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I would not play poker if the only thing I could win was points. So my answer implies that I play poker to win money, correct?

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Your answer implies that the primary reason you play poker is to win money. This is the case for most players, and especially many players on this board. When you remove money from the equation, poker seems suddenly empty. The fact is that there will be fewer people who can justify taking the game seriously.

I think one thing that would change is the nature of ring games. Without money on the line, the basis for ring games is non-existent. Why play indefinately for accumulation of points? I think a larger emphasis would be placed on tournament play (think: Card Player Player of the Year point system).

There are many games that people play that don't earn money. The real question is whether poker has enough of a challenge to justify the time spent on it. Personally, I find the math and psychology behind poker very fascinating. The primary reason I started studying (and consequently playing) the game was to investigate the relationships between players and risk. I'm also fascinated with the idea of discipline and what is typically called the "Zen" mindset.

The problem with removing money is that it greatly mitigates the risk factor. This has two effects: First, less players will be able to take the game seriously. Second, more players will be inclined to play in tougher games. At first glance, it seems like these two ideas contradict each other. Take a deeper look.

Take chess for example. Many players play recreationally: those who play terribly often get discouraged and quit; those who play somewhat well will continue to play recreationally; those who have the propensity to succeed will challenge better players to prove themselves; and those who are amazing compete internationally for the title of Grandmaster. Poker players would be more likely to quit if they had no natural talent for the game, but players with some ability to succeed will want to play tougher and tougher games. The skill gap will widen substantially: the tough games will get tougher, and the easy games will get easier.

One of the factors in the growing size of the field at the WSOP is that anyone can play, provided they have the money required to buy in. Without money involved, I think we would see a decrease in the number and frequency of open tournaments, and an increase in the number of invitational and qualifying tournaments.