  The paper aims to investigate the degree of cognitive skills required for
success in online versions of the popular card game rummy and poker. The study
focuses on analyzing the impact of experience and learnable skills on success
in the online card game. We also propose a framework to analyze online games to
conclude on whether they are games of learnable skill or are they games of
chance. The hypotheses proposed aim to test whether online and offline card
games are comparable in terms of cognitive engagement and skill requirements.
To assess these hypotheses, key elements of gameplay such as shuffling of
cards, card deck randomness, and seating of players are analyzed. We also
adopted statistical approaches to understand the characteristics of card games
in terms of random chance or skill. From the analysis, we could see that the
normality of the derived variables deviates significantly from the normal
distribution showing a non-linear trend. It signifies that the mean of the
involved skill variables is not zero as the user plays a greater number of
games, thereby strengthening the assumption that the long-term success in
online card games is attributed to skill and not chance. There is no difference
in online and offline versions of card games (rummy and poker) from the
perspective of requirement of skills. Moreover, our finding suggests that there
is a preponderance of skills to succeed in online card gaming. Overall, the
findings of this research contribute to a better understanding of cognitive
skills in online gaming environments.
