Poker is the ultimate game that millions of people worldwide enjoy playing. It is a game of skill, psychology, and strategy, which means that you can improve your abilities with practice and research.
However, there is one element that even the best poker players in the world can’t outmaneuver: variance. Every poker player needs to have an understanding of exactly what variance is and how it affects each game and hand.
Understanding the role of variance is key to managing your bankroll, resilience, and expectations, so you need to develop a strong grasp of this component. Interested? Read on for a poker player’s guide to understanding variance.
What Is Variance?
So, what exactly is variance? Essentially, this refers to the natural swings in luck and chance when playing poker. While poker is a game of strategy, players can experience both wins and losses purely as a result of chance and how the chips fall.
This means that you could make all the right moves, but, due to variance, you are never guaranteed anything. In fact, any experienced poker player will know that losing with a statistically strong hand is a common occurrence. While it can be frustrating, this uncontrollable element can add to the excitement.
Variance is measured as a statistic by looking at the difference between the expected results and the actual results over a designated period.
The Different Types of Variance
It is also helpful to be aware of the fact that there are a few types of variance in poker. These include:
- Short-Term: Variance that occurs over a few hands – this is highly unpredictable.
- Long-Term: Variance that emerges over weeks, months, or years. Skill tends to outweigh chance over the long term, but there is still an element of unpredictability that can cause a swing in results.
- Game-Type: The type of poker is also a factor. For example, variance tends to be higher in tournament poker compared to cash games as players tend to risk all their chips in fewer hands, which increases the chance of large swings.
Advice for Managing Variance
There is not much that can be done to control poker variance, but there are ways to manage it smartly. Bankroll management is hugely important in terms of managing variance – you can protect yourself by risking a small percentage of your total bankroll in a session or tournament.
This will reduce the chance of losing everything during a losing streak and allow you to continue playing even if variance is not on your side.
Variance in Online Games
Variance is also evident in other online casino games. For example, online pokies operate on statistical outcomes that swing in the short term. This is a big part of what makes online pokies so engaging – players can experience both winning and losing streaks at random.
Online pokies with fun themes and visuals, such as Big Bass Bonanza, Blazing Bison Gold Blitz, and Dog Days, are particularly popular in 2025. Every poker player needs to develop strategy and psychology, but they also need to understand variance. Variance adds an element of unpredictability and excitement to poker, but you also need to know how to manage it to improve your own gameplay.
