Betfair Punters Say Poker A Game of Skill, Not Luck

Betfair's odds tend to gauge public opinion. The consensus is that poker is a game of skill.

(PRWEB) July 16, 2006 -- Betfair's odds tend to gauge public opinion. The consensus is that poker is a game of skill.

Phil Ivey is 27-1 on Betfair to make the final table of this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

With roughly 8000 participants, the likelihood of making a final table of ten based on chance alone is statistically one in 800.

But, because Betfair’s odds are set by punters, they represent public perception of a player’s chances. And at 27-1, punters think Ivey is roughly 30 times more likely for the final table than the average Joe.

Aged only 27, Ivey is widely considered to be the best player in the world. He already has five WSOP event winner’s bracelets to his name. He narrowly missed out on a sixth, coming second in this year’s $5000 Omaha hi/low tournament.

Some others in the “Ivey” league include Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson and Howard Lederer, all given odds of less than 100-1 by Betfair Punters.

Betfair Poker will take more than 60 online qualifiers and three pros – Bengt Sonnert, Ben Grundy and Thomas “buzzer” Bhil – to challenge for the largest ever prize in poker. Both Sonnert and Grundy’s odds of being top European are 35-1 on Betfair.

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