Poker = A legitimate profession - please help PROVE this!!!!

[Erik W]

Well, you probably never studied economics.
There is something called perceived value.

[D.H.]

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Poker contribute a lot to society.
Think of all jobs the dealers , casino and hotel resort personal have.
Think of the +EV of a Vegas vacation for those who go there and have a ball and still loose some money.

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You are making the argument that the entertainment industry is a good thing for society. This does not explain how Mr. random internet pro contributes to society.

[pantsdown]

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On its surface, sure, it sounds nice, but as I see it, poker playing is neutral. It does not promote world peace or feed the hungry children, I grant you that. But in today's economy, there are many jobs that are LESS than even EV for the world.

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I know that you have stated this is not your personal opinion just an argument to be presented, but it could also be argued that poker is definitely a -EV. If you take into account how it is possible for people to make a living playing poker.
The money they win to live off has to come from somewhere, I know some of this money comes from those social players who don't mind losing, or those paying their dues while learning to play profitably. But a lot of this money comes from the pockets of the problem gambler who blows all his money in the game.
For some players I'm sure poker ruins their lives and tears apart families, might even lead to severe debt... suicides or murders. In this situation the poker pro is no better than the money hungry casino's who will take every last dollar you have.
Taking this into account it would appear it is possible for poker to have an over negative value. Of course you would need to determine whether there are more problem losers or more winners/losers without a problem.

[sillyarms]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustling
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Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling (or gambling for higher than current stakes) with the hustler, as a form of confidence trick.

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You are not hustling by definition. You play a straight up game. You don't cheat or lure people in under false pretenses. You beat them out of thier money on fairly.

[omaha]

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You are making the argument that the entertainment industry is a good thing for society. This does not explain how Mr. random internet pro contributes to society.

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Entertainers. Brittney spears, brad pitt, michael jordan, the beatles. All motivational speakers.

Could you please explain what ANY of these guys mentioned above has contributed to society, or done, except entertain others, by music, speaking, or being watched bouncing a ball?

ps, I do not consider donating a miniscule amount of their income to a worthy cause as being a 'contribution to society'

[D.H.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You are making the argument that the entertainment industry is a good thing for society. This does not explain how Mr. random internet pro contributes to society.

[/ QUOTE ]

Entertainers. Brittney spears, brad pitt, michael jordan, the beatles. All motivational speakers.

Could you please explain what ANY of these guys mentioned above has contributed to society, or done, except entertain others, by music, speaking, or being watched bouncing a ball?

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Is this question directed to me (since you quoted me)? If so, I don't think that I have claimed that they do.

[Chino987]

tell him you're born lucky

then go robusto and show off the ferrari/penthouse

[Merek007]

You can't change people minds!!! They have to do it and most have no interest. Changing their minds on a issue like this has little value to them and makes them have to face the reality that many of their beliefs may be wrong. THe more a believe effects their day to day life the more likely they will put forward the effort to change...therefore a parent is more likely to come around than a distant uncle or such.

However some people are just narrow minded picks and not worth the time..... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[oe39]

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Ask him: What is the difference between a football player and poker player? What is the contribution of a professional athlete to society?

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one is legitimate

[slik]

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Ask him: What is the difference between a football player and poker player? What is the contribution of a professional athlete to society?

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One is a hustler, and the other is an entertainer =). It's not to say that a lot of business owners are not hustler's as well .. i.e. used cars salesmen.