The title of this article is either transparently true or patently false - depending on your point of view, and the game you're playing.

I think it's more true than false, once we specify the circumstances. In a live, cash game or a multi-table tournament played No-Limit or Pot-Limit, I think it's deeply and importantly true, if not (yet) demonstrably so from a game theoretic perspective.

But, you may differ with me, and that's OK too, since the proof is still a faint hope. Let's take a look and see where we end up.

To keep the topic manageable, we'll stick with Hold'em, although the issue generalizes to all poker games of interesting levels of complexity. (Aside: One reason why some of the "simpler" games like Five-Stud are rarely played marked cards anymore is that there are optimal ways to play them and the more skilled players quickly bust the lesser.) ... Read more »