Quote:
Originally posted by DZGirl
Lately my boyfriend and his friends have been "addicted" to Party Poker. (I use the term 'addicted' loosely, as they are not really addicted, but have been on a lot more recently than they used to). I am not really a big fan of it because I see it as throwing away your money and we usually end up fighting when he plays, but I just wanted to see if anyone else out there is a Party Poker (or any other online gambling site) addict.
|
I play almost exclusively on ultimatebet, but occasionally on royal vegas or pokerroom (depending on my tournament desires etc).
My bankroll is pretty healthy; in fact, buddies of mine who have more free time regularly pay rent w/ winnings.
If your boy is losing beyond his means, he may have a problem. If he simply enjoys playing cards, then you have a problem - that is, he's not really 'throwing away his money' any more than going to the movies or etc is 'throwing away money.'
It's entertainment and competition at once - and unlike real casinos, which are not really "exciting" jharb, but instead usually dirty, loud, and expensive due to the rake, you can play while watching the game, or a movie, or reading. Again - if he has an actual gambling problem, you should get him help, but I think you misunderstand poker.
POKER IS NOT REALLY "GAMBLING" IN ITS TRUEST FORM.
The fact that the game is played against live players, and not against the 'house' or a set of implied odds, makes it a competition - the money is simply how you keep score. Now, poker has exploded lately, and most people suck, true - but it's still just another way of spending the entertainment dollar. It's not like betting on football or the roulette wheel, where the expected value is implicitly negative over time - here, you essentially 'make your own odds' through skillful play.
Maybe you should sit down w/ him one day, play a few hands, and talk about why he enjoys it - then, discuss your concerns about gambling problems, and let him know that you worry for that reason and that reason alone. Hopefully then you'll get it - it's not 'throwing money away' automatically. Honestly, I could write a novel about this subject, and I will respond to any serious inquiries you have - but I'll leave you with this: we've seen many fewer issues w/ girlfriends getting pissed about poker ever since we started integrating them into our regular games. Fact is, some are pretty frigging good, and they start to get it: it's not a pure game of chance, as you would expect w/ 'gambling' but rather a game, like any other, with rules and skills involved. This leads me to believe their concerns were more over the lost time w/ their men, and not with the game itself. Comments?
-RC
--had this conversation before, obviously