Most of the players at my casino are horrendously bad alcoholics. I am sure that this isn't the case for just my poker room. It's very hard to see actual good players who have their **** together.

So why does casino poker swing this way? Is it the free alcohol?

Because alcohol and gambling tend to attract degenerates. And let's not pretend that a ton of poker players aren't degens.

A large % of gamblers are degenerates and this includes poker players. In fact with poker players, the % seems to be higher. And on top of that the majority of these ppl just seem to be at least somewhat miserable humans. Thank god there is also a decent amount of somewhat normal ppl that also enjoy the game.

Because you don't have to be invited to hang out as long as you have $50 in your pocket, and you won't be asked to leave unless you're in the very very bottom percentile of being able to perform human interactions.

Gambling is a degenerate trend in America. From the old days of the traveling, gambler to the era of the mobsters in LV and AC, all the way until the present day's slot machines and free drinks, gambling is the degenerate's turf.

When someone comes into the casino trying to make money, they either are very mathematically inclined and thus are using actual advantage play, or they are delusional whackos touting a BS gambling system. These delusional whackos tend to be degenerates. However, even the mathematically inclined can degrade into degeneracy if they are put on tilt.

Then when alcohol is introduced, risk aversion goes down, cognitive and motor functions decrease, and euphoria as well as manic behavior increases. This can cause an otherwise normal gambler to become a degenerate. Tilt alone can do that, imagine a chemical substance that literally slows down someone's brain and make them feel like a god. A single glass may have a neutral effect (because the decreased risk aversion may lead to a tight player making more aggressive plays), but the effects are exponential the more alcohol is consumed over relatively short periods.

Great reply. One of the reasons I play live so much is the absolute nonsensical moves/strategies people do compared to online where from my experience, most people have a decent solid understanding of how to play.

It's not uncommon to see people open shove or 3bet shove garbage at my casino. Hands like Q6o...lol.

Ummm, please give the directions to your casino for the rest of us.

Because it's in a casino.

Online games are too nitty for the limit and nothing is real. Multitabling,
huds, bots. Different games for different people. Drinking? Most people like to drink; nothing to do with poker.

If a given sample has disease x, then disease y will present itself more often than in general population e.g. gambling addicts are more likely to be alcoholics.

That’s not true. Card rooms without a casino around them attract the same number of degenerates.

To the majority of the world, degeneracy itself is playing a game where you can lose hundreds to thousands of dollars due to random factors in a matter of a couple of minutes. At least with hookers and blow, you got goods and services for your money.

Because poker is gambling and not primarily a game of skill.

That is just simply not true. Folding when you should is a skill and is essentially why poker can be played profitably. There is also skill in realizing what is actually going on during a hand.

He didn’t say poker wasn’t a game of skill, he said it’s primarily gambling.

Interesting. I'm one of the few who consistently drinks in my "home games (really underground rooms with free alcohol and food). Occasionally, a few of the guys will start doing shots, etc., but the majority don't really drink. I'm a 51-year-old white woman drinking wine. I'm also one of the few always drinking at the tables in Vegas -- at least at Aria.

I agree that gambling attracts a certain type of person, though.

Whether or not poker is "primarily" gambling is arguable. Luck and skill are not naturally quantifiable so both this claim and it's converse are subjective.

However, most people likely view poker as primarily gambling, so it makes sense that it attracts degenerates.

A lot of gamblers simply want money they don’t want to expend anything to get.

People who want money for nothing don’t tend to be paragons of behavior or morality.

Who doesn’t want money for nothing? Would you decline a lottery win if you got the ticket for free?

It's all gambling, my degen friend. Winning poker is edge gambling (still gambling), AINEC. All other poker is just plain gambling. (sometimes perceived incorrectly to be edge gambling)

Edge gambling takes lots of skill. But unless you have an unlimited bankroll and unlimited time on earth, it's not impossible to go busto playing perfect poker. You can have results way under EV for a long, LONG time.

No, but I don’t spend all my time and energy looking for free lottery wins

well you can win money, steal money, borrow money, get staked ... and not have a job ... where better for degens to go?

You always know who the degens are because they're attracted to any large amount of money you put in the center...and they call for it regardless of what they have. Their pot odds are based on what's being offered.

Yes, straight cardrooms also attract degens, but only poker degens.

Casino cardrooms attract degens from multiple games and walks of life (tourists, old people, fullblown rec players, etc.).

100% of the players going to a straight cardroom are looking to play cards, so you would of course have a higher percentage of thinking players within such a narrow demographic.

That's how I see it, anyway.

The Merriam Webster def of gambling is as follows
a. To play a game for money or property

b. To bet on an uncertain outcome

When I hear someone argue that poker isn't gambling, I just have to shake my head. It makes me think
a. They don't fully understand poker
b. They don't really have that much experience in poker

Sure there's skill involved. And that makes the difference between winners and losers, but you're still putting your money on the line, no matter the skill level.

Blackjack involves skill. Is blackjack not gambling?

As for the degenerates. Over 300 million people in America and billions in the world. Surprise surprise, most of these people aren't going to be geniuses or the perfect human being. And if you're a poker player, be glad of it.