[Tom Bayes]

[ QUOTE ]
really how much skill is there in this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you talking about draw poker or HU poker matches in general?

I'm of the opinion that while it's not the hardest form of poker to learn, there is definitely skill in 5CD and a skilled player will quickly skin an unskilled player.

That being said, even though Raymer admittedly has not played much 5CD, a player with his brain and his knowledge of poker theory who has played lots of other non-holdem games would be up to speed very quickly if he chose to play regularly. While Shaundeeb picked draw partially because of Raymer's lack of time playing the game, I think he would have fared much better if he had played a PokerStars pro with less experience in non-holdem games and less of a grasp of poker theory; names like Moneymaker, Rousso, and Ramdin come to mind. Hell, I don't think Victor Ramdin is any good at NLHE.