poker ethics: do you wonder about who you're taking money from?

[thwang99]

Ok, what if you think of it this way?

Say you live on an island, 10 people live on this island, and there is a money system. 3 work the farms, 3 cook and clean and make clothes, 2 perform tricks and entertain the others, and 2 hunt for animals. This works, and everyone contributes to the needs of everyone else (food, clothes, entertainment). Everyone splits everything.

Same island, except 2 people work the farms, 1 cooks and cleans and makes clothes, 1 entertainer, and 1 hunts for animals. 5 play poker with each other and with the other 5 that work. The 5 that play poker only are better than the other 5, and take their money. Now you would have a lot less food/clothes, etc, but a lot more poker entertainment.

Now, admittedly half the world isn't pro poker players, but say poker becomes super popular, that half the world population does it for a living. Would you say poker players are putting something into society, and taking something out equivalent to what they put in?

- Tony