Is playing poker a sin?

People who believe in god have a question for you. Is playing poker for money a sin?

No

If it is legal where you are at, you are not breaking any laws, it should be alright. Might be something old testament but have not ran across it. Lot of new testament about love of money and temptation. If you are not cheating and staying with in framework of the game, no Hail Mary needed.

I guess it depends if you are religious. If you are... more than likely what you think is a sin probably isn't to someone else...and what they think is a sin may not be to you..it's all opinions.

The (subjective) sin in question is gambling but I think poker is unfairly lumped in with games of chance (blackjack, roulette, slot machines etc.), probably because it takes place in a casino.

However it is a statistical game of incomplete information. Just so happens to be played with cards. I don't see any relationship with gambling exepct for the bet sizing but this is more like choosing what to invest in relation to your expected return.

If playing an MTT you are not even risking cash on every hand and your inital investment is capped at the buy-in.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people do not recognise this and the stigma is hard to overcome.

Definitely, it is a dreadful sin, when I lose a hand.

I have had this discussion with my mom, who is a pastor. And while she does believe some forms of gambling are sinful she came to the conclusion (through our discussion) that poker is a game of skill with some luck involved. Therefore not a sin. Hope this helps.

It feels like a sin.

If you cheat and bend the rules in poker than I think you are sinning. Other than that I see no harm in playing poker for money.

A sin would be to have never played it

kkami said:

People who believe in god have a question for you. Is playing poker for money a sin?

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Playing casino is a sin, according to the Bible, but poker is not, as it is considered a strategic and calculating game, rarely involving luck and luck.

I believe in god and I don’t consider poker a sin, but my parents and some of their friends are very religious and they don’t like poker or any other type of gambling.

kkami said:

People who believe in god have a question for you. Is playing poker for money a sin?

Click to expand...

you are not making anybody to play at gun point all of the players playing poker or gambling willingly so its not a sin

Poker is a sport! And that's what it is.. different kinda sport I agree! But that's doesn't make it a sin.. not for me though.
But you can be addicted.. and we all know what addiction leads to...

Don't be so darn foolish. No it is not a sin to play poker. People have been gambling one way or another for centuries, When were growing up we were told it was a sin to play cards on Sunday, that an unnamed baby would go to purgatory if it died before getting a name. Then we learned that priests were sexually assaulting young people for years. Sometimes I believe that religion is a crock. How can churches justify building multimillion dollar buildings and still see people starve and live homeless?

Believe it or not to sin is the miss the mark or the point. That is all, nothing more, nothing less.

If you dont play poker well, one might say you are sinning.

So make sure you study as well, so you dont sin when you play.

enzomyn said:

Playing casino is a sin, according to the Bible, but poker is not, as it is considered a strategic and calculating game, rarely involving luck and luck.

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Is it really? Can you quote me some scripture to support your stance? Here are some which I think are in favor of casino. Tell me what you think.

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

When you play casino the house has an edge so overall you are doing more giving than receiving.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”


Here the bible is suggesting that you should make humble straight bets instead of parlays.


Proverbs 28:22 reminds us to tip our slot hosts or else "The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them."





Phillipians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.


https://superluckycasino.com/game/bible-slots/

Personally, I think the biggest scam is religion! Priests do not sow or plow, but only rob gullible believers (but this is their choice). And poker is the same kind of work and no worse than any other honest work!

Yes and we are all sinners! :lollypop:

(Nope)

I believe in God.
I think playing poker is a grey area. In some ways it is blood money because lots of people get addicted to gambling and lose everything playing poker. You could say that participating in poker is bad because of those people who lose everything. I think most people know about gambling addiction. Some of those gambling addicts can lose their family/ marriage, become homeless or worse.

I know someone who is a very good poker player and won a lot. He believes in God and quit poker for this reason because he didn't want to take money from addicts even if not everyone he played against was an addict.

The reason I play is because I think the addicts are going to play anyway. Somebody is going to take their money and it might as well be me.
I am currently more or less a break even player. If I start making money with poker I will consider donating some of it to Gamblers Anonymous. Good luck deciding what you feel good about.
Again I think playing poker is not a big sin unless you become addicted, but I think it is a grey area.

If you donate all your winnings to the Church then it’s a win-win situation!

Of course, everyone has their own understanding of this issue. But for me personally, poker is not a sin. Poker is fun. I play for fun, and money is just a reward for the time I spend.

I haven't heard the church speak out against poker !!! Some of its representatives may have expressed their opinion on poker, but this does not mean that this is the official position of the church !!! It's not a sin for me !!!

poker is still gambling hence it is a sin

but as long as im not doing anything harm to other people and to myself

i think the person above there will still let me in, when the time I'm knockin' at his door