Do you consider poker gambling?

Jblocher1 · Feb 7, 2013

Interested to hear the opinions of the players on here. I know it's something that is disputed

Kenzie 96 · Feb 7, 2013

Of course.

Zin · Feb 7, 2013

I consider poker a skilled gambling investment.

Cooking · Feb 7, 2013

Yes, it's a form of gambling, but depends a lot more of your skill to win that the rest types of gambling.

emirlidan · Feb 7, 2013

gambling

a. To bet on an uncertain outcome, as of a contest.
b. To play a game of chance for stakes

by definition yes

but when I hear the word gambling i usually think of dice games

a roll of the dice and the outcome is there

with poker hands can be decided without a showdown

so yes it is gambling but I wish they had a better word

gambling just gives a negative image

RiverMeTimbers · Feb 7, 2013

emirlidan said:
gambling

a. To bet on an uncertain outcome, as of a contest.
b. To play a game of chance for stakes

by definition yes

but when I hear the word gambling i usually think of dice games

a roll of the dice and the outcome is there

with poker hands can be decided without a showdown

so yes it is gambling but I wish they had a better word

gambling just gives a negative image

I think it will soon be considered more of a "sport"

Definitely doesn't fit in the same category as the typical gambling type casino games....

OzExorcist · Feb 7, 2013

Definitely consider it gambling.

But then I also consider investing in shares or property to be gambling, so take it with that grain of salt if you will.

RiverMeTimbers · Feb 8, 2013

OzExorcist said:
Definitely consider it gambling.

But then I also consider investing in shares or property to be gambling, so take it with that grain of salt if you will.

Soo.... A financial analyst which approaches stock valuation and investment analysis with tools and various valuation measures to reach a more informed decision about a series of stocks would be considered gambling?? Given this individual is in fact a professional.

So then compare this to a Professional poker play whom devotes majority of their time to studying the "science" behind poker to make better informed decisions throughout their game.

Well, if an individual opens an account on e-trade only to pick a few stocks with no general investing knowledge or certifications; or a player with little to no experience or knowledge of the game shoves all-in top pair.. Well yes, then I would agree that it is a gamble.

But! play the cards, your opponents, odds, and take the time to learn and improve your game and this makes it more skill than luck.

Just my 2 cents.. (from a student pursuing a Finance degree lol) :albertein

Rappyness · Feb 8, 2013

Of course it is gambling but definitely a great one though! Its the only thing I gamble with though!

starting_at_the_bottom · Feb 8, 2013

Well of course it is, but you can improve your chances of winning long term by making sure you play people with small brains.

hackmeplz · Feb 8, 2013

Anyone who says no either doesn't understand poker or doesn't understand gambling. +ev gambling is possible gambling doesn't mean it has to be -ev.

MediaBLITZ · Feb 8, 2013

Gamble is risk - smart gambling is risk management

Buying a car is a gamble

Buying a house is a gamble

Starting a business is a gamble

Driving to work is a gamble

What things can you take control of to eliminate and reduce your risk in these gambles? If that is not doable then you have crossed the line into real gambling - throwing your money down with no control.

starting_at_the_bottom · Feb 9, 2013

MediaBLITZ said:
Gamble is risk - smart gambling is risk management

Buying a car is a gamble

Buying a house is a gamble

Starting a business is a gamble

Driving to work is a gamble

How about picking your nose, is that a gamble?

RamdeeBen · Feb 9, 2013

MediaBLITZ said:
Gamble is risk - smart gambling is risk management

Buying a car is a gamble

Buying a house is a gamble

Starting a business is a gamble

Driving to work is a gamble

What things can you take control of to eliminate and reduce your risk in these gambles? If that is not doable then you have crossed the line into real gambling - throwing your money down with no control.

I think you have the word gamble out of context here, I know what you're getting at - but I don't think it's what OP is looking for.

Buying a car is not a "gamble" in the real sense.

As for OPs question; yes of course it's gambling. When you wager money on an uncertain event; to try increase your capital - it's gambling. Poker is no different. The difference with poker is that; to some degree you can control the outcome in many cases as opposed to roulette for example which is pure 100% gambling.

Because there is a skill element involved in gambling where poker is concerned, people can make a steady income if skilled enough.

smokeme · Feb 9, 2013

yes..if its not 100% guarenteed.. its a gamble.

LuckyBundy13 · Feb 9, 2013

I consider getting up from bed a gamble, so to answer your question, yes.

Arjonius · Feb 9, 2013

It depends how you define gambling. Something that totally dependent on uncontrollable and/or unpredictable circumstances is clearly gambling; e.g. craps, roulette. From there, it becomes a matter of how much you can improve the probability of outcomes that are in your favor; e.g. by being a better poker player than your opponents, knowing racehorses better than most bettors, having better knowledge as to how particular stocks are likely to change in value, etc. It's pretty subjective as to how small the unpredictable / uncontrollable element has to be before something that has some of this becomes not gambling in a given person's mind.

dragonflyamb · Feb 9, 2013

Yes, of course it's gambling. But, unlike the slots roulette or dice where you have zero control over the outcome, you do have some control in poker. You can certainly influence the outcome by the way that you play your cards, position and the other players.

kmbpoker · Feb 9, 2013

of coarse it is. it does not matter how good you are or the extent of your skills or knowledge of the game there is still the luck of the draw and you can only eliminate about 30% of the luck factor with skill. so yeah in any given hand or game the worst player can beat the best player. so is it gambling yeah. is it a game of skill , yeah.long term the skill will beat the luck but it is still gambling.

kmbpoker · Feb 9, 2013

you also dont have to put your bets up front before seeing your cards, which makes it by far the most skillful of any gambling, but none the less still gambling.

MediaBLITZ · Feb 9, 2013

ramdeebam said:
I think you have the word gamble out of context here, I know what you're getting at - but I don't think it's what OP is looking for.
Buying a car is not a "gamble" in the real sense.

..or am I putting the word INTO context.
Much like the items I listed, the poker game risk is reduced in one manner - accumulate information and put it to work for you at the right time anf right place. Any lack of information increases the risk.

And at this particular time there is no way you can tell me that the car I bought last month that loked a drove so good (turning into a $3300 money pit and wiping out my bankroll so I cannot go to the casino until probably fall) was not a gamble.

vinylspiros · Feb 9, 2013

yes,it is gambling. its another thing if someone is good at it or not but it is still gambling. i think that we dont tend to like the use of the word gamble because we make educated decisions of course but the outcome is uncertain there for ,if someone believes its not a gamble,he is just fooling himself.
OP didnt ask if its profitable or if its beatable or if some are better than others. He asked if its a gamble.so yes it is.
but you cannot put fishing with explosives and fishing with a spear in the same category. you can not put poker and dice in the same category. its more like elegant gambling . prestigious gambling so to speak.

cloverlines · Feb 9, 2013

Yes. It's gambling. So is everything else in the world. Any risk is a gamble.
I would just rather gamble on my own skills. That's what appeals to me about poker.

coyotegal · Feb 9, 2013

Yup. It's gambling. But one can learn to increase the odds in their favor by learning the ins and outs of it and become skillfull enough at it to greatly increase their odds of coming out on the winning end.

John A · Feb 10, 2013

Life is a gamble.

What they've used in court to move poker from a game of chance to a game of skill is prove that in poker you can purposely lose all your money by the decision you make, as opposed to other games of chance (dice, roulette, slots, etc...), where you can't purposely lose all your money. You could win even though you're don't want to.

Do you consider poker gambling?

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