4 ms·

I've always thought of poker as a game of skill. Sure, it's more or less dictated by the odds but a proficient player is able to make you second-guess those odd

I've always thought of poker as a game of skill. Sure, it's more or less dictated by the odds but a proficient player is able to make you second-guess those odds. I agree with you in regards to online slots and blackjack. There's a definite house edge and you're always playing a losing game in the long run. These games are engineered to give a false sense of strategy to less-intelligent participants. I don't think games of true skill should be lopped-in with slots and lotteries.

yahelc 15y ago
I don't think its a question of if poker is a skill; people, skilled or unskilled, can become dangerously addicted to poker and lose their shirts in the process. Most legitimate games of skill do not involve risking your livelihood to participate. To "disrupt" the gambling industry is to inevitably profit off of addicts. (Though, the same could be said of booze makers and alcoholics.)
- paulhauggis 15y ago
  "To "disrupt" the gambling industry is to inevitably profit off of addicts." The same can be said about MMORPGS. I knew many people from highschool that never graduated because of this addiction. More people need to take personal responsibility for their decisions. Many people gamble and are not addicted.
  - cobrabyte 15y ago
    Absolutely. I've seen quite a few friends literally wreck their lives by playing WoW and other MMORPGs. I used to play poker with a group of local friends. It started off friendly enough ($50 tournaments). They started playing a lot of cash games and the table stakes got crazy (e.g. $1k+ hands). Needless to say, I left that group behind. It's a matter of personal discipline. If you can't afford to throw the money out the window, you shouldn't be playing. I play because I enjoy the game and the company of friends.
  - nate_meurer 15y ago
    Wait a minute, aren't you the guy who is arguing FOR the War on Drugs for exactly this reason? To protect us from the addicts? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3392857 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3392857
  - Dnguyen 15y ago
    I'm surprise no one mentioned stocks and real estate investments. Those are, in some ways, gambling as well. I know many people who have no idea what they are doing and just blindly follow someone's advise and lost their money. I think at the root of it all, gambling in one form or another, is a problem for people who hope to change their life by taking big, miscalculated risks.

yahelc 15y ago

I don't think its a question of if poker is a skill; people, skilled or unskilled, can become dangerously addicted to poker and lose their shirts in the process. Most legitimate games of skill do not involve risking your livelihood to participate. To "disrupt" the gambling industry is to inevitably profit off of addicts. (Though, the same could be said of booze makers and alcoholics.)

paulhauggis 15y ago
"To "disrupt" the gambling industry is to inevitably profit off of addicts." The same can be said about MMORPGS. I knew many people from highschool that never graduated because of this addiction. More people need to take personal responsibility for their decisions. Many people gamble and are not addicted.
- cobrabyte 15y ago
  Absolutely. I've seen quite a few friends literally wreck their lives by playing WoW and other MMORPGs. I used to play poker with a group of local friends. It started off friendly enough ($50 tournaments). They started playing a lot of cash games and the table stakes got crazy (e.g. $1k+ hands). Needless to say, I left that group behind. It's a matter of personal discipline. If you can't afford to throw the money out the window, you shouldn't be playing. I play because I enjoy the game and the company of friends.
- nate_meurer 15y ago
  Wait a minute, aren't you the guy who is arguing FOR the War on Drugs for exactly this reason? To protect us from the addicts? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3392857 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3392857
- Dnguyen 15y ago
  I'm surprise no one mentioned stocks and real estate investments. Those are, in some ways, gambling as well. I know many people who have no idea what they are doing and just blindly follow someone's advise and lost their money. I think at the root of it all, gambling in one form or another, is a problem for people who hope to change their life by taking big, miscalculated risks.