So I just don’t know.... Why does it matter what people think of poker?
Enjoyed your post.
I suppose it doesn't really matter what people think about poker - I mean, whether they feel it's a good past time or bad past time is their opinion and I'll play either way. I enjoy it. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like poker has such a bad reputation, even for people who play it for entertainment and that bothers me, not only because it affects the assumptions people make about me, but also because these perception that Texas Holdem is gambling, gambling is evil, we must stop gambling at all costs online, etc aren't helping us at making poker more available online and live. Sure there's more to the situation and legality of poker than just the fact that's it's considered gambling by many, but it's that very perception of gambling that makes it that much more difficult to make more accessible. There's a lot of people out there who see poker as evil because it's "gambling", and that's just that many more people in support of keeping it non-accessible.
For instance, from time to time I'll be asked what I like to do for hobbies and I always hesitate to say poker because no sooner do I say that and can I just feel the vibes that they're making some sort of assumption about me. This is no truer than in my church, where if I mention that I like to play Texas Holdem from time to time that it seems like their eyes are glued on mine and that I need to repent for my sins of gambling, and it doesn't even matter if I try to explain how
freerolls work and that I'm potentially earning money without risking it. Perhaps that's their problem and not mine, but had I said I like to play some other card game like crazy eights or go fish, I hardly think I'd get the same response (even if I was playing for cash), and I believe it has entirely to do with the way that poker has been portrayed and linked directly to gambling.
If I tell those same people I enjoy working on my Mustang they think that's an amazing hobby, but the reality is that it's a terrible financial hobby. It's ungodly expensive, cars depreciate fast, and no bit of skill on my part is going to change that fact. I've spent thousands upon thousands modifying my car and people ask me "How much have you
invested in that engine?" when I go to car shows as though I'm going to see a positive financial return on it - I wish! I've spent a tiny fraction of that on "gambling" playing Texas Holdem, and even made a small profit and yet people still associate it as a negative hobby. Poker is considered evil around where I live, not because it's a card game, but because it's considered gambling and it's frowned upon. Yet going out and drinking on a Friday night around here is considered normal, fun entertainment - am I missing something of why poker is so far worse?
If for no other reason, I care because I'm a person that cares about my reputation at least to some degree, and I'm a bit tired of people always thinking that poker as this negative hold on my life when so many other things are just as dangerous and risky if not put under appropriate control.
I feel like our society has simply lumped poker up with every other high risk casino game. In my mind, there's this spectrum where stock investments are on the white side and slot machines are on the black side, and poker should perhaps fall somewhere in the gray, yet people just lump it over in the black.
