Poker players and society

[MicroBob]

The number of ballplayers who do things that actually benefit society is MUCH higher than people think.
The percentage of ball-players who make meaningful contributions is probably higher than society as a whole.


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His answer: what difference does it make if you benefit society or not. What matters most is that it benefits you in some way. If something you do benefits someone else then all the better...

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This is correct.
The number of people who are deluding themselves into thinking that the job they are performing REALLY makes that much of a difference to society or the world is abnormally high.
Additionally, most of the people who are proud of what they do or how they are contributing probably wouldn't be so gung-ho about it if they didn't get paid to do it.


Priority 1 is getting paid in the first place.
This is for purposes of looking after oneself and one's family.

Most people do not put society's needs ahead of their own needs. In fact, most people only contribute to society as a by-product of needing to serve their own needs. They wouldn't give a damn about helping society if they couldn't pay their own bills, etc.

The same people would gladly take a job where they got paid double or triple their current salary if all they had to do something that didn't benefit society at all.

If it was just a matter of sitting at home eating doritos or walking on the beach...most people would prefer to get paid to do that and could care less whether they are contributing or not.



Any job I do or accept is going to be for some sort of combination of income and self-enjoyment/fulfillment.
I might get enjoyment by a job where i really do contribute to society and feel somewhat fulfilled in that regard.
But I also enjoy poker even though it has no real contribution to society whatsoever.



I completely agree with Dynasty's comments on the 15/30 game not missing him when he doesn't play there.

There is not a single sole on here who goes to a poker-room to play because they have some overwhelming concern to help 'keep the game going' and 'help Bellagio provide entertainment to all the 15/30 players'.
The Bellagio doesn't care if you show up or not...and neither do the other players.

The entertainment argument is idiotic.




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The players that lost the money would have spent it on things if they hadn't played poker.

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If they couldn't play poker they probably would have lost it at the blackjack table instead.

[CardSharpCook]

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My problem with these threads are that you always begin with "are poker players contributing to society?"
But the question you answer really is..."are poker GAMES contributing to society?"
You are not just your job. Whether you are a banker, lawyer, poker player or drug dealer.
There are drug lords in Columbia who actually provide for more for their society than most Americans with "reputable" jobs.
My point is this. One thing I am not a pro player, only recreational. But I know pro players who do more than just play poker. They organize charity events some of them even evolve around poker. Mike Sexton is one person that comes to mind who is trying to get the poker community more involved in things like this.
So yes a poker player can contribute to society. It's all about life choices.

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This is the best response here, and I am glad that someone else feels this way. One of my favorite sayings is that how we choose to make a living has little to do with our how we serve society. but you said it better.

Poker games don't benefit society, and you are all deluding yourselves if you believe this to be true. Of course neither does fine-dining, and I'd be deluding myself if I believed that to be true. Of course neither is Medicine a more noble profession or even janitorial work. It is how we interact with our society that determines our worth (to society).

As a poker player, are you the one berating a fish for his poor play? Do you attack his skills and try to diminish his self worth? Do you listen to the drunk or lonely housewife sitting next to you who just wants someone to talk to? You don't have to be like Mike Sexton (organizing charity events) to be a good person. Little things matter too.

CSC

[timmer]

Ok let me spell this out for you. by starting, maintaining and playing in games the winning regulars create an long term profitable arena for poker rooms to operate in.

the poker rooms take in the rake which helps to drive the casino. that in turn enriches the workers and investors which help drive the economy.

with out winning regulars poker rooms would of died off long ago. Just as they were a few short years ago.

Of course I am looking at this with eyes that have seen public poker come to New Jersey, the mainstream in California, the Internet and TV. with out winning regulars None of this would of come to pass.

so now are we clear on what the winning poker player has brought to the table of poker economy ? (ie they brought the table)

[tylerdurden]

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Ok let me spell this out for you. by starting, maintaining and playing in games the winning regulars create an long term profitable arena for poker rooms to operate in.

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The games would continue without winners. Why would you think long-term winners are needed to start games?

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the poker rooms take in the rake which helps to drive the casino. that in turn enriches the workers and investors which help drive the economy.

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Correct. This happens with or without long-term winners.

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with out winning regulars poker rooms would of died off long ago. Just as they were a few short years ago.

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Wrong. Without FISH, poker rooms would die.

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Of course I am looking at this with eyes that have seen public poker come to New Jersey, the mainstream in California, the Internet and TV. with out winning regulars None of this would of come to pass.

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Again, substitute "fish" for "winning regulars" to fix your post.

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so now are we clear on what the winning poker player has brought to the table of poker economy ? (ie they brought the table)

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I am, you clearly aren't.

[MooFrog]

Just to counter all the "winning players don't contribute, fish do" arguments :

Any money you make in poker is going to end up somewhere else, generally close to home. If I make $50 at poker online, and spend that to buy a pair of jeans from a local store, then the economy in my town is up $50 that wouldn't be here. It's the same reason tourism exists, and governments put a ton of money into that. The flow of money is benefitting society, since income tax will take some of my poker money spent on the jeans from the merchant.

Living in Canada, online gambling is not taxed, so I'm contributing less than people in the states. However, most of the sites (Party at least) are based in Canada, so internet poker is helping the government way more than I would be.

Either way, screw it. Very, very few people base their money making actions on benefitting society, but having the money to donate allows anyone to be a contributing member.

[Triumph36]

What? That $50 would be in the other guy's pocket, and he'd go buy a pair of jeans with it. You didn't create any wealth, it was only transferred. And while you may be spending it in your local economy, you could have a job and be spending money in your local economy, which would benefit it more. Both this and the 'entertainment' argument are completely incidental.

As for the 'winning players vs. fish' argument, I think it takes both to sustain a successful poker room. Obviously, without any fish the game would die, but without any winning players, there won't be as many games going.

[tylerdurden]

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Any money you make in poker is going to end up somewhere else, generally close to home. If I make $50 at poker online, and spend that to buy a pair of jeans from a local store, then the economy in my town is up $50 that wouldn't be here.

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The person *spending* money isn't helping society. The person that EARNS the money is. Usually, it's the same person. In this case, it isn't. Another example where it isn't is when a kid gets an allowance for no reason.

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

When I first started playing poker, it was in part to find an outlet for my aggression and competitive nature. As a clinical psychologist, being competitive during session is likely to not benefit the patient. This pent-up desire to compete, to be aggressive, found its outlet in poker.

Now, poker pays my mortgage each month. Seems pretty socially redeeming to me.