Poker and the "gambling" stigmatisation

bellam

bellam

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If you ask family, friends and other people about poker, alot of them will surprisingly tell you that it is a gambling game just like roulette and lottery.

This can't be further from the truth, as all of us here in CC know.

But since the golden years of poker (2004-2011) more people have acknowledged poker as a game that requires skill and precise calculation, just like in chess (that is counted as sport).

Maybe it's just where I live in norway, I'm not sure.

Do you think that I am wrong and that most people do understand the level of skill and math required in poker?

Or do you think that the majority of people still have this idea of poker being a game of luck and/or the players are just a bunch of drunk gamblers going all wild west with their house and money?

I'd like to know your opinions!
 
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BnaD

BnaD

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When I got back into poker about 6 months ago the biggest mistake I made was telling family and co-workers. Every time I see my parents they berate me. My co-workers refer to me as "the gambler". It's ridiculous. People constantly tell me about them playing the slots and blackjack now. I have no interest. It's a pro sport to me. I will never tell another soul off the felt.
 
playinggameswithu

playinggameswithu

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Yea I was in a job interview that went pretty badly. I told them I love poker and they though I was a fool/degenerate. I told them it was a skill game but the owner apparently played cash game without BRM and though it was bull. It does not help that the game is filled with degenerates betting their rent money at a terrible risk ratio.
 
Mare10

Mare10

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we can say what we wont but poker is gambling.comeone people we dont play poker in beers we play in money so just if you play in money you have gambling adrenalin for thet all we play poker :)
 
S

Smokewood

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Poker is gambling. Not to the same degree as craps and blackjack, but it IS gambling.
 
playinggameswithu

playinggameswithu

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Cash game with BRM is not gambling its a skill game but MTTs are gambling. Genuine gambling.
 
DougPkrMonsta

DougPkrMonsta

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Yeah there's a lot of prejudice against gambling... seems like everyone has heard some crazy story about so and so stealing from their place of business and losing it all to slot machines, so of course, anyone who gambles must be doing the same thing.

I tend to just keep it to myself now that I like to play cards - I enjoy it and can make money doing it... that is enough for me! :D
 
P

PKRNRS

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I have to say that poker is a game. As in any game you can figure out how to play the game to your advantage. This is true for any game. Tic-tac-toe, chess, sports and even video games. People who excel at game playing get paid to play against other professionals. At any time these games no matter what it is can be gambling games. Anytime you wager money on a result of an outcome then it is gambling. No matter what the game is. Money won/lost on results is gambling. No ifs, ands or buts.
Poker however doesn't enjoy a pleasant reputation. It's akin to bringing home a whore for your prom date. Bad reputation for providing a service that everyone has used at one point. This reputation stems from the fact that poker wasn't played as it is today in its early roots. It was how well one could "cheat" at poker. It spent decades in the gutter as people cheat each other out of money. Even today players continue to find ways to cheat the system. Fake chips, online collusion. It will never be a respectable thing to call oneself a "poker" player from those that look on from the outside.
 
lcid86

lcid86

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I don't talk much about playing poker. It's still considered gambling among most of the people i know. Video poker really damaged poker's image in the state of SC.
 
vov4ik

vov4ik

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For me, playing poker is skill-demanding and accurate calculations, sometimes luck comes in the game and makes a victory, you need to know a lot of materials for poker, but some people my friends think that I'm gambling only for luck, I think the majority people understand the level of skills and mathematics!
 
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neptun1914

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Every game can be played as gambling if you are a gambler. Poker is game of skill with element of luck. If you just push your money and entirely rely on the cards dealt you are playing it like pure gambling and it is indeed gambling for you. If you rely on your skills and constantly try to improve them you are minimizing the gambling element. If you add to that good bankroll management you are not gambler for sure. :)
 
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Yoda_Priest_X_Napo

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No you are not wrong, i am in fight with my parents for trying to make money from poker,they think i am insane to even try. nobody in my society has ever heard the word "Poker professional" , maybe it is because of the "outdated" small village that i live in Greece but i am pretty sure this is how it works for 95%+ pupulation of my country
 
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Fastone2

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I agree. I used to think the same way about poker. Until, my wife introduced me to poker.
 
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michael conley

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Nobody that I know believes that poker is skillful they believe its all luck and foolish to waste your money on. while I'm not a pro poker player just an average if it was all luck I would be rich luck is not going to make me money learning when to fold and call may help me, but not luck.
 
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Richardszabo

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This generation difference, but a positive direction has been taken recently in poker public opinion. I think it has a big role, luck in poker.
If knowledge always counts always the same player would win.
 
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shadow72

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Yes, poker is gambling ..... but the main difference between it and other casino games, is that you're not relying on blind luck to win. There is an element of skill and strategy involved as opposed to playing slots which requires a player to have a pulse (barely) and that's about it.

If someone who doesn't play poker (or gamble at all, for that matter) can't understand the difference, then they're just being stubborn, I would say.
 
Awrpze

Awrpze

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Lol! I recently got lectured about playing online poker for money by a family member that basically lives at the local casino playing slots. I thought it was hilariously hypocritical. Even some gamblers think playing poker is all luck.
 
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