Yes, Poker is legal in India because poker is a game of skills and not gambling. The legality of the sport differs from state to state because the Indian constitution gives state government the authority to enact gambling and betting regulations for their states.
- The Public Gambling Act of 1867 forbids running or being in control of a public gambling institution and exempts games of ordinary skill from the Act’s application. This Central law has been enacted by some states.
- Most states in India have legalized online poker. However, there are a few exceptions, including Gujarat, Assam, and Orissa, where the odd language of state laws has placed the question on the legality of both offline and internet poker.
- A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court maintained its 1967 decision in 1996, ruling that games containing a substantial and preponderant degree of skill are within the concept of ‘games of mere skill,’ and that horse-racing betting is a game of skill outside the scope of gambling.
- Several Supreme Court decisions have also stated that providing games of skill is a basic right guaranteed by the Indian constitution, and so games of skill cannot be prohibited.
- The High Courts of Karnataka and Calcutta have ruled that police/law enforcement officials cannot intervene in a poker game. Based on this legal foundation, many legal experts and jurists have concluded that online poker is legal in India.
What is Gambling?
Gambling means betting with money on basis of pure luck. There are no skills used in gambling. And since you cannot use your skills, there are going to be more losses than wins. Poker, on the other hand, is a game of skills. Being lucky is a poker advantage. However, with the right set of poker skills, you can win the game even with the worst cards. Yes, you read that right. You can win a poker game even with the worst cards if you know how to make your opponent’s quit the game. If all your opponent’s quit the game, then you will automatically win the game.
How to Win in Poker?
To win when you have bad cards, you need good:
- Mathematics.
- Logic.
- Understanding of human psychology.
- Poker knowledge.
These are the four things that can make you the winner when the cards are not in your favor.
What Does a Poker Journey Look Like?
- When you start playing poker, you are going to get lucky. You will get some excellent hands. You will feel great about your luck.
- However, when you start playing poker regularly, you will understand that you do not get excellent poker hands always. You will lose as many games as you are winning.
- If a player treats poker like gambling, they will lose more games than they might win.
- This is because there are thousands of other players who are working hard on their skills.
- They are working hard to beat you when they have the worst cards.
- They train every day to hone their poker skills.
- And in the long run, you cannot depend on luck to win a poker game. It is only 100% of skills that matter in the long run.
How Do Poker Players Ace the Game?
- Poker professionals treat the game like a 9 to 5 job.
- They learn about poker probabilities and learn about human psychology.
- Observing how your opponent is playing their cards can help you understand the strength of their cards.
- If you are playing in a casino, body language and facial expressions can help you figure out which cards your opponents are holding.
- You study how your opponents’ react when you are raising the bet.
- You find out about the playing style of your opponents. Ask questions like: Is he a tight player or a loose player? Is he aggressive or is he passive in the game?
- The more poker games you are playing, the more you get to find out about types of players.
- As you are playing more and more games, you will learn about decision-making.
- You will start learning about taking the right decisions in the right situation.
Poker is a sport. You cannot gamble to win. You need to use your skills to win a game. Even if you are a beginner, and you decide to play based on luck, you can win games consistently after a few days.
How to Win at Poker Games?
- To win games, a poker player must concentrate on winning.
- You can win a game if you play against weak players.
- You must be the shark and find the fish. This is called being smart at poker by targeting weak opponents.
- If you do not find a weak player, then you are the weak player. The shark is going to beat the fish.
- The strong player is going to beat you as a weak player.
- So, remember, no matter how good you get at poker, you have to follow this rule always. “Play games that make you win money”.
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