[revots33]

I think it follows that if you enjoy competition you would probably enjoy poker. It has just the right mix of agression, defense, psychology, strategy, and luck to keep it interesting. I like playing to test myself and to try and beat the competition. I play for such low stakes that it is strictly a hobby - the amounts won or lost are pretty inconsequential and are secondary to the enjoyment I get from the game and the competition.

The reason poker is frowned on is because of the money aspect. Money is how you keep score in poker, just like points or goals or whatever in other competitive games. Some people just can't accept this fact, they equate any game where money is at stake as a degenerate form of gambling, on a par with a back-alley craps game or 3-card monte. What people don't understand is that, in poker, money must change hands for the competition to really mean something. It's the whole point. Anyone who's ever played poker for "funsies" knows that there are a lot more enjoyable ways to pass the time. Adding real stakes to the equation hightens the competition and makes the game fun.

For me it's an enjoyable pastime. I like the challenge, how every hand brings a different set of possibilities. I don't intend to get rich or quit my day job - but to me it's fun. If people can't accept that, it's really not my problem.