Gamers here at Everygame Casino Red are aware of our main games of skill namely blackjack and video poker. Obviously, these are not the only games of skill that people play. Chess, checkers, and GO are also games of skill.
In this article, we would like to talk about games of skill from three points of view:
- Online casino games of skill are also games of luck.
- There are a few pure games of skill such as chess, SET, and others.
- Playing games of skill gives gamers advantages in other areas where some kind of skill is needed.
Online Casino Games of Skill Involve Plenty of Luck
The two games we have in mind here are blackjack and video poker. These games lend themselves to statistical analysis but until computers came around there was no way for people to analyze every possibility accurately. Computers have analyzed every possibility accurately.
So, gamers can look at a strategy chart and know what to do on every hand. Some say that this takes away the skill aspect of these games. It does to some extent but not entirely. There are many hands where the “obvious” play is not the best play and it takes skill to be able to make the best play even when it is counter-intuitive.
Finally, after the gamer has made the best play on the hand, luck takes over. Just because it is correct to split aces doesn’t mean that you will win both hands or even one hand.
The great attempt to take luck almost entirely out of the equation was when the MIT students perfected card counting and won big in Las Vegas. Casinos have found ways to combat card counting mainly by using several decks. But even with perfect card counting and a single deck, there was no guarantee that the MIT guys would beat the casino.
Some Games Really are Pure Games of Skill
This is an amazing facet of the skill versus chance nexus. Chess is considered a pure game of skill and skill is probably about 99% of the game at its highest levels. But even a grandmaster will miss a winning move over the board. So, there is some element of luck involved. The same applies to GO, checkers, bridge and so on.
So, Are There Any True Games of Skill?
Yes, there are!
Now we get to the true games of skill. SET is a true game of skill because it is only skill that allows players to see sets. Sudoku is also a pure game of skill because there is only the grid and the rules. These are immutable elements in the game.
A lot of people who are good at Sudoku at a high level find that the next level is a killer. There is even a form of Sudoku called Killer Sudoku. This form of Sudoku normally has a single tiny insight that allows the player to complete the game very quickly. Finding that single detail may take hours.
A player who loves to play pure games of skill will love these super challenging Sudoku games.
There is another pure game of skill that deserves mention.
Chess Problems are Possibly the Oldest Pure Games of Skill
A chess problem is a setup where white (usually) can mate in two or three moves or can play and win. The key to a good chess problem is that it takes a great deal of skill to find the one move that allows white to win.
As in Killer Sudoku, finding this move can be very challenging and it is only the skill of the player that limits or benefits them.
Some chess problems have a lot of pieces on the board and some are more like endgame studies with very few pieces on the board.
Great Chess Games are Very Informative
In addition, chess lovers can play the best chess games ever played. Perhaps the most famous game was when Bobby Fischer played against Donald Byrne. Fischer sacrificed his queen in a position where Byrne could not see the next 15 or so moves but Bobby Fischer could.
So, Byrne’s failure meant that Fischer benefited from his opponent’s lack of skill but in the situation before Fischer sacrificed his queen could be viewed as a chess problem: White to play and win.
Playing Games of Skill Will Benefit You at Work
There are several elements to games of skill. Many of these elements are physical such as strength, endurance, eye-hand coordination, balance, anticipation, and others.
Of these, only anticipation can be useful as a skill honed at play and then used at work. As an athlete, Wayne Gretzky was known for many skills, and among them was anticipation. He would know where the puck was going to be a few seconds ahead. He would know where a teammate would be a few seconds ahead.
There Are Other Skills You Can Learn Playing Games of Skill
In addition to anticipation, there are other skills to learn. Anticipation is sometimes called looking ahead but it goes deeper. Anticipation really involves a type of looking ahead that no one else is doing.
Do You Remember When?
Demonstrating a strong memory at work will elevate you in the minds of colleagues and higher-level employees. It is an expected part of developing a business plan for the next five years that people will often have to “look it up”. If you already know the answer, you will become a valuable member of many teams at work.
Knowledge and Memory are Related
Knowledge requires a deeper data bank of information. Memory usually involves things that the other people on the team knew once but have forgotten. Even playing Sudoku benefits knowledge and memory. Without it, players would constantly find themselves stuck.
Decision-making is Often a Function of Your Ability to Solve Puzzles
No one is a born decision-maker. By learning to solve puzzles, you can improve your decision-making skills. Here we are specifically talking about game puzzles and then transferring the skill developed there to solving work puzzles.
Many of the decisions we make in real life are simply solving puzzles. Even a political campaign revolves around solving the big puzzle of reaching enough people and winning the election. Sam Walton solved many puzzles on the way to developing Walmart.
This does not necessarily mean that Sam Walton became a superstar businessman because he played games of skill. It simply shows that solving puzzles and good decision-making are very much related.
Everygame Casino Red Encourages Gamers to Balance Games of Chance and Games of Skill
By playing all of our 300+ games, you can get the benefit of playing the games of chance for fun and entertainment. The games of skill are also fun and entertaining and add the benefit of skill.
We offer great bonuses, safe banking, and many other features that only a top online casino can offer.