Why do you play poker?

[johnp158]

This is something I think about a lot. I've gotten really into this whole poker thing for the last year and a half. Watch it on tv all the time, play a lot online (.5/1 NL right now), and have made a few grand. The thing is, I really don't have any desire for the actual money. I will admit that I've cashed out a couple of times to pay for things that came up, and I bought myself an ipod. That's really the only thing I've bought that I might not have done anyway. Besides being able to make a post-Katrina donation.

So I don't know. I've never been a gambler. That lifestyle doesn't really suit me. I'm fortunate to be financially well-off because of my parents (I'm a student and they still support me). I try to be consciencious about my spending habits and lifestyle. I'm not studying to try to get into some profession that's necessarily going to make me a lot of money. So sometimes I have a hard time figuring out why I'm so into poker. Because I certainly want to keep building my bankroll and moving up limits. Hopefully cash in some big tournaments at some point. It's just strange because I don't see money as my real goal here.

Anybody else ever think about this stuff?