[coffeecrazy1]

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I still try to take their money. But against TAGS and LAGS i feel genuinely happy that I'm beating them instead of just being happy that I'm winning money. Against the loose passives it's more like, oh yay, more money.

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See above responses regarding your eventual downswing at the hands of a calling station.

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As others have said, it's not so bad online. But in real life, when you see the workers just getting off their 9-5 jobs, playing well over what their paychecks can afford them, it's just kinda like, huh. How am I really any different from a drug dealer? Aside from the somewhat arbitrary difference that one's legal and the other's not.

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No one is forcing these people to sit in a game. Why don't you leave them alone and let them do what they want with their money? And...as to how you are differenct from a drug dealer...a drug dealer never has to worry that he's going to end up with the same amount of money as when he started, but less drugs to sell.

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Poker makes me far more money than anything else I could be doing at the moment, and I can rationalize it that pretty much 99% of all businesses are screwing someone. But I guess it's just a bit harder when you're actually seeing the people you're screwing.

[/ QUOTE ] This is a rather jaded outlook on the world and business. By and large, businesses are NOT screwing someone, because competitive pressure does not allow them to. The laws of supply and demand suggest that they cannot do so for an extended period of time without dire consequences. AND...let's not forget that doing business with someone is not a one-sided thing...you trade your money for their good or service. If the money's more valuable to you, keep it, and don't get the good or service.

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And the loose passives have a 0% chance of taking my money over a significant enough sample size. I've played enough poker to know that someone who won't raise me with top 2 pair stands no chance against me over enough hands.

The problem seems to be self fixing itself though. At low levels it's not enough money to make me feel guilty, and at the higher levels it's mostly TAGS and LAGS that play.

[/ QUOTE ] Look, I understand your feelings of sympathy for the fish. But, as others have said, NEVER forget this game is kill-or-be-killed. We all risk the exact same thing in this game...you, me, and the rest of the forum just choose to risk it more intelligently...and you are being paid for that intelligence.