The question is being played out in courts around the USA.

Let’s say you’re playing poker and you need one more diamond for a flush. The dealer turns a card, reveals a diamond and you win the hand. Was it skill or luck?

The answer is affecting the fates of people across the country accused of breaking anti-gambling laws — people like Kevin Raley of Colorado.

As an engineer, Raley finds that the mathematics of poker come easily, and he’s pretty good at keeping a blank face. Reading other people, though, is something he’s always working on. “It’s something I’m better at today than I was five years ago,” said Raley.

This goes to the point that Raley, 44, is trying to make: The better he gets, the more he wins.

You can find the full story on Los Angeles Times.