Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanBostick
The fact that poker is a skill game that is beatable over time does not affect even one bit that poker is a gambling game.
Poker. Is. Gambling.
If you cannot accept this, you are deluding yourself.
Moreover, there are more sources of randomness and unpredictability of results. The process that determines whether or not there is a whale in the game is stochastic. I mean, whales are more likely to be splashing chips around late on a Friday night than on a Tuesday afternoon, but there are no guarantees. And you don't always get seated at the whale's table, and getting on the seat change list is not going to help, because when the whale is throwing a party, no one in the game is ever going to want to leave. Table and seat draw in tournaments: random, and they have a big impact on ROI. If Bitcoin is up, the crypto bros have a lot of money to throw around at poker tables; but if Bitcoin is down what money the crypto bros have has to go to paying off their margin calls. Et cetera.
The factors you listed are within your control as a player. While you can’t control who is in a specific game, you can elect to not play a specific game … just like you can decide not to play a hand or put money in the pot. Find games you have an edge in and play those. This is a skill in and of itself.
Less true in MTTs but there is actionable data available to help determine if you have an edge in specific MTT fields.
Even if you play without knowing you have an edge that isn’t really gambling … it’s just plain stupid unless you’re playing solely for entertainment and can easily afford the losses.
A better example of actual gambling would be if you bet me $100 I can’t jump across a stream (without 1 or both parties knowing the answer). Even calling casino games “gambling” is kind of a misnomer … when you know full well the odds are against you (and specifically what the house edge is)
If you are playing any game that you don’t have an edge at (when your goal is to win and not just be entertained) that is just called being a sucker.