How do you explain to your family and friends that poker isn't gambling?

[ENRIQUE23977]

Hello everyone in the CardsChat community

For years I have wanted to dedicate myself seriously to poker and take it as a Business or Profession, because I have always had an interest in poker, I have read books, seen countless videos and articles whenever time allows, etc.
My interest is to continue on the path of improvement and constant learning so that one day I can play professionally.

This interest has made many of my friends worry about me and advise me to “play it easy” since poker is a game and falling into the habit of gambling “is the worst”. I explain to them that if you play with bankroll and with micro-limits and little by little you increase it, winning at poker becomes more of a mathematical task than a matter of chance and that the latter practically disappears from the equation until it becomes mere statistics and probability, but not everyone wants to see it.

My mother, for her part, says that what I'm doing is wasting time and you're getting old with that gambling addiction. Many times it has made me lose motivation. The truth is that my mother always looks for the negative side of everything, it is as they say "Fatalist". Without a doubt this represents a cross that I have to carry because in my family they will interpret this as an outbreak of compulsive gambling, but anyway I explain what I said before but it does not fully convince them.

If someone could give me some pointers on what to do and show my close friends that this hobby is no different from spending money on books, video games, etc., and that it can also be an interesting source of money if taken seriously. homework and studied about it.

I've asked this of other poker players and some have told me not to waste time explaining why strategies win in poker and it's not just dumb luck. Just don't tell me what I do for a living until I get good results.

What do the colleagues think?

 

[AlphaCentauro]

It is gambling, nothing to explain

 

[MK_]

I think honesty is the best policy....if you are wagering money on anything you are gambling,
poker does have far more skill involved than most forms of pure luck based gambling though....
that's why you see the same names doing well regularly. Maybe explain that to them... 😎👍

 

[SopianaeExtra]

They don't care in the slightest what I do with my money, and vice versa.

 

[otters]

You can't explain that it isn't gambling because if you play with money it is.

 

[mtmigmike]

Poker is not only a gambling, poker is similar to chess, good mathematical skills and concentration also help the game here.

 

[gon4iypes]

Well then if you play freerolls., then it isn't gambling. And if you play with your winnings it is not gambling either because you did not put any money in in the first place !!! What do you think?

 

[Stringy]

you tell them it is and don't explain anything

 

[Alexey Shley]

Poker can be viewed in different ways. If you don't know how, you constantly invest money, and you get large debts and treatment for gambling addiction. If you control yourself, play your bankroll correctly, study constantly, and this brings you a stable income, then it is not considered gambling, but rather an additional income.

 

[successlaw]

That's a hard missing to explain that poker it's not all about luck.
some people seem not to understand this for the entire life

 

[Gallarado777]

I think it's not worth explaining just say that you play this game and treat this game as a hobby and sometimes you also win cash prizes, that's what I think they need to know

 

[lauestla]

I don't explain at all. It would be tough to explain

 

[Pokerpoet2]

If you can swear down to only playing freerolls and assure them that's all you do play, then you are not lying, Freerolls are not gambling. However if you make a deposit on a site and play any buy-in game then you are telling "Porkies" (lying) Because money has entered the poker site from your own Pocket!
I Promised my Wife I knew what I was doing and would never make a deposit, that was twenty years ago and I have still not made a deposit on any site, I play SnGs and the occasional Cash game, but the money I use is from playing Freerolls so technically I am not gambling, I have never deposited my own cash On-line, So I cannot lose any of my money.
This is why I can go into a Club or Casino and play live games without her worrying I am going to lose my Home/Car because I am not a Stupid Gambler, I know my limits, stick to them and just play for the Fun of it, If I cannot afford to lose £50/£100 now and again I would give it up because I know what I am prepared to lose and never go beyond it.
Sure! It's Gambling! So is crossing the Road! But I look both ways before I do.

 

[Roobz75]

I have this debate with my husband. I try to explain to him that if you play with CASH absolutely, then it is gambling. If you play with CHIPS, as a game with prizes then it's not gambling.
I play towards a national league, in a member's club, with chips and a buy in.
Under the licensing laws in the UK, the club would lose their licence and be closed down, (The club is owned by a government political party), IF we didn't play with chips, therefore defined as a game and not gambling.

 

[j9944]

I tell them I know it's gambling but its a controlled gamble and that I know my limits. Its not like a fruit machine where you can just keep feeding money into it.

On any poker sites I've always set limit to monthly deposits and know that if I've lossed that's it for the month so upto me to manage which games I join

 

[waitandblead123]

I don't explain because my family doesn't ask me

 

[hardongear]

Having good results really is the key otherwise anyone you try to explain this too most will just think you're a gambling addict with a big problem and with only losing results you can't say much. On the bright side you learn real quick who your real friends are and who will except you for you. Even if you're a long time winning player micro/low stakes rec/hobby player some people will still always think you're just a gambling addict with a problem.

If you use a HUD/tracker, site withdraw history/deposit history you have everything you need. Also it helps to have a good poker/life balance. So if you're playing 12-16 hours everyday, never go out and never spend much time with friends and family well......again you got no leg to stand. I wish you luck Enrique from 15+ years experience with a lot of people this is an up hill battle. I lost a number of friends over the fact I enjoy playing online poker as a hobby, am decent enough to won at the micro/low stakes while playing and had a good poker/life balance. Still wasn't good enough. All a lot of people will see is a denigrate gambler.

Thankfully my family and current wife have always supported me and never gave me grief. But then I'm always careful to have a good poker/life balance.

EDIT: Like the cat pic. Reminds my of my orange girl Ginger.


Cheers!!!

 

[nabmom]

Hi Enrique.
I suggest that you think more about why they are asking you this. With your mother, it is likely that she is concerned about your financial stability. So what you can address wit her is how you are being financially responsible. Having numbers to show it is helpful too (like, "I've spent a total of 200 to buy books and buy-ins, and I've won a total of 300 so far").

For most people (the vast majority), poker is a hobby and you can maybe win a little bit of spending money. Your main source of financial support comes from something other than poker. I don't view responsible poker as gambling, because gambling is pure luck and poker is much more than just luck. BUT: If you are forsaking other studies or spending money that you need for living expenses, you are gambling with your financial well-being, no matter how serious you are.

You don't mention if you support yourself or have others helping to support you. You don't mention what other career opportunities you might have or may not be pursuing in order to pursue poker. These factors matter. Because ultimately it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, you have to decide how you want to live your life. But be honest with yourself and with your potential. Many dream of the big leagues, but very few achieve it.

 

[puzzlefish]

Hello everyone in the CardsChat community

For years I have wanted to dedicate myself seriously to poker and take it as a Business or Profession, because I have always had an interest in poker, I have read books, seen countless videos and articles whenever time allows, etc.
My interest is to continue on the path of improvement and constant learning so that one day I can play professionally.

This interest has made many of my friends worry about me and advise me to “play it easy” since poker is a game and falling into the habit of gambling “is the worst”. I explain to them that if you play with bankroll and with micro-limits and little by little you increase it, winning at poker becomes more of a mathematical task than a matter of chance and that the latter practically disappears from the equation until it becomes mere statistics and probability, but not everyone wants to see it.

My mother, for her part, says that what I'm doing is wasting time and you're getting old with that gambling addiction. Many times it has made me lose motivation. The truth is that my mother always looks for the negative side of everything, it is as they say "Fatalist". Without a doubt this represents a cross that I have to carry because in my family they will interpret this as an outbreak of compulsive gambling, but anyway I explain what I said before but it does not fully convince them.

If someone could give me some pointers on what to do and show my close friends that this hobby is no different from spending money on books, video games, etc., and that it can also be an interesting source of money if taken seriously. homework and studied about it.

I've asked this of other poker players and some have told me not to waste time explaining why strategies win in poker and it's not just dumb luck. Just don't tell me what I do for a living until I get good results.

What do the colleagues think?

Why don't you get a nice print of your bankroll over time and frame that? That should show you and them whether you are gambling or not.

 

[COMIRRR]

I don't think you should give explanations to those around you about what you like and what you consider poker to be, non-players will always see this game as something dangerous for the family's money.

 

[redmast]

No way. Poker is a game of chance. How can you say black is white.

 

[0546474]

I don't think you can explain it in just words. You need to prove it in practice by playing and winning steadily increasing your bankroll!!!Perhaps if they see that your bankroll does not fall for a long time, but gradually rises steadily, they will change their point of view !!!

 

[pankoffff]

Where you can win or lose money is a gambling, and there's no need to explain that. Without control, it can escalate into an addiction.

 

[viniavelar2]

Let's be honest, it's a game of chance.

 

[Alex Sentsov]

I explain, but no one believes)))