Poker is gambling. If that were the completeanswer then this article would be over.
is a better alternative. “Yes, Poker is Gambling – But Not in the Way You Might Think.”
We’ll dive into gambling, Poker, common objections and addiction. Continue reading or press play to begin.
Poker & Gambling Definition
Poker is gambling, whether you use the condensed or academic definition. This article is far from complete. There are many more definitions.
Poker is gambling. You’re buying into a tournament in which you can win it all or lose on the first round.
You are putting your money (or something else of value) at risk when you play poker. You could also get Pocket Aces preflop all-in during a cashgame on the other side of poker. When you bet , you are risking. Even if you have a huge equity advantage on the second best possible hand, it is still uncertain what will happen.
If we go back to our definitions, then this is still gambling.
What else is gambling?
It’s important to also consider other gambling activities that fall under these definitions.
We’ll start with the most obvious activities, and then move down the continuum until we reach things that aren’t perceived as traditional gambling.
• Lotteries clearly are gambling.
• Buying Stocks as an example, Amazon stock. You don’t know whether a stock will rise, fall, or even stay the same in the future. It is possible that you hope for it to go up. You may even think it will, but it’s not sure.
• Health Insurance Every year, you pay premiums without knowing if you will need the insurance due to an accident or ill health. You also don’t know if you will receive enough money from the payout if you do. It’s a form of gambling. If you get sick, your premiums will pay for more health care than the cost. You could “lose” if you are healthy but never get reimbursed for health care costs that exceed your premiums.
All day we could spend examining everything we do, trying to determine the level of gambling involved. It is safe to say that most actions are based on uncertain outcomes.
Some “normal” activities are gambling
Those who consider these two activities to be gambling may feel uncomfortable. Some people may call it “investing” or “hedging”, and they’re right. Both can be used.
Non-poker players think of games like poker when they really mean games that are 100 percent pure luck. Even the novice poker player will see that poker does not rely on pure luck.
In the short-term, poker is not 100% skill.
The middle is the answer.
Long-term, the skilled players will be ahead. The skilled players will earn more money but this won’t reduce the chance of winning a short-term game.
Definition of Luck in Poker
Try a different definitional activity. How can you tell if a video game is or pure chance?
You cannot choose a losing game strategy in a pure luck-based one.
Imagine the game Ladders and Chutes for children. If you are playing with a young child, the only way to “win” is for the child to feel good and win. You could think of a way to make sure they win.
There are no options to make and no strategies to employ (good or wrong) to influence the outcome of the match.
You’re going to have no choice but to let your cute little nephew take his chances. You do.
You’re older niece now wants to play Scrabble with you. You could deliberately throw her the game.
You probably have a larger vocabulary, and you understand the importance of “double words scores”, so that you can play defensively if the random drawing of tiles does not go your way. You can deliberately decide not to use strong words and dump your tiles rack when you are sure you have the winning word.
You can throw the game to her without her noticing. The author knows from personal experience that she can beat her when playing Uno.
This lens shows that it is possible to lose Scrabblebecause you have the skills, but not Chutes and Ladders due to pure chance.
How much luck is there in poker?
Back to our thesis question: Could we develop a poker strategy which deliberately loses money?
We have all witnessed people who are angry and frustrated by the end of the evening, when they seem to be doing this with the last half of their buy-in.
We could call down all the way and be the one to blindfold first at showdown if we were being more strategic about losing (lol). We can lose deliberately, which “proves”, that poker strategies are baked into the game. This proves that poker cannot be a game of pure luck.
Playing Games is a combination of skill and luck
Poker isn’t 100% luck. There are other factors at play besides the strategy of a given hand.
There is an overall, general risk.
It is possible to play poker in such a way as to be very risky, both for the session in question and your bankroll overall. is the concept of bankroll management (BRM). You can improve your skills and gain an edge with practice.
You can either spend money on training and coaching or you could risk not studying or training.
Poker is a game that falls somewhere between pure skill, pure luck and pure chance.
Poker & Religion
Religion is one of the biggest beliefs that affect people’s opinions on poker. We do not want this to turn into a theistic discussion, because we don’t know everything about all world religions.
A common misconception, especially among Christians, is the idea that “gambling” is a sin.
What do you think?
If you are reading either the Old or New Testaments, it is helpful to use an online search engine and search for “gamble”. (Spoiler alert: no results were found for this term or any related terms). You will find many passages that use a similar term, such as “casting lot”. However, not one of them mentions gambling. If it was, then it would seem odd that Aaron’s task is to choose the scapegoat by casting lots ( Lev 16:8).
Ask a religious leader if gambling is sinful. It is likely Yes. However, ask for the chapter and verse. If they cannot find it, ask them to look up Matthew 7:23. This will give you an idea of how the Messiah felt when adding words to the Word.
We like consistency. We strive to eliminate hypocrisy in our lives. We hope they don’t own any stocks, health insurance or other financial instruments or play bingo.
Poker Gambling Addiction
Let’s talk about the elephant in the living room: There is a problem gambling.
Gambling addiction and problematic behaviour are real. 모바일홀덤 have a gambling problem and need help. Bread is not bad, but some people are gluttons. Amazon is a favorite of some people, but this doesn’t mean that we should ban it.
The majority of people are responsible, and they treat shopping, food, and poker the way these things should be treated. Extrapolating from the bad behavior of a few people is never a good idea.
In all of these games there are three types: pure gambling, gambling with a slight edge and gambling with a severe edge.
You can show someone you love that you do this by showing them your track record, your study time and your financial responsibility, win or loss. A gambling addict would not be responsible enough to do such things. Students will be able to articulate their reasoning behind making decisions in poker, such as GTO Bluffing.
These are some of the questions you can ask if you’re worried that someone you care about has a gambling problem.
Poker Skills vs. Luck
The difference between playing poker like a machine and investing is to make as many +EV poker decisions possible.
We highly recommend that you sign up to Core on Red Chip Poker if you take poker seriously and are looking for ways to improve your edge.
CORE is an organized poker course and curriculum. This is the most comprehensive poker education ever created, including videos, articles, and podcasts that will take you from beginner to intermediate level. Even advanced skills are added. You will have a good foundation and be able understand what to study next.