I'm having somewhat of a debate if playing a traditional game of dominoes is a game of skill or chance. Poker is usually considered a game of chance, so therefore if you bet with money it would be considered gambling.

Recently there was a restaurant here in town that was conducting a form of poker called, Kandu. What they would do is deal cards Texas Hold-um style to the player, then the dealer would flip the rest of the deck over to show the cards to the players then flip them back and mix it up and then start dealing. This place was slammed pack everyday with many people playing and betting on this form of card game. The operators of this restaurant was getting away with it because they considered Kandu a game of skill and not chance, because you were able to see the cards (although briefly) of the dealer. After about six or so months of this, the State Attorney General had the place shut down as they ruled Kandu as a game of chance. It went through several rounds of court battles, but the judges still considered it a game of chance, so the place had to shut down permanently.

I started to think about Chess, and I know that is a game of skill, then I started to think about dominoes. But I'm not for sure if it is or not. Any thoughts?

It's a game of chance, where your chance of winning is greatly improved by your own personal skill.

Jim

If that's true, then a complete novice should be able to beat the most seasoned player occassionally, based solely on the luck of the draw.

Can he?

quote Originally posted by maryjane: If that's true, then a complete novice should be able to beat the most seasoned player occassionally, based solely on the luck of the draw. Can he?

That does happen.

I guess with poker, the only "skill" would be reading the other players if they are bluffing or not. Watching these Poker Cash Tournaments on TV, one seasoned Poker player was saying that playing online he pretty much sucked because he couldn't see the other players, but on the card table, he was a master. I guess I can see that.

Dominoes has a draw, but it also has some strategy in it, as you are looking to gain points or to lock other players out of a hand.