I know I’m preaching to the choir, but…

Gary R. Reed, Colorado State Director for the Poker Players Alliance, wrote an op-ed piece for the denverpost.com recently that discussed the fact that even with the surge in poker playing over the last 10 years, whether or not our game is a game of skill, sadly, is still a debate. Our president and many other heads of state engage in games of poker and yet, the God fearing, anti-gambling side, as well as the Wall Street Journal, still insists that poker is simply gambling.

It’s infuriating.

Since I have yet to meet anyone in real life who is this vehemently against poker (I must thank the liberal bubble I enjoy in California for that), I can only judge the “other side” from what I read on teh intertubez. The comments left on digg.com re: the Reed post in favor of labeling poker as a game of chance are still very soft.

I would not be surprised if the majority of those who take that stance have never once played a game of poker. They just take the propoganda fed to them by their pulpits and regurgitate wherever they want.

Here is one of my favorites:

1) Poker is a game of uncertain outcomes. Someone is compensated when cards are dealt. No amount of skill will change that.

Really? You don’t say. So if NHL presidents dish out bonuses to their teams when they win the Stanley Cup, does that change their game of skill to that of chance? Is it now gambling? The fact that a puck can hit a post on a potential game tying goal alone makes it a game of chance… right?

How about when Tiger Woods plays in a golf tournament? Not a game of chance?

Are the NHL and PGA gambling organizations?

Most of those who hate poker, feel that any sort of “gambling” is a sin and hurts our society. Well, imagine the revenue that legalized poker could bring to our country. In California there is legislation that has been leaked to the internet stating that California would allow current card clubs to set up their own online poker sites. Although I feel that opening the door solely for current California sanctioned card halls is a bit biased, it is still a step in the right direction.

If Denver is successful in officially defining poker as a game of skill, the revenue hit to the casinos would actually favor those who feel casinos are evil. It could also be a step in the same direction that California is proposing. Leading to more revenue for the state.

What do you all think? Poker, solely gambling still, or is it safe to say that this is a game of skill?

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Author: Nick

Nick is a PokerSoup site admin, poker aficionado and part-time PokerSoup contributor. While he can usually be found on Pokerstars, he has been known to occasionally make trips out to Vegas and Reno for live action.