[quitefishy]

Yes, but it's all about definitions.

I think the meaning of the word gambling is not just "wagering money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money or material goods" as e.g. Wikipedia defines it. With this definition, most of our economic activities would be gambling.

In addition to this definition, "gambling" usually refers to some "abnormal risky activies", i.e. situations where the outcome is uncertain AND the stakes are very high considering what would be considered as normal business / investing by the very same person defining the activity as gambling.

In this sense poker would be gambling when you play with an insufficient bankroll. The definition, however, does not answer the original question.

As I see it, the word gambling, in the meaning it's used by the general audience, usually also refers to playing a game where the outcome is so uncertain, that most people would consider it a game of luck.

As such, poker is gambling. But there are good and bad gamblers, not just lucky and unlucky ones. Since everyone should be as lucky as everyone else in the long run, skill will prevail.

The failure to understand that gambling may also involve a certain amount of skill is why the word "gambling" means different things to different people.

btw: The stock market is of course very similar to poker it's just somewhat "easier" than poker, since the winner / loser ratio is not 1 but somewhat bigger due to economic growth in the long run (in a world where alternative investments are not considered and investments are compared to having you money under your pillow). "Unskilled stock market investors" use this to their advantage by choosing how long a "game" will last (by e.g. keeping their stocks and waiting for an upswing). By reducing the amount of "games" (i.e. making very long 10-15 year investments well diversified) the overall economic growth will usually generate positive returns. In poker the skill factor will dominate much faster since you are able to play (or have to play) many hands in a relatively short period of time. This is why most stock-market investors are small winners while most poker players are small loosers.