OT: Has poker stopped you from gambling elsewhere?

[stanzee]

Before i started playing online poker (a year ago), i used to spend a fair bit of my wages on gambling. I used to bet on horses, soccer, greyhounds, buy lotto tickets, scratch cards and play fruit machines (if any of you have been to the UK you'll know they have fruit machines in virtually every pub in the country so that was probably my worst vice). I now haven't spent a penny on any other forms of gambling (except poker) in the last 9 months, and don't think i ever will spend another penny on anything else. Has poker "cured" other peoples gambling tendencies?

I never gambled before poker. I think I probably would have started at some point had I not found poker, but now I just look for gambles where I think I can still have an edge, like poker, tradesports.com, bets with friends, etc. I'm pretty sure I'm up on every type of gambling I've done, and I owe that to poker.

[Vetstadium]

I stopped football betting (thank you poker) but still like to play the lotto (only 5 bucks a week) dreaming of the big payday so I can join WPT.

[MegaBet]

I'm not a gambler at all.

[Annulus]

Poker has absolutely cured my blackjack addiction.

[pokerlaw]

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Poker has absolutely cured my blackjack addiction.

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while i didnt play BJ all that much, during my last trip to AC, i had the least fun playing that I have ever had - poker is just better /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[lem45216]

I never used to gamble before i learnt poker, but i had downloaded casino on net and was playing roulette for play money, i convinced myself i could become a 'proffesional' roulette player and that i could beat the game. Luckily learning poker tought me never to play roulette again. I don't think it's stopped me gambling anywhere else though, infact it might have had the opposite effect, now that I know about odds and EV i might be more tempted these days to gamble in situations where i'd have +EV.

Though i did place a £10 bet on Australia to win the final test match this weekend and thus regain the Ashes (i'm talking cricket here) but that was more as a ritual sacrifice, if England win or draw they win the ashes and i'm over the moon about that and will forget about my £10, if the aussies win then i get £16 profit.

[theben]

not i

[fnurt]

I used to be a big -EV gambler before I learned poker. Through poker and backgammon I have found a +EV outlet for my gambling addiction. While I may still spend an hour shooting craps on the yearly trip to LV, overall it's been a net positive in my life.

[raptor517]

poker turned me into a gambler. if i didnt have money from poker, i would never have gone to vegas and blown most of it. im less action crazy now though.. holla

[LesJ]

Living in Kentucky, I used to go to Caesar's Indiana 2-3 times a month to play blackjack. I have a "Connection Card" with which I earned free room coupons monthly as well as several free meals a month. . etc etc. Although I had my share of winning nights to go along with my losing, I have to now admit to myself that I came out on the short end of the stick more often than not (long term, without intensive counting of cards, playing blackjack IS -EV). Now that I have a casino in my house (virtually) I have little to no desire to travel to southern Indiana. I find it to be much more +EV to beat other people out of their money in SNGs and MTTs here on the internet than to try to beat the house out of their money at the casino. In addition to being more profitable, Hold Em is simply much more fun. I now consider playing blackjack a "leak." On my most recent trip to vegas, I profited overall from my tournament poker playing, but lost more than what I won in poker at the blackjack tables in between tournies. I believe I am officially swearing off blackjack, maybe forever.
However, I am planning on a trip to Caesar's Indiana soon. They are hosting a WSOP Circuit Event starting in Mid October and I plan on playing in at least two of the events.
Les

[McMelchior]

I used to buy at least $10 worth of Lotto every month ... poker stopped that!

My wife and I play video poker in AC and Vegas ... very critical about finding machines with EV as close to 100% (the 100%+ machines are all but gone now) - she's legally blind and apart from our home poker tourneys (where there's time to read her the board on each street) this is pretty much the only kind of gambling we can do together. Actually, it's a blast most of the time.

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

I was never old enough to gamble.

[raptor517]

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I was never old enough to gamble.

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so get a fake id. everyone is old enough to gamble. holla