Poker is bad for gambling
by PokerAnon ~ March 30th, 2009. Filed under: Gambling.
I was never much of a gambler, but I used to buy lottery tickets, alternately trying to pick the numbers that were less frequently drawn thinking that they’re due to be drawn, or picking the more frequently drawn numbers assuming that because the numbers were drawn on television with typical bingo ping pong balls, that the more frequently drawn numbers were possibly misshapen balls or more perfectly round balls causing them to be drawn more frequently. Mostly I would do this when the prize pool got big. In these situations my thinking would be that my odds wouldn’t be any better but the payout potential is higher. If I got more than just 3 numbers right I wouldn’t just get the flat $10 and the size of my prize would be determined by the size of the prize pool and the number of winners. After buying my tickets I would briefly (only briefly so as to not get my hopes up too high) think about what size prize I would need to win in order to share it with family, and what I would do with the amount that I kept for myself.
Nowadays the only time I buy lottery tickets is when the prize pool gets big and someone at work initiates a group buy and I buy a share. This is for insurance purposes more than anything. If my co-workers happen to win a big prize, I don’t want to be one of the few still coming in to work. 
The same applies to the idea of playing slot machines or blackjack, both of which my parents play. Rather than seeing some fun from the possibility of maybe winning, I see a net loss coming. It’s just a matter of time. This perspective takes the fun out of it, and I just see it as a cost.
On top of this, I’m taking chances all the time because I play poker regularly, so maybe the thrill of chance is used up for me. When I 5-bet/shove KK preflop I’m taking a chance that my opponent doesn’t have AA. Even though I know that I’m almost never folding KK preflop because the likelihood that my opponent has QQ/JJ/AK or worse is too high, it’s still taking a chance. When I c-bet a dry flop against a single opponent I’m taking a chance that he didn’t flop a set.
But my bankroll keeps increasing over time, so poker is a net gain for me. So when I have an option of buying tickets for $20 and I compare that to investing that $20 at a poker table, I get more fun and more likelihood of winning if the money goes on the poker table, so I just don’t bother with anything else anymore. I almost gave up on the office NFL football pool too except I won weeks 15 and 16 and covered my buyin plus two more, so maybe I’m not ready to give up on that one yet.
