Quote Originally Posted by zook
Obviously it hinges on your definition of gambling. But even if you think poker is gambling (and I don't, although I think it involves gambling, just like many games and sports) the key point is that poker is a profoundly different sort of gambling than blackjack, craps, slots, roulette, the lottery, etc. A skilled player can win! I think this is an enormously important distinction to make when discussing the issue with laypeople.
I agree with this as do most poker players, but the problem is that from my experience, lay people just don't care, even if you present them with this argument. That's why I think it would have been best just to avoid this whole topic entirely.


ISF, I'm also curious as to why your dad told you to not do this interview.

Edit: To clarify, I agree that poker is different from other forms of gambling in which a skilled player can win money but that doesn't change that fact that poker is still gambling. To everyone that says poker isn't gambling: you're altering the definition of gambling. The definition of gambling isn't "risking money in such a way that the person doing so can have a mathematical advantage". If I convince someone to make a straight up 1:1 bet with me on the Patriots vs Dolphins, clearly I'm a big favorite to win but does that mean I'm not gambling? Not at all, that's still gambling.