Are we trying to be political correct now?,lol...but I know what ya mean.However I will but a lotto ticket a couple times a month.Does that make me a gambler too?

My family and friends look at me weird when I call casino games "gambling". And then I say, I do not gamble, I play poker.

Separating dumb people from their money is what casino games and myself have in common.

I play poker every day, also. I do think it is gambling, because a huge part of winning or losing depends on luck. Remember when that 7 8 off suit beat your AA? I do believe that skill makes a difference, but so does luck. And I buy lottery tickets, definitely gambling. But that is more desperation than gambling. I see no other way out of my current situation. I do NOT play slots. Now THAT is gambling.

That's nice but poker is still gambling. You're still wagering $ on an outcome that is not guaranteed. Call it taking "calculated risks" or taking the gamble out of the gamble, but it is still gambling.

I love poker , but when i drive 400 miles to play 1 live tourney, sometimes i lose my buy-in on the slots before the game starts. does that make me a gambler? or does that just mean i like driving through new england?

The difference is, purchasing a lottery ticket only (very very) slightly increases the chances of winning the lottery,.

400 miles? Where are you, Vermont/Canada border or Northern Maine?

When it boils down to it, nearly everything to do in life is a gamble to some degree, you just need to calculate the risk versus rewards.

Farmer planting a crop and hoping it rains. (In Australia this can also be a classification of insanity as well,...)
Leaving a steady job to run a business of your own.
Taking any employment position where there is a chance to fail.

Not much different to poker in a lot of ways.
If you don't gamble at life, you don't get very far (this includes poker according to "Texas Dolly")

You weigh up the odds, make a descision, some will work out, some wont.
(Thats why i dont play slot's or lottery,... i know we hear of people winning,...but odds are just to bad for my taste.)

Poker as far as gambling, is more along the lines of horse racing.
you use the knowledge you've gained over time to make the descisions that will hopefully win more than the loose.

You know your set is in front, so you shove and hope the other guy misses his outs when you think he's drawing.
You know #7 has good form in the wet, it's a dead track, he's drawn a gate wide of the bog along the rail, so you bet on him.

On the other hand,....
You can't know if black 35 looks a little lower on the roulette wheel 7 easier for the ball to land on it, or pick the 6 heaviest balls in the lottery machine that have better chances of winning you millions..

All of these are gambling,... some are gambling with thought, some without

I am like you, I don't think it is gambling. I think its logic and odds. Now well playing I can choose to take a gamble but you don't have to.

Maybe 10 percent of my poker hands, I gamble with. The rest is just going through the motions.

I still think going through the motions is still gambling

pushing with AA still has a chance of loosing.
Its a good gamble, (and one i'd be happy to take every time) but due to there still being a riskof any two other cards beating you, it's still a gamble.

To quote extragrizz:
"When it boils down to it, nearly everything to do in life is a gamble to some degree, you just need to calculate the risk versus rewards."
I would have to agree 100% with this comment, stock markets, crossing the road, buying a property, buying land, starting a business, where is there a guarantee ? In life there are no guarantees, we each have to take calculated risks and hope to reap the rewards, however i do believe that poker has a fair bit of chance involved in addition to skill.

I completely agree with Extragrizz. Poker is still a form of gambling, but in my opinion is one of the "better" forms of gambling due to the fact that players are playing against other PLAYERS. In other gambling type games the player is usually playing against the house, which as we all know the odds are definitely stacked in favor of the house or they wouldn't be in business. The lottery on the other hand is the ultimate scam by the government even though some of it goes to "education." When the odds are 1 in 200million+ the term shouldn't even be labeled gambling but throwing money down the drain. But to answer your question, yes, if you are a poker player you are a gambler. Then again nothing wrong with that as long as you keep it under control.

Its all about being in limits. If u play without being too greedy and to have fun and try to make a little cash then poker is fun otherwise it can have ill effects like other gambling games at casino where u just throwing money and relying on ur luck. At the end of the day its ok to gamble a little bit as long as it doesnt bother u but one should not cross the limits.

I completely agree with Extragrizz

**had to grab these quotes to show "Mrs Grizz" as she seems to think neither comment could be possible!

I play poker for fun and for the thrill of it.
I try to improve my game and I like that it is not pure gambling.
But for sure also luck is involved (like in every card game more or less)

A lot of people don't know how Poker is really is, if they knew everyone should be a poker player.

Yeah I was also thinking about staying away from the casino, specially online casinos.
I do love to play Blackjack but intent to play more becuase I losing.
Now when you think about it you earn better throught poker cash table than playing Blackjack & Roulette.
I do love the games and will probably do it of my rest of life if I can make a good living of it.

To me, if you use the word betting it falls in the category of gambling. Every casino game except slots has strategies and tips on how to maximize your wins or minimize your losses. Some games involve more skill than others such as poker. Are they all gambling. Of course they are. You are risking money. The stock market is a gamble as well. However the more you know the better you might do. Why do we say good luck if it is not gambling? Good luck out there.

This poker=intelligence, attention and patience while gambler = addicted to lucky games for me,of course .

The only thing i can think of that isnt a gamble is death
it comes to us all
100% payout
everything esle is a gamble
but there are silly gambles like lotto
and there are gambles where you can gain an egde like poker
people make a living off poker which proves the point
do you know anyone who makes a living off lotto

Poker is more than just a simple gambling. :)

Poker is my hobby and my job. Without poker i have nothing !

Yeah, many people consider playing poker not being gambling, because gambling means you have a chance of losing money, but variance and bad beats play into that.

For sure also luck is involved. So it has elements of gambling.
But if you are a skilled player, you have an edge over your opponents in the long run.
This will pay off.