Re: Being told \"professional poker doesn\'t contribute to society.\"
Assuming we're talking about the US, poker players pay a lot of money in rake to big corporations, which helps the American economy (or at least, the American GDP, which some could well argue is a different matter). Casino poker players pay a lot of money in taxes, which goes to the American government and enables it to 'defend the nation' from nasty terrorists and what have you. Big name pros provide televisual entertainment, which makes people happy.
I'm struggling to think what other circumstances count as 'contributing to society', other than voluntary charity work.
As someone with no religious beliefs or great passion for a particular profession, I have often found that I have no drive, nothing to keep me going (not in a dramabomb 'oh I have nothing to live for' way, more a bored, lazy, sleeping all day, 'ho hum' sort of way). But poker gives me that drive, something to learn, improve at, understand etc. To me it makes a huge contribution, as I'm sure it does a lot of other people. And that has to be worth something.
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