what's your opinion on poker?

Not a big fan of poker myself, everytime I play I end up naked or broke. Sometimes both.

I personally hate the game, I hate all card games. But I don't see a problem with people playing poker. Just last week my Bible study got together with a few others and played poker. A campus minister was there with us playing along too... well they weren't playing along with me because I sat and watched. But there were no objections to it. So I don't see it being a problem unless someone bids their life savings away.

Are you by any chance a college student?

Click to expand...

What does that have to do with anything? I'm confused.

Rae said:

What does that have to do with anything? I'm confused.

Click to expand...

Atleast at the college I go to everyone is incredibley obsessed with Eucre. I had never heard of it before coming to school here, so I naturally associate it with a university setting.

I learned euchre in college. I also learned several different forms of solitaire and that most people were far different from me.

Please note that if you are betting anything of value and 1 person gains something and the other person loses something you are gambling!

I can see why you're not a fan! Being naked and broke is not a good (GOD) thing for you. Try monopoly next time, at least you'll be warmer and have pockets for your money


Elder Lee

When it becomes excessive and out of control and you become addicted and your actually betting with money or pocessions then yes i think no one should play the game.
but if the game is played socially and there is no betting involved and the game has a minimal amount of persons and can be controlled then i guess there's no harm.

I don't really know and understand the game. It doesn't look like much fun.

Can people really believe that poker is wrong? That seems so silly.

something from the fridge said:

game is fine, the gambling isnt' necessarily so. something to do with getting money by not earnng or working for it. i relies on luck

Click to expand...

Luck plus some skill. Reminds me of the stock market or insurance. You can make money off of both of those and the variables are so numerous that they are just as much luck as poker.

I personally cannot gamble. I only stick a dime into a slot machine, and lose it... it feels like it tears my heart out! I'm just plain too stingy. Do I think it's wrong? It is wrong only if a person loses control. My in-laws take trips to Nevada all of the time, and they BUDGET a certain amount of money to gamble with. That amount they will not go any farther than.... and that is okay, as far as a vacation fun outlet. Me, however, it's an entirely different thing. I'm keeping my pennies, nickles, and dimes.

We used to play "penny annie" when newlyweds, and invited our friends over for this thing. We kept the pennies in a jar, and they never went anywhere. We would win or lose the same ones over and over again. It was great fun for us, and a chance to get together. I miss those days.

I think it's all about how you play, or more spcifically, how you bet.
I have freinds who get together at least twice a week (I can only make it about once every two months, due to work).
With them, it's a five dollar buy-in, sometimes with the possibillity of re-buys in the first hour or so. The most you can possibly lose is fifteen dollars, and only if you manage to go broke twice in the first hour.
Compared to the cost of a movie, about fifteen dollars for a 90+minute show, this is a very cheap evening, as the games usually last five hours or more.
And nobody ever goes home wondering how they're going to pay the rent, or how to explain to their spouse that the family vacation is cancelled. Just good fun between friends.
I feel the same way about the casino... I never walk in with more money in my pocket than I can afford to lose. If I do lose it, which is most of the time, then that was the cost of my evenings entertainment, but if I'm lucky enough to win some, it's just a nice little bonus.
Trying to make a career out of gambling, now that is an entirly different story!

nuvesta said:

What are your opinions on poker? Is this something Christians shouldn't play? Is gambling considered a sin? Is poker a sin?

Click to expand...

Just playing it as a game, it's fine. It's when you gamble with it is when it starts to cross the line.

poker is fun. i dont think its a sin, i think its okay for christians to play. i mean i play!

Poker, even the gambling part, (like most things in life) is only sinful when it becomes a hinderance to your ability to walk with God and live a Christian life. I play Poker most Friday nights with a group of guys from work. Buy in is $10, and that will get you a good 2-3 hours of play if you have any clue what you're doing. It's a cheap way for me to spend a night with friends, 10 bucks isn't going to break my bank account, nor is losing it going to lead me away from God or break up my marriage. I also go to Vegas occasionally and walk in knowing exactly how much I can afford to lose. If I lose it, I walk out.

Can it be a sin? Definitely. Over-indulgence in almost anything can be a sin. But I doubt that the game itself or friendly wagers that are easily affordable are sinful in and of themselves.

I really enjoy poker. Some of my happiest times in college were the Friday night penny ante games with some professors and students. Poker teaches one how to read people, the laws of probability, how to bluff, and how to pace and space your actions. A person can learn a great deal about life, war, and business from poker.