Is poker "gambling"?

darkassassin89

darkassassin89

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Total posts
1,851
Chips
0
This is something i ponder. I am a christain, and many people view playing poker for money is against christian believeifs. Because poker is considered gambling. Now, I have done a little bit of research to see what gambling really is and came across this blog.

I enjoyed reading it and Can agree with most of what is being said, however it does not answer strait "yes" or "no" if poker is gambling or not, but gives some good info about what gambling is.

Check it out and i would like to hear some feed back ;)

http://www.pokerlistings.com/is-poker-gambling

and from what the article was saying, many things can be considered gambling :)
 
B

Big_Rudy

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 17, 2010
Total posts
1,833
Chips
0
Just my .02, but I believe poker is definately gambling. Gotta agree with Doyle there. You are wagering on the outcome of an unknown event (the cards that will come to make the board and how they will connect with to help, or hurt, your starting hand). There is much more to it than that of course, but still definately gambling.

I thought it was funny in the article that the writer said there were many things that were -EV, like marriage. I'm guessing someone has had some bad experiences;) .

On a side note, and NOT to get into a big religious debate, but I wonder how many churches condemn poker, slots, etc, etc, but still run a weekly bingo night? If its OK for the churches, or at least certain churches....

Just sayin.
 
WVHillbilly

WVHillbilly

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Total posts
22,973
Chips
0
Hand to hand, sure it's gambling because chance plays a role in the outcome.

Long term, it's not imo. Skill is the determining factor.
 
rssurfer54

rssurfer54

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Total posts
557
Chips
0
life is gambling. you are never sure of any outcome, you are (trying) to make the best decisions given the odds.
 
darkassassin89

darkassassin89

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Total posts
1,851
Chips
0
life is gambling. you are never sure of any outcome, you are (trying) to make the best decisions given the odds.

I def. agree with this haha. So i gues i should stop living since I am doing something God does not want me to do :p

JK JK

But it is ture that even things that the church considers "not gambling" in hines sight, is actually a risk, or a gamble. Risk and gamble... hmmm do these things go hand in hand? like a -EV marraige :p

I guess im going to just sit in my room and read the bible. That is not a gamble to sit and read is it?

I guess i RISK the fact i could get a paper cut, but the pages are very thin so i feel my skin is durable enough to hand the edge's :p
 
Daniel72

Daniel72

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Aug 10, 2010
Total posts
2,284
Awards
2
Chips
18
Poker is not gambling, i´s investing. It´s only gambling if you play only few hands, dont care about the money or play for fun.
If you play it seriously, it´s not gambling in the long run.
Play 1 million hands and there´s no luck anymore..
:cool:
 
nevadanick

nevadanick

Back to work ... zzzzz
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Total posts
8,477
Chips
0
Like beauty ... 'gambling' is in the eye of the player.

Best definition I have found is...

"Risking anything of value on an uncertain outcome".
 
rssurfer54

rssurfer54

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Total posts
557
Chips
0
btw, my response was mostly to point out this is basically a definition war. you could say that buying a raffle ticket to benefit cancer research is gambling, but its mostly just what you consider to be gambling.

although im not religious, i think the best response would be to talk to your minister/pastor/priest or whatever and ask them for their definition, or just say the hell (literally) with it and do it anyway.
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

Jammin................
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Total posts
11,706
Awards
2
Chips
122
Its all been said, but just sat down with my coffee, so I will add here as well.

Poker is definitly gambling when it is played by some people. And it is these people that allow people like me to believe I have a chance to maybe make a small (define "small" lol) income with it, and it is these people that certainly contribute big to pro players ROI.

If the hand goes to showdown, then the gambling part can come into play. But that will depend on a number of things. Lets say you put your opponent on a High A due to his past play when he limped in MP and called your 4x raise from the button with TT. The flop comes K T 4 RB. he checks and you, trappy and sneaky player that you are, check behind. You are now convinced that he has the Ax. Turn is A. he bets 1/2 pot and you call. river is 5, no flush draw. he bets 3/4 pot, you go all in, he calls.

OK, now we come to SD. If he has that AX, were you gambling? Because you were using your information on him to make your decision to invest your money, I say no. If he has KK or JQ and was just being more trappy than you, does that change the answer to "yes"? I dont think so. What has happened in that case is that you have invested money to increase your information pool, and now know this players tendencies better, and can adjust your play against him in future battles. If you went to showdown purely on the strength of your trips, and did not lose too much thought over your opponents holdings, then this hand was a total gamble for you.

Next hand. You are on the button with Q9s. A SnG, 5 left, blinds 100-200. It is folded to you, and one fold is an extremely SS. You have an slightly larger stack than the blinds, you all have between 10-14 BB. So you go all in against the blinds. You believe the blinds are both decent players, so is this a gamble, or a good decision seeing as a player is about to blind out, and no one is going to risk their tourney life unless they have a premium hand? Win or lose, these decisions are based on thought and information, so, while a risk is certainly present, there are more factors influencing the outcome than just the cards.

This is the deciding factor here. Why you do what you do. And that is why the real answer to the question "Is poker gambling?" would be:


It depends.
 
darkassassin89

darkassassin89

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Total posts
1,851
Chips
0
Lol So some situations would be gambling, and others would be influenced by information that I have gathered on "villain" def. makes sense. So i guess I can say that poker is only a gamble if you make it a gamble :) There are situations were you tell your self, im just gana shove this hand and hope for the best, and other times u tell urself, I have a 70% chance to win so In the long run i will profit with this outcome, thus taking away the gamble factor.
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

Jammin................
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Total posts
11,706
Awards
2
Chips
122
Lol So some situations would be gambling, and others would be influenced by information that I have gathered on "villain" def. makes sense. So i guess I can say that poker is only a gamble if you make it a gamble :) There are situations were you tell your self, im just gana shove this hand and hope for the best, and other times u tell urself, I have a 70% chance to win so In the long run i will profit with this outcome, thus taking away the gamble factor.

Yes, and there are a number of other things to consider as well. Like hands that do not go to showdown. Why dont they? For example, I know both blinds are tight, and I have 2 7o on the button, and I shove or bet (this is hypothetical, and many factors would have to be considered, but in the right situation, I am doing this). One of them may wake up with AA-QQ or AK, but mainly not. So I am "gambling" not that my hand is good, but rather that their hands are not. But it is not a gamble really, as I know they will fold often enough to make it +ev in the long run. Many more example possible, such as going over the top as SB or BB and the button is stealing often, and so on. As long as these decisions are made on information you have gathered, the odds offered etc. then they are decisions with a certain amount of risk, but IMO not "Gambling". I am interpreting gambling as being an outcome based purely on random luck. And if you play using reads, math, odds, position, etc. then the randomness has been greatly reduced. The gambling factor is greater when your opponents play purely on luck, since they will not react on what you do, but rather on what they have and how much donkey blood is in their veins.
 
Pyrodc

Pyrodc

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Total posts
81
Chips
0
The funny thing is, I had a 3 hour debate last night with someone trying to explain this:
" I am interpreting gambling as being an outcome based purely on random luck. And if you play using reads, math, odds, position, etc. then the randomness has been greatly reduced. The gambling factor is greater when your opponents play purely on luck, since they will not react on what you do, but rather on what they have and how much donkey blood is in their veins."

But eventually had to give up and just take his money... ;)
 
josephs333

josephs333

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Total posts
115
Chips
0
I feel like it is definately a gamble, you not going to win on bad cards. A good poker player is someone that is very lucky, the ones that say that there is alot of skill is full of it.
 
bullishwwd

bullishwwd

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Total posts
5,725
Awards
13
US
Chips
254
Life is a gambling too

Are you asking this question for real? Wally

This is something i ponder. I am a christain, and many people view playing poker for money is against christian believeifs. Because poker is considered gambling. Now, I have done a little bit of research to see what gambling really is and came across this blog.

I enjoyed reading it and Can agree with most of what is being said, however it does not answer strait "yes" or "no" if poker is gambling or not, but gives some good info about what gambling is.

Check it out and i would like to hear some feed back ;)

http://www.pokerlistings.com/is-poker-gambling

and from what the article was saying, many things can be considered gambling :)
 
S

santa fe slim

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Total posts
216
Chips
0
No question, in my mind it is absolutely gambling. Even the most skilled player can lose to some donk who gets lucky. If you play in a tourney, you have to get lucky to avoid someone getting lucky against you.
 
bullishwwd

bullishwwd

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Total posts
5,725
Awards
13
US
Chips
254
Think About It !

If you believe it is OR believe it is not; either way, you are correct. Wally :)

This is something i ponder. I am a christain, and many people view playing poker for money is against christian believeifs. Because poker is considered gambling. Now, I have done a little bit of research to see what gambling really is and came across this blog.

I enjoyed reading it and Can agree with most of what is being said, however it does not answer strait "yes" or "no" if poker is gambling or not, but gives some good info about what gambling is.

Check it out and i would like to hear some feed back ;)

http://www.pokerlistings.com/is-poker-gambling

and from what the article was saying, many things can be considered gambling :)
 
T

thejuanupsman

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Total posts
409
Chips
0
Any time you wager on anything, whether it is a game of skill or chance, it's gambling. I'd consider a bet on a chess match to be gambling as well.
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

Jammin................
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Total posts
11,706
Awards
2
Chips
122
I feel like it is definately a gamble, you not going to win on bad cards. A good poker player is someone that is very lucky, the ones that say that there is alot of skill is full of it.


LMAO.............


So much wrong here that it makes no sense to contradict....
 
noW

noW

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Total posts
148
Chips
0
Hand to hand, sure it's gambling because chance plays a role in the outcome.

Long term, it's not imo. Skill is the determining factor.

This is exactly the same type of topic like mine where I ask of there is luck or skill... same type of answers etc.
 
thebigdawg

thebigdawg

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Total posts
1,288
Chips
0
This is something i ponder. I am a christain, and many people view playing poker for money is against christian believeifs. Because poker is considered gambling. Now, I have done a little bit of research to see what gambling really is and came across this blog.

I enjoyed reading it and Can agree with most of what is being said, however it does not answer strait "yes" or "no" if poker is gambling or not, but gives some good info about what gambling is.

Check it out and i would like to hear some feed back ;)

http://www.pokerlistings.com/is-poker-gambling

and from what the article was saying, many things can be considered gambling :)

I think as long as you keep God first in your life then your fine.
 
Mortis

Mortis

Skeleton Crew
Loyaler
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Total posts
11,932
Awards
6
US
Chips
664
Not all poker is gambling.. only when you spend money to play it in an effort to win more money. But then again, so is buying and selling on the stock market and investing in the real estate business.... those could both be considered gambling as well.

When you play poker for money as a hobby, treat it as entertainment money. Like you're going to the movies. Treat it like you are never going to see that money ever again and spend it wisely, and you'll be fine.
 
noW

noW

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Total posts
148
Chips
0
What a question. Is snow white?

I agree with you but the question is useless.
Argument: If it wouldn't be considered gambling then you are basically saying there ia no luck only skill and you can easily compare it to chess which is totally WRONG!
 
R

RamdeeBen

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Total posts
7,745
Chips
0
Of course poker is gambling. You are putting money on something to hope to happen (win). Anything with odds involved and money, is gambling. Of course it's not like a roulette wheel or the lottery where indeed this is just luck. There are ways to play in poker to "win" consistently. Just like horse racing, there are handicappers who know the ins and outs who can make a living from it but still they are gambling.
 
Related Gambling Guides: AU Gambling - CA Gambling - UK Gambling - NZ Gambling - Online Gambling
Top