In answer to the question, of course you can be. If something makes you feel good, like winning at poker, then it can easily become something you become addicted to. You're just lucky or talented enough that it's not doing you any harm.
I think a lot of addictions work that way. The general population is addicted to a bunch of stuff that is ultimately quite harmless: television, coffee, specific types of food, sex, hobbies like videogames etc.
Addiction has negative connotations because it indicates a lack of control and when the thing you're addicted to has harmful consequences then that's when it becomes a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8ballJunkie
Personally, my results improved noticeably once I started making an effort to resist the urge to continue playing indefinitely when chasing a loss. I found that the combination of tilt and losing table image make it highly unlikely that I'll win much back. It took a bit of honesty with myself and more attention to detail to realize that these things do exist and affect my game. These days I feel a certain satisfaction when I take my last hundred bucks and cash it out instead of desperately shoving it in.
Becoming desperate for a win when you're down is a likely symptom of addiction in that it is compulsive, but it doesn't have to be. You could be in control of your play, not tilt, not care about table image, and still be addicted.
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Originally Posted by SpewingIsMyMove
The issue is that people who are addicted or compulsive gamblers will eventually become losing players.
This is not true. In a game like poker, where there is an element of skill, why should an addicted or compulsive gambler eventually become a losing player if they consistently play with skill? Do you think that anyone that keeps playing will eventually lose?