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Message: [QUOTE="NWPatriot, post: 5690534, member: 331149"] This is an interesting discussion. I myself am a Christian and I have struggled with this a little bit myself. I have rationalized it to the point that I do play and feel OK about it. As Christians we are taught to not harm anyone or take advantage of them. We should always represent our Lord in all things we do. If I win a game of poker against an individual, have I harmed them or taken advantage of them? We both chose to "play a game" within a given set of rules, so I have to say, no. What about if that person has a gambling problem and I exploit them for their money? I would have to say yes, that is harming another human being. Of course when we all sit down to play, we do not know this about our opponents, but if we intentionally target a vulnerable gambling addict, then I would have trouble with this. This then becomes greed. What about exploiting some random guy at the table? This is a fine line, isn't it? Are we back to the basic fact that we both agreed to play the game within its rules? Well, yeah, we are. Cheating to win a buck is a pretty clear issue - this is greed above all else. The deception behind a bluff is within the rules, so though it may be deceptive, it is a part of the game. If a person cannot separate the game from the rest of his life and he becomes deceptive by nature away from the table, then he has really lost the big game. Lastly, I will never verbally abuse another player at the table. I recognize that this is a part of some players game. If I determined that the only way to win was to abuse another player, i would probably have to find another hobby. This all sounds like just a bunch of poor rationalizations and justifications, and maybe they are. I enjoy the challenge of the game and also enjoy the psychological aspect of the game. But my representation of Christianity at the table is more important than winning. Good luck to all and God bless. [/QUOTE]

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