Texas hold'em poker: a qualitative analysis of gamblers' perceptions

Inhibitory control in poker: Do experienced non-pathological poker gamblers exhibit better performance than healthy controls on motor, verbal and emotional expression inhibition?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Strategic games, such as poker, require gamblers to develop several skills to perform better than others and to expect a potential gain. Players must remain as unpredictable and unreadable as possible by inhibiting the expression of their emotions in response to both good and bad poker events. The aim of the present study was to compare several aspects of the inhibition process in experienced poker gamblers and controls to better understand how inhibitory control is involved in poker performance.

METHODS

Thirty experienced non-pathological poker gamblers (EG) and thirty healthy controls with no or limited poker experience (HC) completed 3 cognitive tasks. Each task measured a specific type of inhibition: motor inhibition [Go/No-Go task], verbal inhibition [Hayling Sentence Completion Task] and expressive inhibition [expressive suppression task, which combines subjective, expressive (facial EMG) and physiological (skin conductance, heart interbeat interval, cardiovascular and respiratory activation) measures of emotional experience]. Linear mixed models with random effects were performed.

RESULTS

Inhibitory control skills were similar between the two groups, regardless of the form of inhibition tested. The only difference observed in EG was a higher ability to partially suppress the physiological expression of emotion. However, this difference was only present for negative and positive emotional induction and was not maintained for emotional induction related to poker situations.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The development of specific inhibition skills in experienced poker gamblers was not supported and raises questions about the transferability of poker skills previously discussed in the literature.

Connection Between Poker Playing and Problem Gambling with Sociodemographic Factors and Other Gambling Activities

Many variables predisposing to gambling and problem gambling are already known. Yet, little is still known about the factors associated with poker, which is one of the most popular and the fastest growing areas of gambling, especially among young people. The aim of our study was to identify the relationship of selected sociodemographic factors with playing poker and problematic gambling. The other gambling activities was also included. The results of the regression analysis demonstrated that the following variables were connected with playing poker: place of residence (p < 0.001), mother's education (p = 0.004) and that of father (p = 0.046), material status, both of family of origin and current, and financial independence (p < 0.001). The risk of problem gambling is higher in case of players with low assessment of their own current material status (p = 0.028) and those who are financially dependent (p = 0.046). The risk level of problem gambling is also associated with the poker players' involvement in: slot machine games, sports betting, Totalizator Sportowy (Lotto) games, casino games (for all variables, the significance level is p < 0.001). The acquired data helped us to identify the groups most exposed to playing poker and excessive involvement in the game and may contribute to the development of appropriate prevention programs to protect persons belonging to the risk group.

Psychopathology of Online Poker Players: Review of Literature

Background and aims Online Texas Hold'em poker has become a spectacular form of entertainment in our society, and the number of people who use this form of gambling is increasing. It seems that online poker activity challenges existing theoretical concepts about problem gambling behaviors. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a current overview about the population of online poker players. Methods To be selected, articles had to focus on psychopathology in a sample of online poker players, be written in English or French, and be published before November 2015. A total of 17 relevant studies were identified. Results In this population, the proportion of problematic gamblers was higher than in other forms of gambling. Several factors predicting excessive gambling were identified such as stress, internal attribution, dissociation, boredom, negative emotions, irrational beliefs, anxiety, and impulsivity. The population of online poker players is largely heterogeneous, with experimental players forming a specific group. Finally, the validity of the tools used to measure excessive or problematic gambling and irrational beliefs are not suitable for assessing online poker activity. Discussion and conclusions Future studies need to confirm previous findings in the literature of online poker games. Given that skills are important in poker playing, skill development in the frames of excessive use of online poker should be explored more in depth, particularly regarding poker experience and loss chasing. Future research should focus on skills, self-regulation, and psychopathology of online poker players.

Raisons de jouer, _motions et perceptions relatives au hasard et à l'habilet_ de joueurs pratiquant le poker Texas Hold'em en ligne

Although the practice of online poker is associated with high rates of gambling problems, little is yet known about what distinguishes online poker players with different levels of gambling problems. Three groups of Texas Hold'em online poker players (low-risk (n = 7), at-risk (n = 7) and problematic (n = 3)), were compared in terms of their motivations to play, their emotions experienced during play and their perceptions about chance and skill. Thematic analysis from focus groups conducted reveals that the motivations to play and emotions reported in the groups are similar. The at-risk and problematic groups distinguish themselves from the low-risk group in their overestimation of their personal skill. The beliefs gathered through this study will contribute to the development or adaptation of erroneous beliefs' questionnaires used with online poker players.