[Sparks]

Although I have great respect for the authors, the article missed for me, and I do not think it will have the intended affect on the general public.

Poker is without a doubt a game of skill and getting that simple point across to non-players would be a great stride. But, the fact remains that poker is gambling, and that lone undeniable fact will make all the positive things about the game discussed in the article, moot to many who read it.

Having been in casinos playing poker since long before the boom, I've made estimates that perhaps 5% of players are winning players, and upwards of 30% are living sad gambling-addicted lives of misery in casinos.

This is reality, and the article does not address it. The general public who doesn't have a clue about poker probably thinks along those lines, and they're right. Because the article does not address all the potential negatives of poker, and they are significant, it will most likely lack credibility to the general public.