Is poker really gambling?

[19aleks57]

I think poker and other card games are gambling

 

[terryk]

it is,,,and there is nothing wrong with that,,, :deal: $$$

 

[sundizzel]

The better question is... what is not gambling? It largely depends on how you define gambling, for which there are two accepted definitions:

1. play games of chance for money; bet.
2. take risky action in the hope of a desired result.

By either definition, poker is gambling. To say that it's not is ignorant. However, you are also gambling every time you cross the street, interact with other people, etc., and the method it is done is exactly the same as poker. There is information available to you, and there is information unavailable to you. You take the information available to you, combine it with your past experiences related to the risk being taken, and you make a decision. The outcome is largely irrelevant--in fact, outcomes are only relevant in that they contribute to your historical knowledge of said risk in the future, so it is a retroactive benefit. I think crossing the road is a great example because, sure, you looked both ways, confirmed no vehicles were coming, decided it was safe to cross, and someone hits a foul ball from the baseball field next to the street that clocks you on the dome.

Literally everything in life is a matter of risk versus reward, and gambling for money gets a negative connotation because many have succumbed to the addiction of the pursuit of money at the expense of themselves and their loved ones. I think this says a lot more about how we value money than it does about how we manage risk in our daily lives.

 

[Pokerstudy]

No, it is strategic investment if you play the game on a yearly basis IMO

 

[baykoshkar]

looks like trading. if not for the random generator. which cheating

 

[ChickenArise]

Yes, but so is almost every action we take as humans

I'll bet youre wrong!

Aw damn.

 

[sosiconec1]

Is poker really gambling?Reply to Thread

If u play freerolls or small buy-ins under 20$ i guess no.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If more like 109$ and high, it is gambling, cuz u have risk to lose

 

[rusyamingazov]

i think poker 40% gambling 60% knowledge about your opponents/game/strategy.

 

[KozakAlex]

my first post

I think poker is an intellectual game. But in all countries it is different. There is gambling and sports poker.

 

[Rob Hobson]

Poker is gambling in a short term. In a long run, the skill take over it but the luck factor still plays its role throughout the match.

 

[benitwapasu]

well it depends on what you are doing---if you are just playing a cardschat feeroll I would hardly think that could be construed as gambling.

 

[TerryBLE]

It depends who you ask, I believe that the more you learn about it less it becomes that just a game (what he is also)

 

[Rob Hobson]

well it depends on what you are doing---if you are just playing a cardschat feeroll I would hardly think that could be construed as gambling.

You're right. It happens at most all freerolls.

 

[RimworldDoctor]

At this point, enough people have been able to make a career out of poker that it should be assumed to be a skill. Long-term variance is a thing, but it's possible to be an EV-positive player.

 

[funnyhook3]

of course, like any game in a casino, poker, especially in the game for money, causes excitement

 

[pvenditto88]

Poker is 100% gambling in the short term.

 

[ivanlt18]

Yes you're absolutely gambling. But the diference between Poker and slot gambling is that you can actually apply a strategy, and with some skills you can win consistent money.

 

[MattRyder]

It can be gambling if you want it to be. The table below is a 6-max $25 buy-in PLO cash game turned into a gamblers oasis:

R Schreiner walked away with 5,000% profit from maybe an hour's play with an initial $25 investment.

Below Flipomat3000 has an 8,600% profit.

Clearly gambling (i.e., playing every hand like a lunatic on steroids) can have a huge upside. Try making this kind of profit grinding.

** The above examples are from today. These tables are accessible to anyone. **

 

[diego farfan]

In certain circumstances it is, but online gambling and in others is more luck than strategies

 

[lcid86]

Thanks to variance it is. No hand is 100% guaranteed to win pre-flop.

 

[MattRyder]

There's more:

 

[blkmoney12]

I would like to think that poker at it's core is a skilled game.

Good evening to you all. I'm replying to this post cuz it was very interesting to me do I think that poker is gambling. Well depends what you're talking about if you know that in for example your way behind him when someone goes all in and you have like maybe 8/5 or 9/10 suited and you know that you're well behind but you decide to put the chips anyways your gambling. To me at the core of poker is a game of skill and I think that eventually Will trump all the gambling and and luck out of it in a majority of time but sometimes it doesn't but at the end of the day the skill player I think will have a huge advantage over the player that just gambles and doesn't know what they're doing that's just me from a distance well until my next reply everyone have a good day and be safe goodbye.

 

[MrPokerVerse]

Yes, make no mistake it is gambling. Any time you have factored odds, it is gambling. What differentiates the form of gambling from other casino games is you playing against others at the table instead of the house.

 

[0546474]

Yes, make no mistake it is gambling. Any time you have factored odds, it is gambling. What differentiates the form of gambling from other casino games is you playing against others at the table instead of the house.

Do you know a game in which there is no excitement ??? I don't know such a game !!! For example, football, basketball, tennis or any other sport is already excitement and a desire to win !!! By the way, in each of these games there is an athlete's desire to win money !!! Or do you think that they do it just for the sake of sports interest ???

 

[MrPokerVerse]

Do you know a game in which there is no excitement ??? I don't know such a game !!! For example, football, basketball, tennis or any other sport is already excitement and a desire to win !!! By the way, in each of these games there is an athlete's desire to win money !!! Or do you think that they do it just for the sake of sports interest ???

It doesn’t change the definition of gambling. Those sports mentioned, wouldn’t be considered gambling. People may gamble on them for the outcome, but not as an event.

Not sure there were any questions or remarks about excitement mentioned in my post or the desire to win. It was reference as “casino” type of gambling for poker and how it is different from other forms ran by the house.