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Poker provides nothing tangible, but neither does a concert. Entertainment is intangible and that is what poker is to most people. For some people, it's an addiction.

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I'm not disagreeing with you. I think it's considered entertainment also. However... the majority of Christian denominations will disagree with us. And, they have a point: when you pay to see a movie/concert, it's possible for everyone to win -- you, and everyone else, have a great time, like the movie/concert, and the movie/concert gets paid for a job well done. The better the performers/movie, the more money they can make, and the more enjoyment/entertainment they provide to the public paying to see the movie/concert. Poker, and other zero-sum gambling games, are not like that. The people that just play for entertainment, and have a good time whether they win or lose, are in a win-win situation. But, I'd guess that most people (that play a lot) play to win. If they don't win, it's not nearly as fun for them. The money that is made, then, is at someone else's expense -- most of the time.

Again, I don't have a problem with it, but I don't deceive myself into thinking what I'm doing is perfectly in line with Christian doctrine, either.