for no one in particular...

[bdawg31]

(for the record I do call playing the lottery gambling :-)

Yes, i agree with you. I posted this here more for entertainment value than anything else. Of course, its important to keep in mind that not everyone thinks of poker in the manner that you do. Some people treat it as 'gambling'. They dont treat it as a game of skill - they treat it as a game of luck.

Look at Blackjack - i think most people consider that a form of 'gambling' - but if you ask professional card counters that can make it so they have an edge over the house - then they would use the same kinds of arguements that Danny N. uses to say its not gambling.

I think its a matter of semantics. One could say that when you put money at risk - you are 'gambling'. Even if you have a 90% edge - you are still 'gambling' the amount you are putting at risk - you just have an advantage.

I think poker players like to stress that poker is not 'gambling' because they want to make sure that people understand that they are skilled and are not just relying on luck (i would think it would be more profitable to let people continue to consider that its mostly luck, but that is just me).

Regardless - i believe a consistently losing poker player can have the same kind of addiction to playing poker that a gambler can have to playing blackjack or routlette or betting on football games. It doesnt matter if you use the term 'gambling' to describe playing poker.