[tP5n]

Poker is not a lottery, the cards are not 'stacked against us'. I'd also question the subtext that gambling (addiction?) only harms the poor.

I wish people would be able to make educated decisions in regards to their own life. I would not want the state to decide on how I, or others, spent our pastime.

[valarauca1]

>I wish people would be able to make educated decisions in regards to their own life.

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

[tikhonj]

I suspect "able" here means "allowed". "I wish people would be allowed to make educated decisions…" is not criticizing anyone except perhaps the people who wish that people would not be allowed to make certain decisions themselves.

[mod]

You're adding a slant to his comment that didn't exist.

He wants the ABILITY to choose one's own path. He's not commenting (positively or negatively) on the paths others have chosen.

[duncanawoods]

>> Poker is not a lottery, the cards are not 'stacked against us

Not quite.

Cash games with rakes and evenly matched players are effectively "stacked against you". Every player at the table will be a loser. Even if you are +ev, a high rake can still make you a loser.

Very large field MTTs are close to lotteries. A good player can not expect to play one hundred 1000 player tournaments and beat variance. Assuming the typical definition of a good player being twice as likely to win, confidently beating variance requires 1000s of tournaments.

[mod]

Nobody is twice as likely to win the lottery. Saying that it's "close to a lottery" is clearly wrong.

Similarly, no game is evenly matched, and there's no particular reason any given player can't elevate their game to the point of beating the rake.