Are we any better than drug dealers?

[tboneman]

Im really amazed at all the responses to this question. It seems there are a lot of players out there with questions in their minds about the moral aspects of "taking" someones money when that someone is clearly not in control.
Well, before you go blowing this out of proportion, keep in mind that there is a BIG difference between someone going on tilt at the table (acting compulsively), and someone who is "addicted" to gambling. I was reading an article in the Arizona Republic earlier this week about minors (teens) getting caught up in the texas hold'em home tourney craze, and one of the stats they quoted from a "reliable" source was that a WHOPPING 1% of adults develope a real gambling addiction. Thats 1 in 100. So, are the chances of you playing against a REAL addict all that great? Or is it more likely that your just playing against a bad player who is full of a mixture of testosterone and alchohol, or perhaps a decent poker player who just happens to have gone on tilt? In the event you are up against that 1%, once his money goes in the pot it is NO LONGER HIS MONEY, its the pots money. And I will fight for that money regardless where it came from if I have the goods. If you feel quilty about that, by all means, find some other way of filling your financial needs. Just let me know which games youll be leaving an empty seat in. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]