This is a great thread. And props to Kurn for those fantastic posts. I see and agree with what you are saying. I think our difference lies withing the definition of "gambling." Specifically, I disagree with this statement that Aeq made:
Poker is NOT a game of chance. A game of chance is a game where you have no control over the outcome and are relying 100% on luck. I am not saying there is no luck in poker - there is PLENTY of it in the short term. And yes, examining a single poker hand, you can make an arguement that you are gambling. But if you play 1,000,000 hands of poker, I believe you have reached the long run and your skill has taken over. Looking at the 1 million hands you played, luck is gone from the equation (it washes out - everyone has effectively gotten the same cards once you rach the long run) and the amount of money you have won or lost is based entirely on your level of skill.
So I stand by this statement:
In the long run, poker is a game of skill and not a game of chance.
Therefore, using this definition for the word gambling: "To play a game of chance for stakes" ... Poker (again, in the long term) is not gambling.
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