[Skallagrim]

Mr. Rick said "In many cases people fold precisely because they have been dealt a bad hand and their opponent raised because they were dealt a good hand." This is not entirely correct, since you cant see you opponent's "good hand" your hypothetical player is folding because he BELIEVES the opponent has a better hand.

But either way it misses the real point: (using holdem as the example) there is no rule that limits what you do with any two card hand - you can fold AA, you can raise with 2-7os. The question is are the cards determining the outcome, the answer is NO, your reaction/decision to your cards and the actions of your opponents is determining the outcome. Your reaction is NOT CHANCE. Your reaction is an "act of skill," a calculated, intellectual decision you make based on how you see the situation and all the factors.

Do the cards determine your reaction? No, the cards merely influence your reaction (and even then only sometimes, every good player has at one point raised with a hand they knew was crap, they do it because they believe they can succesfully bluff).

"Determine the outcome" is the legal phrase in question. Not "a factor players use in deciding what action to take."

Skallagrim