Why I play poker

[ThinkQuick]

I suppose this is the right forum for this...

I often find myself in a situation where it would help if I could explain to someone that it's ok and not degenerate that I play poker. I'm not talking about explaining losing streaks or even getting them to like that I play, but I just want to be able to convey that there are legitimate reasons to like poker.

There was an eloquent thread posted about a year ago that I can no longer find, but in it the author compared poker to bridge and chess, wherein there is a huge volume of knowledge written about the subjects, and people play because it's an intellectually stimulating challenge.

does anyone on the forum now have any explanations that they give out to convey that poker is a tough game that they enjoy reading about, learning, and beating?

Jonathan