is poker gambling?

[Socrates 0]

Receptionist: Yes, sir?Man: I'd like to have an argument please.Receptionist: Certainly, sir, have you been here before...?Man: No, this is my first time.Receptionist: I see. Do you want to have the full argument, or were you thinking of taking a course?Man: Well, what would be the cost?Receptionist: Yes, it's one pound for a five-minute argument, but only eight pounds for a course of ten.Man: Well, I think it's probably best of I start with the one and see how it goes from there. OK?Receptionist: Fine. I'll see who's free at the moment... Mr. Du-Bakey's free, but he's a little bit concilliatory... Yes, try Mr. Barnard -- Room 12.Man: Thank you.[...] The man knocks on the door.Mr Vibrating:(from within) Come in.The man enters the room. Mr Vibrating is sitting at a desk.Man: Is this the right room for an argument?Mr Vibrating: I've told you once.Man: No you haven't.Mr Vibrating: Yes I have.Man: When?Mr Vibrating: Just now!Man: No you didn't.Mr Vibrating: Yes I did!Man: Didn't.Mr Vibrating: Did.Man: Didn't.Mr Vibrating: I'm telling you I did!Man: You did not!Mr Vibrating: I'm sorry, is this a five minute argument, or the full half-hour?Man: Oh, just a five minute one.Mr Vibrating: Fine. (makes a note of it; the man sits down) Thank you. Anyway I did.Man: You most certainly did not.Mr Vibrating: Now, let's get one thing quite clear... I most definitely told you!Man: You did not.Mr Vibrating: Yes I did.Man: You did not.Mr Vibrating: Yes I did.Man: Didn't.Mr Vibrating: Yes I did.Man: Didn't.Mr Vibrating: Yes I did!!Man: Look this isn't an argument.Mr Vibrating: Yes it is.Man: No it isn't, it's just contradiction.Mr Vibrating: No it isn't.Man: Yes it is.Mr Vibrating: It is not.Man: It is. You just contradicted me.Mr Vibrating: No I didn't.Man: Ooh, you did!Mr Vibrating: No, no, no, no, no.Man: You did, just then.Mr Vibrating: No, nonsense!Man: Oh, look this is futile.Mr Vibrating: No it isn't.Man: I came here for a good argument.Mr Vibrating: No you didn't, you came here for an argument.Man: Well, an argument's not the same as contradiction.Mr Vibrating: It can be.Man: No it can't. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a definite proposition.Mr Vibrating: No it isn't.Man: Yes it is. It isn't just contradiction.Mr Vibrating: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.Man: But it isn't just saying "No it isn't".Mr Vibrating: Yes it is.Man: No it isn't, an argument is an intellectual process... contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.Mr Vibrating: No it isn't.Man: Yes it is.Mr Vibrating: Not at all.Man: Now look!Mr Vibrating:(pressing the bell on his desk) Thank you, good morning.Man: What?Mr Vibrating: That's it. Good morning.Man: But I was just getting interested.Mr Vibrating: Sorry the five minutes is up.Man: That was never five minutes just now!Mr Vibrating: I'm afraid it was.Man: No it wasn't.Mr Vibrating: I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more.Man: What!?Mr Vibrating: If you want me to go on arguing, you'll have to pay for another five minutes.Man: But that was never five minutes just now... oh come on! (Vibrating looks round as though man was not there) This is ridiculous.Mr Vibrating: I'm very sorry, but I told you I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid.Man: Oh. All right. (pays) There you are.Mr Vibrating: Thank you.Man: Well?Mr Vibrating: Well what?Man: That was never five minutes just now.Mr Vibrating: I told you I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid.Man: I've just paid.Mr Vibrating: No you didn't.Man: I did! I did! I did!Mr Vibrating: No you didn't.Man: Look I don't want to argue about that.Mr Vibrating: Well I'm very sorry but you didn't pay.Man: Aha! Well if I didn't pay, why are you arguing... got you!Mr Vibrating: No you haven't.Man: Yes I have... if you're arguing I must have paid.Mr Vibrating: Not necessarily. I could be arguing in my spare time.Man: I've had enough of this.Mr Vibrating: No you haven't.

[justblaze 0]

I hate to do this blazeBut u made me, with your comment about spending money trying to live a life you couldnt afford, especially with Lawyers as parents.No offence, but 3 years ago.. which did u fall under??????

ROFL. not quite. My social circle includes a lot of people from well-off families. most of those families give their kids a lot of spending money. My parents tried to instill in me the value of the dollar, work ethic, etc. by not just handing me money. Of course, when your a teenager all you care about is getting the girl and keeping up with the jones'. Girls in my area are expensive. I went after the quick cash, and spent it just as fast. Had a good time, though

[krup24 0]

i could, but then i couldnt go to school. cant afford both, especially considering id have to give up the 9-5 to attend class. Its a messed up situation, i appreciate all the advice. However, this is why i didnt want to explain all this stuff in the beginning. theres way too many issues to explain here, and im not sure i want to. I guess Smash was right, i was looking for moral affirmation about poker. I didnt get it. Im going to have to reconcile myself with that, or stop playing.

Smash was right you are looking for moral affirmation. That doesn't mean u are going to find it. Apply for financial aid w/out ur parents claiming urself as independent. I had to do that myself. Don't become who ur parents want u 2. Be urself. You can always take a break from school. I did it for a semester to straighten out finances.

[justblaze 0]

Justblaze, I know what you mean and I think a lot of us have the same or similar situation. Poker is gambling, anytime you wager money in order to win money, your gambling. The thing is some people are better gamblers than others, that is they know when to quit, know when to keep playing long sessions when the conditions are right. That is part of being a good gambler, putting yourself in profitable situations in the poker game. By definition, poker I would classify as gambling. It is however different than other forms of gambling, because the decisions you make matter whereas other forms of gambling like roulette and etc, your decisions don't matter over the long run, because the House has the edge and the odds will swing in their favour over time.Having said this I know exactly of your situation, because I went through something similar. I don't think any parent is going to want their kid to be playing poker, why would they? All you can do is keep playing is that is what you want to do, and also generate a profit from it. I guess if your making money over the longrun, maybe your family, friends will come around and possibly accept it in a way. That is kind of what happened with me, I've been successful at it and they've come around a bit on it. I still have a lotta ppl thinking I'm a gambling addict and telling me to quit before I lose everything I've won. I guess you can kind of expect ppl to think this way when they don't understand the game. My advice is to stop feeling like you have to justify your actions to your family and friends. As long as you know what your doing and feel fine with what your doing, that's good enough. Explaining poker concepts to somebody who doesn't understand them is pointless, they'll never understand nor try to.Also, I totally hear you on that lavish lifestyle. I don't know how much money I've blown and wasted since I've played poker. Money loses it's worth, you don't realize it's still hard work until you go through a huge downswing where nothing seems to go right. I'm trying to be much tighter with my money these days and saving it as much as I can. I guess you put money in the pockets of a 20 year old, you kind of expect them to go nuts. Money management is really really important though and it's probably the thing I need to work on the most.

most helpful thing ive read today. thanks.

[AK33 0]

Blaze,It sounds like you are headed in the right direction. I think a lot of what was said was misunderstood and not aimed at you personally. Stick with what works right now until you graduate and make a good living on your own with some $$$ from poker on the side. Stay positive and good luck.

[Dweebles 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

[justblaze 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

bahahahahahahahahahahaha. are you kidding me? 5 pages of semantic debate, and this is your explanation?

[krup24 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

GO F URSELF

[justblaze 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

GO F URSELF

that just brightened up my monday

[Socrates 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

Is it gambling if you use a $5 match coupon at a blackjack table? I mean, you're not risking any money, but you can win money.

[TS Clark 0]

Blaze:Here are my final thoughts on this, which I hope are helpful to you...1) It's gambling. And even if it's not, you're never, ever, ever going to convince your mom of that. Don't try.2) As long as you're taking money from her and living in her house, she's going to win these arguments. If you want to control your own destiny, then you have to control your own destiny. If poker is important enough to you that you're having this conflict (which she will win, as I said), then you need to make sacrifices. This might entail taking time off from school, cutting back expenses, etc., in order to move out and live on your own.I feel for you, but I definitely understand your mom's viewpoint (since I have kids of my own and would be similarly concerned for them if I saw them investing tremendous time and effort into something I felt was harmful and/or wasteful). My ultimate advice for you is to stop playing. You have a lot more important things to worry about at this time in your life than playing a silly game (which, for 99% of us, is what it really comes down to). If playing poker is going to interfere with your schooling or your family relationships, it is absolutely not worth it.

[SapphireTiger 0]

i have to think before responding to this post. i'm at work adn about to take lunch.but i'll say that justblaze has handled himself well considering the topic and the responses.and that smasharoo is a mean old fart.and that some people on this forum are dumb as a brick and dont' think at ALL before responding to posts.and that some people need to lay off the personal attacks and think that they have the right to dictate how other people live based on the snippits of information that person divulges.i'll post later tonight.

[DeNuts1 0]

I guess i posed it to the wrong people.You didn't ask a question, you just wanted affirmation.Get a job. You're mother's paying for all of your expenses. When you get good enough to make enough money not to rely on her, then you can have this debate. Untill then, she wins.

hahahaha. I have a job. Ive been working 9-5, ,monday-friday, for the last 9 months. My mother doesnt pay for anything. She provides a roof, and meals. Im not ungrateful for that, but its not like im sitting at home scratching my ass saying 'mom, can i have a couple grand?'.

hahaha! That struck me as funny.To answer you earlier question their is a negative connotation with poker because of its history. The mafia was involved with starting the casino boom (along with drugs/murder/etc). They play poker in smoky backrooms across the country. A lot of people who play poker are VERY shady characters. The stock market (and all the other examples you listed) does not have this history. This is why so many people look at "gambling" in a negative light.

[jayboogie 0]

wow most of you guys actually aren't deadbeats like myself. You guys actually have jobs LOL. I'm just kidding of course, I'm not a deadbeat, but poker's my only income. Anyways, I hope my post helped though.On an entirely different note, who's going to be at the CNE this year for poker? I hear they're opening the Casino in early August this year, so it'll be open over a month this year. I'll probably be there cleaning up the easy games there most days.

[justblaze 0]

wow most of you guys actually aren't deadbeats like myself. You guys actually have jobs LOL. I'm just kidding of course, I'm not a deadbeat, but poker's my only income. Anyways, I hope my post helped though.On an entirely different note, who's going to be at the CNE this year for poker? I hear they're opening the Casino in early August this year, so it'll be open over a month this year. I'll probably be there cleaning up the easy games there most days.

i'll see you there. that has got to be the softest 10-20 game in the history of poker. where did you hear they were opening early? On another note, can anyone run any numbers on triple action blackjack? essentially, you play 3 hands at once. dealer only gets 1 card until all player action is complete. then the dealer deals off on his 1 card 3 times, playing each of your hands in sequence. he retains his first card for all three deals. I gotta think this game is beatable.

[DeNuts1 0]

wow most of you guys actually aren't deadbeats like myself. You guys actually have jobs LOL. I'm just kidding of course, I'm not a deadbeat, but poker's my only income. Anyways, I hope my post helped though.On an entirely different note, who's going to be at the CNE this year for poker? I hear they're opening the Casino in early August this year, so it'll be open over a month this year. I'll probably be there cleaning up the easy games there most days.

i'll see you there. that has got to be the softest 10-20 game in the history of poker. where did you hear they were opening early? On another note, can anyone run any numbers on triple action blackjack? essentially, you play 3 hands at once. dealer only gets 1 card until all player action is complete. then the dealer deals off on his 1 card 3 times, playing each of your hands in sequence. he retains his first card for all three deals. I gotta think this game is beatable.

God I hope they don't get that at my local casino. That will be bad for the poker BR.

[justblaze 0]

wow most of you guys actually aren't deadbeats like myself. You guys actually have jobs LOL. I'm just kidding of course, I'm not a deadbeat, but poker's my only income. Anyways, I hope my post helped though.On an entirely different note, who's going to be at the CNE this year for poker? I hear they're opening the Casino in early August this year, so it'll be open over a month this year. I'll probably be there cleaning up the easy games there most days.

i'll see you there. that has got to be the softest 10-20 game in the history of poker. where did you hear they were opening early? On another note, can anyone run any numbers on triple action blackjack? essentially, you play 3 hands at once. dealer only gets 1 card until all player action is complete. then the dealer deals off on his 1 card 3 times, playing each of your hands in sequence. he retains his first card for all three deals. I gotta think this game is beatable.

God I hope they don't get that at my local casino. That will be bad for the poker BR.

well, if you could count reasonably well, this game would be ridiculously profitable. Of course, they severely restrict your bet sizes (i think they figured out you can beat this game handily with a little counting and some varying bet sizes). most tables are min 10, max 25.

[jayboogie 0]

wow most of you guys actually aren't deadbeats like myself. You guys actually have jobs LOL. I'm just kidding of course, I'm not a deadbeat, but poker's my only income. Anyways, I hope my post helped though.On an entirely different note, who's going to be at the CNE this year for poker? I hear they're opening the Casino in early August this year, so it'll be open over a month this year. I'll probably be there cleaning up the easy games there most days.

i'll see you there. that has got to be the softest 10-20 game in the history of poker. where did you hear they were opening early? On another note, can anyone run any numbers on triple action blackjack? essentially, you play 3 hands at once. dealer only gets 1 card until all player action is complete. then the dealer deals off on his 1 card 3 times, playing each of your hands in sequence. he retains his first card for all three deals. I gotta think this game is beatable.

I know a couple ppl working there as dealers and the casino will be open in early August from what I hear.I have no idea about the #'s, but it's a crazy action game. Your usually either going to win big or lose big. It does look beatable though, I see lots of ppl win at it.

[DeNuts1 0]

well, if you could count reasonably well, this game would be ridiculously profitable. Of course, they severely restrict your bet sizes (i think they figured out you can beat this game handily with a little counting and some varying bet sizes). most tables are min 10, max 25.[/quoteHow many decks they play out of?

[NickTheKid 0]

Royal, are you a member or permit in IATSE? Sorry if this is off topic.

[Royal_Tour 0]

Royal, are you a member or permit in IATSE? Sorry if this is off topic.

Hey., I myself am not a member, My close friend who i went to Sheridan with is however.I also have a few friends who work with Alliance Atlantis, and in broadcasting.I have business ventures and contacts in the Industry, but i'm currently working as a Product Designer. Some set design experience. Are you a member?. You heading to the convention if you are a member?

[NickTheKid 0]

I'm a permit, I'll be a member this fall. (Got family in the bizz). It's a great summer job, I get grip calls and pull about 28$ an hour.

[Dweebles 0]

Casino = gamblingPoker is a part of Casino, thereforePoker = gambling

GO F URSELF

Lets be friends :-)

[Royal_Tour 0]

I'm a permit, I'll be a member this fall. (Got family in the bizz). It's a great summer job, I get grip calls and pull about 28$ an hour.

Nice.whered you go to school?

[NickTheKid 0]

N. Toronto.