Poker and Gambling.

Shaetano

Shaetano

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Off course it is gambling!
You can't determine what cards will fall, so what else would it be?
You gamble on the fact that you have the best hand and you place money o that bet.
Sure, you can apply math to heighten your expectation, but at the end of the day it stays gambling...
 
starting_at_the_bottom

starting_at_the_bottom

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Of course its gambling.

Why wouldnt it be classed as gambling?
 
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Mauno

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If it would not be at least partly gambling then most of people would not play.
Who would have a chance against pro...
 
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FlyingFitz

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Only when you are playing for real money

Gambling by definition is :: play games of chance for money; bet. Thus, you are gambling when playing poker for real money stakes, even if it is a freeroll or freebuy - whatever. If you can win for real, doesn't matter the buy in.

However, that being said, if you aren't playing for any real money and it is all just "Play" money, then I don't feel like it is gambling, more so passing some time playing something you enjoy, in my opinion.
 
Talden

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You are wagering money on an unknown outcome. GAMBLING. But in my opinion you can change/ improve odds by card selection. SKILL. Lol. Have a God one ..Tal
P.s.. But that being said you are gambling that some SOB ain't playing 72o and flop comes 772 lmao
 
MediaBLITZ

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It is a game of skill that incorporates wagering on the outcome of events. In other words; GAMBLING.

Same as being out on the golf course and making bets along the way or on the eventual outcome; closest to pin, beer hole, etc. It's gambling plain and simple.
 
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Excomm

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It has been designated federally as a game of skill and not gambling. It is designated as gambling in other countries.

Whether you consider it gambling is up to your own definition of gambling. If wagering money to win money = gambling to you then poker is gambling. If you think games with a skill edge (poker/DFS) are different than games with a house edge (roulette/lottery) then you probably don't consider poker gambling.

I personally consider poker a game with a skill edge and not gambling. It is similar to investing in the stock market (you are using the data given to you to spend your money where you think it will be most profitable).

I think for the future of online poker in the U.S. it is important that it is designated as not gambling both from a regulatory view and a public perspective. It is important to dispel the notion that poker is a game that only gamblers would play if we are to convince states to allow and regulate online poker.
 
MattRyder

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Without looking up the textbook definition of gambling I have to say that "it depends". It's certainly not the type of gambling that millions of slot machine and VLT players lose billions of dollars at every day. That type of gambling you CANNOT make a living at year after year. You can strike it rich on occasion, but you cannot do anything to ensure that you CONTINUE making money.

However, some professional card players make a living year after year for their entire careers at this game. What exactly are they gambling if they KNOW that their skill at the game AND at bankroll management will guarantee that they never lose more money than their poker BUSINESS can afford (over the course of a year for instance).

How can they be GUARANTEED not to lose money in the long term? By knowing when to stop, regroup, study, meditate, network, and discuss what they are doing wrong, and figuring out what to do to fix it.

Do most of us fall into this latter category? Absolutely not. For most of US poker IS gambling. Why? Because most of us don't have the discipline and dedication to make the right decisions when facing down a losing streak.

But, most of us can also learn from the pros, and work to become disciplined enough to limit our losses and take the time to learn from our mistakes. And, if it just isn't working out - know when to quit for good. I don't have the skill to be a professional poker player. BUT, I've been playing real money poker for years and have not lost money at it. I am definitely not a gambler.
 
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6bet me

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Is the owner of a casino a "gambler" on the basis that they allow other players to compete against them on games like roulette and blackjack?

Is a stock market trader a "gambler" on the basis that they engage in risky investments with no guarantee of a return?

A professional poker player is no more of a gambler than the other two people described above.
 
MediaBLITZ

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It has been designated federally as a game of skill and not gambling.

This is technically incorrect - it was determined to be a game of skill and not CHANCE, thus not subject to ILLEGAL gambling prosecution.

However, the actual ruling was reversed in the appeal of this case, though the statement of poker being a game of skill was not challenged. Whether a game of chance or skill was not on trial - rather the gentleman who was running an illegal card game in New York against the Illegal Gambling Business Act.
 
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TargetLion

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I think it is gamble...I dont know what is exactly, but something make it more gamble.Maybe money...
 
Dorugremon

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No, because it is skill.

Only because the word "gambling" has negative connotations attached to it. Poker is still wagering money on uncertain outcomes, therefore gambling.

As for gambling, your bets can have:
  • Negative EV: you get back less than the true odds
  • Neutral EV: you get the true odds
  • Positive EV: you have an overlay
Most games of chance have -EV unless there is a defect in the game that can change that. Such would include counting cards at Blackjack, due to the outsized influence of ten-valued cards. Clocking the wheel at Roulette could also be +EV since bets are allowed even after the ball is in motion, or influencing the dice at Craps.

You can also have +EV at sports betting, horse racing, and Poker if you have the skill to spot overlays. In these situations, the house doesn't have any stake in the outcome.

"Investing" in the stock or commodities markets is also gambling, even though Wall St will never admit it: it's still wagering on uncertain outcomes. Here, too, it takes skill to find "good investments" which really is finding overlays which are possible for the same reason: your broker has no stake in your results.
 
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Excomm

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This is technically incorrect - it was determined to be a game of skill and not CHANCE, thus not subject to ILLEGAL gambling prosecution.

However, the actual ruling was reversed in the appeal of this case, though the statement of poker being a game of skill was not challenged. Whether a game of chance or skill was not on trial - rather the gentleman who was running an illegal card game in New York against the Illegal Gambling Business Act.

This is true, but the crux of the ruling was based on violation of state statutes (i.e. the crime was not playing poker, but in running an unregistered "business" as defined by the IGBA).

Under the Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA) of 1970, it is illegal to operate a gambling business that both runs afoul of state laws and brings in more than $2,000 per day or is up and running for more than 30 days.

This rigid interpretation would have held up even for players engaged in sport participation for money like a golf tournament. This means that if the business is compliant with state laws it will not be prosecuted under the IGBA.

New York just used the IGBA to promote their own "poker is bad" agenda that has persisted in the state forever when they could have used any standard business regulations to prosecute the case for the same reason.
 
proud2Bwhack

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I love this quote about poker, dont know who said it:
The context is playing poker

"If you're not thinking, your gambling."
 
Ivab

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Any card game for money is gambling. In my opinion this obvious fact.
 
Kavaleits

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Of course poker is gambling. All what you play with money-gambling.
 
Syltan

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Poker is a game, play poker for real money is a gamble.
 
MrPink514

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Absolutely it's gambling. While skill is a big part of poker, luck is also a part of it. Therefore, it's gambling.
 
partz

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It is gambling for 95% of the players, the 5% that get the big stakes Im sure use an algoritm or something like that. Don't know if someone heard about the math teacher who won $1m from online poker using a mathematical formula.
 
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Gabriel Pinho

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Poker is not a game of gambling, absolutely. But sometimes you need luck in the game. Poker is a mental skill sport, strategy, cunning and mathematical probabilities and also luck.
 
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shayneww

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I think you can still be the most skilled player in the world but you still need luck to win.. so i think its gambling.
 
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