By J. Joseph Rumley

"Impanel a jury of six of each, Luck versus Science -- give them candles and a couple of decks of cards, send them into the jury room, and just abide by the result!"  - Jim Sturgis, Defense Attorney as quoted in “Memoranda,” The Galaxy  by Mark Twain, 1870

There is no hotter topic today in the field of “luck research” than its application to poker.  In fact, the only setback in Poker’s 21st century catapult to mass appeal is the non-debated Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed in 2006 by the U.S. Congress all but criminalizing the online game in the U.S. as “a game predominantly subject to chance.”  (Note: gambling on horses and investing in stocks on-line were conveniently exempted).  As luck might have it, however, the law may have been a blessing in disguise for furthering research into the science of luck.

Since the law’s passage, researchers ranging from social psychologists to economists have met on the issue. The central debate for experts, however, is not solely over poker, but rather luck or chance versus science or skill – and for politicians, the means to tax it. 

Whether you view luck as a semi-spiritual force that one may possess, or as pure chance, full of mathematical probabilities, the “science of luck” may be loosely defined in dictonaries as “knowledge gained by the systematic study of the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life.” No matter your perspective, you’ve probably asked yourself at least once, “Am I lucky?”  Surprisingly, your answer may have a direct bearing on whether or not you are lucky; especially in poker. 

According to Prague resident and veteran poker player, Thorstein “The Poker Face” Wieffenberger, poker is 60% skill and 40% luck, but he emphasizes that a lack of confidence or an “unlucky feeling” will dramatically reduce your chance of winning.  We interviewed Wieffenberger in order to put a few luck researchers’ theories to the test..

Two notable scientists pioneering luck research are University of Chicago economist, Steven Levitt, and social psychologist, Professor Richard Wiseman.  Levitt, founder of Pokernomics, is currently analyzing poker hand histories to ascertain what makes a player luckier, while Wiseman, a former magician and author of The Luck Factor, is researching how a person’s thought and behavior influences their luck.  Professor Wiseman’s research has yielded some of the most intriguing data published on the subject, including which actions change a person’s luck.  

We began testing Wiseman’s theories by asking “Poker Face” Wieffenberger whether he felt lucky.  His immediate reply; “Yes! And I always have.”  In fact, he admits that even when he’s experienced difficult times in life, he didn’t consider the possibility that his luck had run out.  Wieffenberger’s advice for being lucky in poker and in life (which closely mirror Wiseman’s): “Read the rules, learn from friends, practice, don’t play scared, and don’t go in with a small stack.” 

As history often reminds us, luck can always change.  The deliberation option proposed by poker-faced defense attorney Jim Sturgis determined whether a group of boys should be charged with betting money on the children’s game “Seven Up” or “Old Sledge,” then considered by the state to be illegal betting on a “game of chance.”  Before proposing the option, Sturgis was almost certain of defeat.  The verdict in that case: after several hours of gaming, the jury ruled it was “a game not of chance but of science and therefore not punishable under law.”
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Obviously gambling, as the name implies, is a gamble.  But our conversation with Wieffenberger and corresponding research on luck science left us convinced otherwise. As famed playwright Tennessee Williams states: “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” We’d also like to add that having goals and directing your luck towards them may also improve your luck. Wieffenberger’s dream is to win “the big one” (The Word Series of Poker) and buy an island; with his luck, we believe that may just happen.  But whatever your dream may be, to quote Edward R. Murrow, “Good night, and good luck!”

How to Be Lucky***** – Professor Wiseman’s tips:
• Have a network of friends
• Go with your initial instincts
• Expect to be lucky
• See positives that can come from negatives
• Be open to new experiences and break routines
• Focus on things that go well
• Visualize yourself being lucky

Where to Try Your Hand at Poker
• Join a “pick-up” practice game in the Regierovy Sady beer garden on Sundays
• Play on-line at EuroPoker.com (www.europoker.com)
• Compete in tournament play at Golden Prague Poker inside the Prague Hilton Hotel (www.goldenpraguepoker.cz)

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