Enough is Enough

The world is a funny place sometimes and I often times question why things are the way they are. The topic I'm about to discuss is something that I've given alot of thought and I think with a little insight into my world and my thoughts alot of you will understand why I'm so upset about this. As most of you have probably read Nick's post below, I want to take a dive into the infamous world of online gambling.

To begin, I want to first say that 99% of you don't know enough about the subject to have an educated and well informed opinion, and the 1% of you who do are most likely going to agree with everything I'm about to say. However, I want to make it clear I'm in no way trying to make anyone agree with me, I would just enjoy seeing uninformed people to take a step outside the box and take a look at what online gaming is from another perspective.

As a poker player I have had numerous people tell me I must get a real job and that I must conform to society as they and the rest of their family and peers have. In response to that I would just like to say that I don't tell anyone else how to live their live, what career choices they should make, or give them any other insight into how they should live their lives....so I think it's only fair they not try and pidgeonhold me. Furthermore, everyone deserves to pursue something that makes them happy and do something they love. I know most of you can't possibly understand how people can have a "talent" for poker or for other forms of gambling, but it does exist and it exists on a high level. I, along with alot of my other friends, use our God-given talents and pursue these types of endeavors because we are successful and they suit our personalities. Most of you would be shocked at how intelligent and well spoken alot of people who play poker are, and that's because it's an intellectual game, much like chess. You have to out think, out guess, out smart, and out study your opponents to be successful.

Another thing I'm extremely upset about is the fact that poker is viewed with such a negative connotation and how it has always carried quite an unflattering stereotype. Poker is everywhere now. It's not just in casinos, but rather it is on your television, in your homes, and on your computers. It's so mainstream and there are people of all ages, races, genders, and social backgrounds who partake. Poker is no longer only in the back rooms of our local bars, where it's 9 armed texans who are literally playing for their lives. Poker has so many recreational purposes and can serve as entertainment much like a movie, golf, or a night out on the town would. Everyone is under some weird dillusion that if you play poker you are a bad person or you are an addict, and that could not be further from the truth. To be honest, alot of people who play poker, especially for alot of money or at a high level, are some of the most trustworth people I've ever met, and I believe that alot of that stems from the fact that people who play poker for a living must have a certain disregard for money and so they are not emotionally swayed by financial decisions and problems. I would rather lend a large some of money to a poker player who plays at a high level whom I have never met, than a good friend who I have known for years who works a 9-5 job. It's just such a different dynamic that if you aren't apart of it you can't really understand it. Furthermore, the notion that everyone, or almost everyone, who plays poker is an addict is one of the most idiotic notions I've ever heard. That's like saying everyone that eats is fat, or everyone that has a drink is an alcoholic, or everyone who doesn't go to college is ignorant, or for that matter, people who do go to college aren't ignorant. Just people people act in a certain manner or chose a path off the beaten trail doesn't mean they are obsessed, addicted, wrong, dumb, sinful, or any of the other million issues people unfairly associate them with.

Think about poker players in this light...
Poker players make educated and informed decisions based on analysis of various situations and data they retreive from other players, their opponents tendencies, as well as mathematical probabilities. What poker players do and what people do on Wallstreet is absolutely no different. In fact, I believe poker is 100 times more skillful than investing in the market because the market is closed to insider information, while there is far more information to be gathered in poker to make decisions. It's evident that people don't have much of an edge in the market, the reason they win is simply because the market over the course of history has beared a 10 percent ROI. Any idiot can pick 50 random stocks, invest $50,000 and make money in the long run. Not everyone can put 50k down and win playing poker because it's a skill game. The biggest different between the stock market and poker is people's perception of it. The stock market is gambling last I checked, but people just think that it's a "good investment" and that what they are "suppose to do." The truth is, it is a very good investment, but for people who are skilled at poker, poker is also a very good investment. Alot of times it's an even better investment than the market is because the average return for the market, as I've stated already is 10%, while the top online poker pros can have an ROI over the long term of nearly 100%. If you could invest your money is a risk and earn an average of 10% or 100%, which would you choose? Yeah, me too. And there may be some of you out there saying well what about the rake they take and the fees that are charged to play poker? To that I say what about the broker fees and the trading fees associated with the stock market?

Furthermore, poker is not like craps, roulette, or blackjack where you play against the house and everyone is expected to lose over the long term. In poker you play against other players and if you are more skilled you will win in the long run. The problem with most of society is they cannot or do not distinguish the difference between poker and games like blackjack and craps.

I find it ludicrous and ignorant for people to try and ban online poker. The plain and simple fact is that the government wants to tax it just like they want to tax every little thing they can get their greedy hands on. It's just not right for them to disallow online gambling and then when it goes oversees and thrives, that they then decide they want their piece of the pie. The originally banned it because they believed it to be immoral and troublesome, but as soon as it earns billions of dollars oversees they all of a sudden want to regulate it. Sounds flawed to me. People should not support these greedy and callous government officials. Also, I hate those who say that online gambling is ruining marraiges and families. Credit cards, lies, and lust also ruin marraiges and families. So I guess logically we should say nobody is permitted borrow money, communicate, or associate with the opposite sex. This would be perfect because then nothing would get ruined. I mean come on, wake up and realize that people will be people; their flaws will show and everyone has their vices and that is evident by the fact that we are all sinners. Just because a few people make poor decisions doesn't mean that the majority should be punished, otherwise nobody would be allowed to partake in any endeavours.

I'm offically done with my rant and would like to thank those of you who stuck with me and read this entire blog. It's something I'm very passionate about and I hope that I have opened some eyes to another perspective.


God Bless,

Zack