Like all gambling games, luck does play a major role in poker, especially in the short term. Poker is different than any other form of gambling, however. Unlike the other games on a casino floor, poker is a game of skill, and the world's top pros make money because they're the best players in the game.

Game Theory Optimal (GTO) poker is an umbrella term players use to describe the holy grail of no-limit holdem playing strategy  (MasterClass). In general, the optimal theory dictates that the player is always making the decision that returns the most profit in the long run.