline versions of Rummy and Poker in terms of skill requirements, and 2) in both Rummy and Poker, skill outweighs chance as the key factor for success.
