How Is Poker Different To Other Gambling Games?

In an interesting article which appeared in calvinayre today entitled “Poker and Gambling: a View From the Inside”, UK poker writer Lee Davy attempted to answer the question of whether poker should be considered gambling. Davy starts his piece by explaining how debts accrued from his sports betting and casino habit eventually lead him to give up alcohol and gambling all together.
Nevertheless, Davy explains how he was eventually able to pay of his debts by playing poker, before making a distinction between the game and gambling in general. Highlighting his point, Lee Davy makes use of a quote by Marvin Rettenmaier, a German pro with $4,945,350 in live tournament winnings, who said “poker is a skill game, so I wouldn’t say it was gambling.” Referencing his own experience, Lee Davy then explains:
“Of course, there are times when I ‘gamble’ when playing poker. But I was never overcome with the same primal buzz of electricity as I was when I was in-play sports betting, or watching the wheel go around.”
Lee Davy then goes on to say that while he was able to make money playing poker tournaments, his record was not so good at the cash tables. He puts this down to his need for instant gratification, which was not provided for by poker tournaments, unlike casino games, in-play sports betting, or cash poker games, for that matter.
Continuing his self-gambling exploration, Lee Davy subsequently questions why he simply did not blow all his money getting an instant fix playing high stakes cash games. PKR pro Dan O’Callaghan then provides an answer when he explained that unlike losing to the ‘house’ at a casino, or sports betting, in poker losing to a person attacks the ego and feels much worse. An illuminated Davy then states:
“Now it all makes sense. I couldn’t get my instant high, playing poker, because to do so would mean sitting at a table and going all-in every hand. I would look like a right donkey. I was never comfortable not being able to win constantly when playing cash games. I was embarrassed. I am very competitive. So, in the end, it didn’t provide me with the thrill that I needed.”
Ending his interesting article, Davy says he no longer feels the need for “instant gratification”, and is content to stick to playing poker tournaments for his kicks, rather than gambling at sports betting or casino games.
“There was a time when poker was gambling, for me, but today I view it as a competitive game where over the long run, the person with the most skill will be the winner,” states Davy.