B
Blown01Cobra
Rock Star
Silver Level
Poker is associated with casinos, and casinos are of course associated with gambling, therefore the assumption made by the general population is that poker must in fact be gambling. It is this general consensus that poker is gambling that I believe there is such a strong push to control, monitor, and restrict players ability to do so. And this assumption is only reinforced by the idea that many poker players, including professionals, contine to refer to the game as gambling. I don't think it's possible to be a professional gambler - a professional investor, yes. But gambler? Not possible, because no is so lucky that the coincidence could lead them to end up favorably on a consistant basis when the odds are far against them. There are no pro slot machine players. And the only professional blackjack players are those who are capable of turning the odds of the game in their favor (generally a 1% edge) using frowned upon tactics that find them kicked out of most private casinos and under constant surveillance.
In my opinion, gambling is making a decision to bet on something when the odds are not in your favor - generally considerably so - while investing is making a decision to 'bet' on something when the odds are in your favor - generally considerably so. Usually, gamblers are making a decision on a consistant basis that is not in their best interest while investors are making decisions that are in their best interest. It's assumed that an investor will make money with a rare occurence of a potential large loss, while gamblers are assumed to lose money while expecting a rare, but large gain in order to make up their losses. Again, we can play poker with a gambling mindset, but you can throw money at stocks bound to fail too - so it's not the medium that is the definition, it's the personality of the individual that defines the medium of gambling.
Essentially, it's quite possible that people can play poker with a gambling mindset, just as people are quite possible of "investing" in the stock market with a gambling mindset or making any number of decisions on a gamble, yet there continue to be stricter limitations for poker players on where and how they can play.
Basically, I think one of the biggest reasons that playing poker in the US is becoming more difficult is because even as poker players we're giving individuals the reinforcement that poker is a game of gambling, even though at the core we're simply making decisions based upon favorable odds, historical data of other players actions in certain situations. This is why poker is not gambling and why games like slots are. In poker we always have complete control over our decisions, and we can use tools to persuade our opponents to do certain things. Sure sometimes we get unlucky, but there are definate probabilities at play and definate data we can use to make the best decision. Consider horse racing for instance. You could say you have a wealth of information available, prior probabilities, etc, but what separates horse racing is that beyond making a bet, the results are completely beyond your control. In poker you always have the ability to minimize your losses, just like the stock market, you can always fold out and get out when things are seemingly not in your favor. You always have the ability to make decisions on the table that affect the other opponents, and nothing you do in horse racing, slots, roulette, etc is capable of persuading anything to go in your favor. Perhaps, in some ways, you have more control over the outcome in a card game of poker than you even do in buying stocks, where the results are again entirely beyond your control.
I just think the first step in changing the publics perception on poker is changing the way we refer to poker. What do you think? I did a whole write up in college I'll have to search for one time about how the decisions we make in poker are no different than any other decision we make in life with our money and how the luck that plays into poker is similar to luck that plays out in football and basketball.
In my opinion, gambling is making a decision to bet on something when the odds are not in your favor - generally considerably so - while investing is making a decision to 'bet' on something when the odds are in your favor - generally considerably so. Usually, gamblers are making a decision on a consistant basis that is not in their best interest while investors are making decisions that are in their best interest. It's assumed that an investor will make money with a rare occurence of a potential large loss, while gamblers are assumed to lose money while expecting a rare, but large gain in order to make up their losses. Again, we can play poker with a gambling mindset, but you can throw money at stocks bound to fail too - so it's not the medium that is the definition, it's the personality of the individual that defines the medium of gambling.
Essentially, it's quite possible that people can play poker with a gambling mindset, just as people are quite possible of "investing" in the stock market with a gambling mindset or making any number of decisions on a gamble, yet there continue to be stricter limitations for poker players on where and how they can play.
Basically, I think one of the biggest reasons that playing poker in the US is becoming more difficult is because even as poker players we're giving individuals the reinforcement that poker is a game of gambling, even though at the core we're simply making decisions based upon favorable odds, historical data of other players actions in certain situations. This is why poker is not gambling and why games like slots are. In poker we always have complete control over our decisions, and we can use tools to persuade our opponents to do certain things. Sure sometimes we get unlucky, but there are definate probabilities at play and definate data we can use to make the best decision. Consider horse racing for instance. You could say you have a wealth of information available, prior probabilities, etc, but what separates horse racing is that beyond making a bet, the results are completely beyond your control. In poker you always have the ability to minimize your losses, just like the stock market, you can always fold out and get out when things are seemingly not in your favor. You always have the ability to make decisions on the table that affect the other opponents, and nothing you do in horse racing, slots, roulette, etc is capable of persuading anything to go in your favor. Perhaps, in some ways, you have more control over the outcome in a card game of poker than you even do in buying stocks, where the results are again entirely beyond your control.
I just think the first step in changing the publics perception on poker is changing the way we refer to poker. What do you think? I did a whole write up in college I'll have to search for one time about how the decisions we make in poker are no different than any other decision we make in life with our money and how the luck that plays into poker is similar to luck that plays out in football and basketball.
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