Luck or Skill?

[Monty]

Just wanting to provoke some thought while I am in the mood! How much of the metal detecting game do you think is luck and how much is skill? Reminds me of the old saying, "I'll take luck over skill anytime"! For me it has been mostly luck to this point. I dig a lot of iffy targets based on intuition rather than sound reasoning. I also pass up a lot of targets for that same reason and know I am occasionally missing something. I see a lot of posts to the affect that, " He was using a Gizmo Special detector and I came along behind him with my Roscoe Thriller detector and found thirty cents he missed". So what? Is your machine better than his? Some seem to think so, but I don't. Do you possess better skills at detecting? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Are you luckier than he was? Maybe. Did you elect to "dig everything" whereas he was discriminating out some signals? Very possible. Which brings us back to Luck or Skill? What do you think? Monty

 

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[Narked1]

All,
This has been a really fun read. To throw in my two-cents worth: Skill in terms of research gets you to the area to MD'ing, "Probablility" increases with your knowledge of the area and familiarity with your machine. "Luck" comes into play when someone has lost something in the past (that would be called "bad luck?). There is always that "something" called "Intuitiveness" that each and every one of us has. I think that's a real word.....Intuitivness. Anyway, the combination of research, skill, and intuitiveness leads to a good find based on someone else's bad luck. In the end, it is a combination of all of the above that allows us to make good finds. Me, I must be an idiot when it comes to this. Haven't found a darn thing yet, so obviously I don't know anything.

Just adding to the confusion factor here :P

 

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[rusty nails]

i think having the time to detect - leads to skill at the hobby and the more time u have to detect - the more territory u cover - which in turn - when u find something awesome in a huge area makes u feel lucky !

 

[littlehugger]

Monty,
Depending on your goals, nothing beats dumb luck!
A good portion of detectors have dreams of striking it rich, but do not get serious and soon drop out. A few, a lucky, minuscule minority, fall over a big strike.
Then there are the detectorists who genuinely enjoy the hobby, pursue it seriously for years, and invest a lot of time and money. I think this type is more likely to get lucky, as they make their own luck.
Given the difference, the dedicated detectorist does not give up after a run of bad luck, because he enjoys it, and knows the odds over the long run favor him. Short term setbacks do not bother him, as he enjoys the hobby for itself. The dabbler who expects to find a fortune with his magic wand, willl abandon the hobby at whatever point he perceives the investment as excessive to the payback.
Thinking of this, it strikes me that a dedicated detectorist could strike it rich, so to speak, in a different way here. By buying the barely used, high end detector from the dabbler, for a huge discount, after he gets bored.
Only an extremely small percentage of newbies ever hit the mother lode, which discourages most of them, and can be lucky for us, but neither type will be disappointed to get lucky.
As you quoted, pro athletes often say, "I'd rather be lucky than good" but only the most skillful athletes make it to the pros. You have to be very skillful to be in a position to get lucky in the first place!
Brian

 

[Vingamel]

Good RESEARCH beats skill and luck always. If the location doesn't have a history of people sprinkling the ground with their goodies, then the place has little to no stuff. No skill or luck will assist you in your hunt in that case.

 

[diggummup]

Good RESEARCH beats skill and luck always.? If the location doesn't have a history of people sprinkling the ground with their goodies, then the place has little to no stuff.? No skill or luck will assist you in your hunt in that case.? ? ?

Agreed,good research is a skill in itself,not just a matter of taking the time to look it up ,as one suggested earlier in this thread.If it were that easy to research a lost cache to it's precise location then everybody would be doing it.Knowing your detector is a skill aquired over time, through trial and error.Put these 2 skills together and you just might get lucky.If that's what you want to call it.No matter what though,I think everybody experiences a little beginners luck in everything we do that is new,or maybe we're uncovering a new hidden skill everytime that happens?Anyway what were we talking about?Good luck(or is it skill) and H.H.! -diggummup

 

[Nana40]

OK...so after three years, I may have to change my mind on this one. Maybe not all luck...but a bit of skill involved too.

 

[BamaBill]

You know what luck is right? Its preparedness meeting opportunity. If you doubt that, think of how you would be able to take advantage of a lucky break if you didn't recognize it for what it was. I wonder how many people have walked right by what they were looking for because they didn't recognize the signs?

 

[al-nm]

If you detect a place so many tell you is cleaned out already by them then its skill. If you are the one telling them its all cleaned out its luck.

 

[gamiller]

Just wanting to provoke some thought while I am in the mood! How much of the metal detecting game do you think is luck and how much is skill? Reminds me of the old saying, "I'll take luck over skill anytime"! For me it has been mostly luck to this point. I dig a lot of iffy targets based on intuition rather than sound reasoning. I also pass up a lot of targets for that same reason and know I am occasionally missing something. I see a lot of posts to the affect that, " He was using a Gizmo Special detector and I came along behind him with my Roscoe Thriller detector and found thirty cents he missed". So what? Is your machine better than his? Some seem to think so, but I don't. Do you possess better skills at detecting? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Are you luckier than he was? Maybe. Did you elect to "dig everything" whereas he was discriminating out some signals? Very possible. Which brings us back to Luck or Skill? What do you think? Monty

For myself neither, Persistence is the answer

 

[BamaBill]

I believe that persistence is how you even up the odds between skill and luck.

 

[gamiller]

I believe that persistence is how you even up the odds between skill and luck.

Thats kind of profound

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

Becoming familiar with your equipment comes with time and study of your particular detector.

After you learn your equipment, the more you use it, the better you become at determining what the target might be. That can be considered skill.

The luck part come with passing your coil over the target.

The skill part is the most important because it involves researching possible productive sites, as well as where to look once you arrive at that site.

Since you only asked about luck or skill, I will have to add that under 'skill' you have, research, perseverance, determination, and common sense all after you learn your equipment.

Anytime you blindly go to a spot and search and find a good target, you could consider youself lucky or was it that with all your developed skill that you just had a gut feeling that it would be a good spot.

Guess we will never know. LOL

It does not really matter because most of us participate in this hobby for fun.

Happy Hunting

Ray S

 

[Silver Fox]

Luck does NOT exist; it is an impossibility. You create all of your circumstances. You can be fortunate to be in the right place at the right time but it has nothing to do with luck.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Research:
I think skill will take the higher % with time but in the beginning luck will have the higher %.
As you gain more experience you will know what to look for and where to look for it.

Asking permission:
Same here and the owner also takes a place here I think you will "learn" "how to ask for a greater % of yes answers." Same as research I suppose?

Scouting the site:
I always "scout" a site to determine if it is worth hunting to death or not.
Here skill will be preferred before luck but still in the beginning luck will have the higher % skill will fine tune where your looking to determine if it's worth it.

Hunting the site:
I do cover it all and here the skill with the detector will after a while give you an advantage.
I try covering the ground more then once and with different coils and programs to take as much as I can.
Skill will give you an advantage and luck will give you more finds. With that combination well go and get those coins!!!!

 

[Silver Fox]

Research:
I think skill will take the higher % with time but in the beginning luck will have the higher %. (snip)

Never! THINK of what you're saying.

 

[Dimeman]

Whether or not you find any type of target, is in the subject matter in your brain.
1. location by research, 33 1/3 %
2.skill of the detector user, and 33 1/3 %
3. what attitude you have when you go out and detect.. 33 1/3 %

On the location , anyone can pick any detectable area and swing a detector over it. To get older coins, search where older coins were being passed around hand to hand. To get pulltabs , go to the area where beer drinkers hang out. No luck--- knowledge of where the different targets would be. Using your brain. Lucky location No, a good one or bad one, because of what happened there in the past.

On the skill of the user... learning your detector and setting it up to its best detecting depth, knowing what the detector is telling you is
the most effective way of getting targets. This it is knowledge.Again using your brain. A lucky detector No, a knowledgeable detector user.

Attitude----- if you go hunting after you had an argument with someone you are not thinking about detecting positively. Have a positive frame of mind!!!! Again you are using your brain. A lucky attitude?? No, a positive attitude.

When I go out hunting I think to myself I will go out and detect and enjoy the fresh air, being outdoors and whatever happens I will have a fun time. ( Today I got a 1910 Barber quarter in an area being hunted already--- the guy moved and I hunted behind him.I said to myself I am going to find whatever he missed.)

I believe each of these are equal. Knowledge is a skill. You can be "lucky" because of your knowledge, you can't be knowledgeable because of your "luck".

 

[BuckleBoy]

I believe each of these are equal. Knowledge is a skill. You can be "lucky" because of your knowledge, you can't be knowledgeable because of your "luck".

Well said! Knowledge IS a skill. I think you hit the nail on the head, and I'd like to elaborate on your ideas a little...

I think of MDing the same way I think about poker (since luck plays a discernible role in that game as well). In poker the more skill/knowledge you have, the less need you have for "luck." Sure, someone can still come along and get darned lucky on you and win. Blind luck will affect the Newbie detectorist that happens to live in that one trailer that sits overtop of a 1700's tavern site. That's luck. Or a person who doesn't know their machine at all, happens to wander over a CW belt plate. Luck again. Not skill or knowledge--or skill in obtaining knowledge.

Just as in poker, you'll get lucky sometimes--and others with little to no chance will sometimes get lucky too. But here's the BIG difference: Luck may get you great finds SPORADICALLY, but skill will get you great finds CONSISTENTLY. If you ask anyone whose sole income is through poker, they will tell you that they know their pot odds, betting odds, calling odds, and they'll always know how many "outs" they have (chances to improve their hand). In order to be successful, the poker player--as with the detectorist--must Minimize the need for luck. Skill trumps luck consistently. And any good luck above and beyond that is just icing on the cake.

Nice thread!


-Buckleboy

 

[Eu_citzen]

Research:
I think skill will take the higher % with time but in the beginning luck will have the higher %. (snip)

Never! THINK of what you're saying.

I am doing so but some old maps are "limited" to a smaller area or even a property and having some good landmarks left for you to find this property is luck, at least it is not skill that this landmark is still there.

The more experience you get the less luck you need. Now when starting out I think luck will have the higher % because your not experienced enough -YET- to let the skill have the higher %.

Blind luck will affect the Newbie detectorist that happens to live in that one trailer that sits overtop of a 1700's tavern site. That's luck. Or a person who doesn't know their machine at all, happens to wander over a CW belt plate

I do actually know one lad who had "blind luck"...
He does not know his machine neither how the disc works and he can hardly pinpoint.
Now while out trying to figure out his machine in his yard he found a signal that he thought seemed good, so he called me over.
I looked at the readings I got and I got a good signal beside iron. (like 4" away)
So he pinpointed the target and he pinpointed the iron so I thought I could take a target close to his...
but no he wanted that target and he dug where I pinpointed; a 2 Öre from 1907.(his house is built 1949)
I ranted about it before. Pure luck I was there...lol

 

[The Buzzard King]

It seems to me, that the most important SKILL, is doing the proper research it takes to put yourself at sites where the probability of finding older coins is higher.. Did that make sense? lol.
THEN you might have some good LUCK!

And being experienced and skillfull with your detector will increase your odds of getting lucky at these sites.

That's my experience anyway.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Research:
I think skill will take the higher % with time but in the beginning luck will have the higher %. (snip)

Never! THINK of what you're saying.

But in the beginning, you have no skill - so what's left? Luck.

Exactly my point.