[vhawk01]

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Is there any way to gauge the "gambling factor" of a game/wager?


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I think you are asking, can we measure the extent to which the outcome of a game involves chance? Interesting question. If roulette/lotto is 100% chance, poker is much less because the bets are made on the actions of other players as well as the chance of the cards.

A player has no control over the ball motion in roulette or lotto, but has some control in poker by deciding to bet-size based on one's hand and the opponents' actions. Poker is at most 50% chance, and probably a much smaller number.

Note, "gambling" and "skill" are mutually exclusive terms.

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What makes poker a game of skill?


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the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well: all of these factors allow some players to consistently achieve better results at poker than others.

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Does the fact that poker is a game of skill change anything?


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It means that it is possible to beat the rake in the long run, while there is no such expectation in games of pure chance such as roulette (unless one assumes "skill" in predicting random future outcomes).

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Do tournaments have less of a "gambling factor" than cash games?


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No.

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What are ways to get around poker as gambling? (to make it NOT gambling)


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Poker for stakes is gambling. Period.

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Are free-rolls gambling?


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No, because "gambling" means the risking of a stake -- money or something of value. In a freeroll, there is no stake.

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Are tournaments that are "free with purchase" gambling?


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Technically, no, because the purchase is for some other good which is not being risked on the tournament outcome.

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Are poker leagues gambling when the game is freezeout tournament and everyone pays dues up-front?


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Yes.

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Would you consider roulette to be gambling for the house, as well as the player? Neither one of them is using any skill to determine the outcome, but rather its the nature of the game that determines edge. I think this is a necessary part of any definition of gambling. The edge matters. This doesnt mean poker ISNT gambling, but its something to consider. Perhaps its some imperfect combination of edge, skill, and 'how long the long run is' or something like that.