Poker is a form of gambling. Bets are made.
Read, among other things, SSHE's sections "Gambling Concepts Introduction" and "Fundamental Gambling Concepts". In that book, Miller et al. seem to think that it is important to remember that playing poker IS gambling.
There is an important distinction between games of skill and games of chance. This distinction is important because of laws which treat the two forms of gambling differently. However, the distinction is not between some things which ARE gambling and some things which ARE NOT gambling. It is a distinction between two forms of gambling.
Read the
article posted by Skallagrim carefuly. It does not claim that betting on games of skill is not gambling. It says it is not
illegal gambling.
Sure, try to find a euphemism for gambling that will make poker more acceptable. Definitely provoke discussions that highlight the difference between games of skill and games of chance, and that demonstrate that poker is a game of skill. Just don't make the mistake of denying what poker really is: a gambling game.