How about a non-religous topic

[sfer]

Why do you play poker? Is it strictly money? Is it the competition? Camaraderie at the table? The thrill of pulling off an "expert" play once a week? I genuinely hope it's not just for money.

[BeerMoney]

Competition.. I play .25/.50 with friends just as competitively as I play 2/4 online. I just want to get good.

[Eihli]

Because I dropped out of both highschool and college and poker is my last resort as a career.

[MarkL444]

[ QUOTE ]
I genuinely hope it's not just for money.

[/ QUOTE ]

I play because I love the game. I multi-table to pay the bills.

[chezlaw]

I play poker because I love everything about gambling except losing.

I also hate my alarm clock which, if everything goes to plan, will be retired before me.

[fnord_too]

Well, I started out more for the challenge. Of course I thought it would be pretty cool to get to play in a big tournament and make the final table, but I am much more about learning and testing myself.

Lately, I would say the money has creeped up considerably as a motivation, though it is still less than 50%.

One of the things that drives me to improve is not sounding like an idiot when I post on these boards. I love the intelectual exchanges here, but I hate making bad statements and presenting flawed logic. Since I like to post I am driven to hone my thoughts and ideas to the point where they are at least defensible (i.e. not "just wrong").

I think that most people who can turn a long term (significant) profit at poker are fooling themselves if they think poker is +EV purely in terms of dollars. The abilities necessary to beat the game for real money are abilities that can be used to make more money in other areas. The phantom income from poker though, can be great. Also, I believe humans typically need a release. Hobbies are great refuges from the daily grind that serve to refresh us. As far as hobbies go, I think poker is exceptional. It is incredibly rich in content, and has some nice financial upsides if you excel at it.

The reason money is starting to creep up as a motivator for me is that my poker earnings are beginning to rival my income. I make quite a bit less than my market value because I have not put the effort into my carreer that I could, and also because I am unwilling to relocate to where the market for my skills is higher. Poker is affording me the ability to be more liesurely in my carreer. I will probably go back for a PhD at some point in the next 5 or 10 years, and poker may well facilitate this move, too.

Still, even with the added significance of the money, my main reason for playing is learning and testing myself, with a little bit of recognition desire thrown in as well.

[fnord_too]

[ QUOTE ]
I play poker because I love everything about gambling except losing.

I also hate my alarm clock which, if everything goes to plan, will be retired before me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I love both of these lines, especially the first. That one I think is worthy of framing!

[MBTIGUY]

1. I love the particular challenges poker offers vis-a-vis other games.
2. I like the convenience (online) as a form of entertainment.
3. I like the competitive nature of the game which includes the opportunity for measureable improvement.
4. Yes, the money matters, and not just as way of keeping score. If the game was played for matchsticks, winning more of them than anybody else would be fun but losing wouldn't mean so much. And you can't do anything with the matchsticks. With money, there is a direct economic benefit to being skillful, and along with the threat of losing something meaningful, there is (for me) powerful motivation to learn to play well at whatever level I'm at.
5. I love learning and there is so much too learn in this game.

[OrangeHeat]

Sorry - Money.

I have little free time as it is - if there wasn't money to be made I would be doing something else.

Orange

[submariner]

What he said.