poker ethics: do you wonder about who you're taking money from?

[mattw]

when i go to wally world, the gas station, or pay my mortgage and utility bills, the receprient(sp) of of my cash/check does not ask if this money was earned by adding value to society. they just want paid. so do i.

[goodguy_1]

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However, i have contributed nothing

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Professional poker players are entertainers. If we assume that most pros(all but the best) make money off of non-pros/casual players we provide an arena for people to have fun and blow off steam. We are recreational therapists-hahah

[FlFishOn]

A snatch and grab street thug could say the same.

[XxGodJrxX]

I am a relatively new player, so I have not taken more than a few hundred bucks from people so far. With that said, I do not think there is any such thing as "morality" that should stop people from playing poker. There are two kinds of people in this world: winners and losers. The winners prey on the losers, that is what makes them the winners, and the losers: the losers. This concept applies to EVERYTHING. Giant companies buy out smaller ones and put people on the streets, is this immoral? No, why would it be? That is the way that the world works; it is simply nature. Thomas Hobbes was right, this is a kill-or-be-killed world. Everybody is looking to screw everybody else over, and that is the fundamental principle that makes this planet turn. The world belongs to the industrious and rational (John Locke). Is it wrong for a lion to kill a deer with a broken leg? I can assure you that the lion does not care; the only thing that matters to him is that he got an easy meal. Are YOU going to give up the easy meal?

Now, if you find some poor compulsive gambler who keeps losing his money, you should take it from him. If you do not, then somebody else would take his money, and then they are going to come after YOU.

[OrianasDaad]

I think the main point is that poker players do nothing for society by playing poker. I stand by my earlier comment in this regard.

[topspin]

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I think the main point is that poker players do nothing for society by playing poker.

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I think the main point is that NFL football players do nothing for society by playing football.

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I think the main point is that pop singers do nothing for society by playing songs.

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I think the main point is that Six Flags does nothing for society by operating roller coasters.

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The list goes on. Not everything in society has to do something "productive", and just because an activity is not "productive" does not make it bad.

(I recently paid over $200 for 2 tickets to Cirque and sat in a theater full of people who had presumably spent the same, in return for 2 hours of entertainment that did absolutely nothing to better the world. No one seems to be accusing the performers on stage of being a blight on society, though.)

[FlFishOn]

"i love it! a firebreathing right wing reactionary. "

"seems to me that i am responding to a typical "ditto-head" here. "

No mention of my argument. I'm not surprised. Feel free to continue to attack me, I'm OK with it.

[wdbaker]

Hi,
Former Day trader stocks, derivatives, forex etc...

They said if you want to get better at what you do that you should hone your skills playing poker, both psychologically and logically.

I have completely switched over to poker for the following reasons:
1. The principals are the same

2. It's like being in the forex market, people from all over the world bring there money and exchange it, if they do a good job they go home with more than they started with, or less if not.

3. There are far less unknowns in the poker market, 10 people not 10 zillion, 52 cards not 50 trillion dollars.

4. Bankroll requirements are much much less and the learning curve is much less steep if you apply yourself.

5. in poker, you know what you know, everything else you don't know. In the financial markets, you never are sure what you know...

6. If someone comes to my table and starts talking to me about how they need to feed there kids or pay their rent then I can get up from the table and not contribute to his/her losses.

7. I provide a service for others who are mostly looking for a good game and entertainment, on occasion I am the one who is entertained or schooled if you like.


I could go on but I think you get the point...

One Street at a Time
wdbaker Denver, Co

[Bill Bixby]

Very poor taste in your post. There are people who are not out to screw everyone else, and dont try to take advantage of people. You need to change your outlook on life or you are going to be a miserable old person one day, seriously. Life is too short. If I see a compulsive gambler, im NOT going to take his money, im going to help him check into GA and get his life back on track. I dont care if I get flamed for this, its how I feel. I am going to pray for you XxgodjrXx. What makes the world turn is people helping people and love, that is a fact. You need to change your way of thinking...

Bix

[Altaslim]

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I actually love this aspect of poker.
I am a vampire, I rob others of their life energy and life force in order to exault my own. The same reason they can't afford shoes is the same reason mine shine. The same reason their girlfriends are ashamed and enfurated at them, is the same reason I split a bottle of pinot with mine. God himself didn't designate me to be a winning player, or them to be losers. These are acts of freewill. Ones living quality will always be the result of the critical decisions they make, and poker is a brutally honest. Everybody has a decision to make for themselves. <font color="red"> </font>
Idaho

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Obviously God himself didn't designate you to be a champeen spellar either. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]