Just curious, why would you say the level of skill is somehow different between blackjack and poker? Seems to be six of one and half a dozen of another.
Blackjack and the many prop bets associated with the same are a static bet which the house has a 1% advantage minimum if the player strictly follows the book. That means typically if you are betting $25 and play 200 hands, the house will win $50.00. The average player will deviate from the book and the dealer's rules are static so there is no dynamic strategy in blackjack, and just statistical certainty how your opponent the dealer must play a hand. So in
Blackjack, a lack of familiarity with those rules, or inability to count cards in single or double deck blackjack actually make the house advantage greater. Like betting a sport bookie, over the long haul you will not win in blackjack playing it perfectly, but will get streaks which give the illusion of skill.
In poker your odds are dynamic and always changing first, by position of the button, second by four critical points in the game.....pre flop, flop, turn, and river. Each of those events have a multitude of statistical advantages to a player holding his two cards. Position allows a an early player off the button to display his response to his cards. He can match the big blind, raise, or fold, and the players in the late position with the button being last can observe and gather information , and raise the bet where they have position strength based on information gathered, and knowledge they will be last to act on a flop. However, position can change where advantage is to the early player who seeing a pair, flush, or straight draw can sell his cards to the later players by a bluff, or in the event of a good hand incremental bets which raise the pot. The blinds are usually considered the worse position to bet, yet the dynamics change based on the flop where a person holding crap cards will normally fold the blinds are pot committed and those crap cards can lull a player with good cards into a large bet because nobody would keep a 4/8 unsuited, and the flop is 5/6/7.
So where is the advantage to a good poker player. First, they must be fearless, yet capable of laying down a good hand based on review of exposed cards and understanding his opponent and the position of the bet......and finally be able to calculate "outs" as the cards become exposed and know his real odds. When professional poker players are playing lesser talented individuals their real advantage is greater than the 1% edge in blackjack, and there is no set answer, but I would suspect the gap of talent is in 0-5% range, and the more hands which are played the better players is almost always going to prevail. Luck certainly has a factor in both games, but Poker relies much less on the luck factor and has far more complex analysis which Should precede a players action. I have never placed a sports bet with a bookie, and only play casino table games and prop bets for pure fun.....I will never win. In poker, I can win based on my skills playing a lesser talented player, and lose against a better player. The power of observation and finding tells are something beyond the odds, yet I find that my strongest strength as I look a player in the face. None of this happens in the prop bets and blackjack.
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