How can people play for money with card games?

[Ifeanychukwu]

Still human and stupid. We're no different than we were 1000 years ago, we just got shinier tools.

Really? Cause I'm pretty sure people were killing each other with swords 1000 years ago. Humans have changed tremendously in the last 100 years. We have the internet, we can talk to people on the other side of the planet through monitors while we're watching a movie, playing a game, looking at your phone and eating dinner all at the same time. In 1000 years I wouldn't be surprised if humans were living somewhere other than Earth. We may hardly be human by then.

[Stelio Kontos]

Really? Cause I'm pretty sure people were killing each other with swords 1000 years ago. Humans have changed tremendously in the last 100 years. We have the internet, we can talk to people on the other side of the planet through monitors while we're watching a movie, playing a game, looking at your phone and eating dinner all at the same time. In 1000 years I wouldn't be surprised if humans were living somewhere other than Earth. We may hardly be human by then.

I'm a proponent of something along the lines of Olduvai Theory, I don't see that happening.

[Ifeanychukwu]

I'm a proponent of something along the lines of Olduvai Theory, I don't see that happening.

Well if anything social media will be the cause of the downfall of humanity. If we can make it through without killing each other or totally fucking the planet though I think we could do some pretty amazing things. I'm holding onto hope for a Deus Ex like future, without the robot mind control and robo racism. I believe the future is in augmenting or improving the human body. Once aging is no longer a problem the entire galaxy is our playground.

[Eroginous]

I see people play for money with card games, how can they do that? They can't control the cards and can lose because of something they can't control, why do people insist playing on this terms?

Because everyone has the same chance to win or lose. The player chooses which odds to play based on the quality of the cards in his hand vs what could be in the other players hands. Poker is 90% fooling the other person into a losing situation with their money. The other 10% is everything else that makes up the game.

[Feel The Power]

I've been seeing all kinds of these "why do people do (insert action)" threads all over the place lately. .

Thank you for noticing this too. There has been sooo many weird posts asking the most mundane of questions lately. "Do you use bed sheets?", "do you put a toothbrush in a cup?", "why do people play cards"...it's just getting a bit weird. Then again, I keep questioning why people are asking these kinds of pointless bait questions, while everyone else gleefully bites and discuses the merits of bed sheets and coffee...so perhaps I am the weird one.

[Spectral]

There's plenty of skill in poker.

That aside, I'm not playing for any amount of money that really matters. If I lose $20 or win $50 in a game against friends, it doesn't have any impact on my life. Having some money involved just spices things up and makes the game more lively, gives it the sensation that it matters.

[anyaka21]

In terms of the most popular games, poker and blackjack, there is a lot of skill involved. As far as poker, time played, being able to read the table, who is playing, how they are playing, how they have played, understanding the math of the game, as well as, and probably most importantly reading the players. These are all not luck based, but observational, knowledge and learned skills. And sure, there is luck involved but the more you play and learn the other aspects, you can easily minimize the luck factor and make some cash.

In terms of blackjack, it's really about understanding the numbers, what cards have been played, how many face cards and aces are still out there, and betting according to those odds. Again still luck involved, but you can minimize and maximize your bets accordingly to give yourself the best chance of making money.

Simply put, as one poker pro said, over the course of one tournament, luck can play a major factor in determining the outcome, but over the course of a year or more, you see the same people popping up consistently at final tables, so there has to be a lot of skill involved.