THE BOYS ARE BACK IN BUSINESS
The Junto Boys are back from a long weekend in Biloxi. We entered a poker tourney with little luck, but we all saw our game improve at the regular tables. The Dude and I were even accused of being professionals by a local lady when we read her hand a couple of times. Steve had hardly played Texas Hold'em before the trip but saw his game improve enough that he walked with a small profit on our last session. He's going to be a tough player once he gets some time logged at the table.
Poker is not given its due as a game of skill. Because money is won and lost it is considered gambling, but life is a gamble. Unlike a game of chance such as blackjack, poker is consistently won by good players. California understood this long ago and allowed poker rooms but not regular casino games. In Florida, they allow poker in a convoluted form as long as no more than ten dollars is won on any hand. My libertarian views have trouble understanding the ban on gambling in general, but even more so on poker.
Why not let people wager at games. They already wager in the stock market. And you can argue that everything in life is a gamble, from the person you marry to the career you choose. There are no guarantees in life, but taking risks provides rewards and punishments. Should the government really be in the business of outlawing natural human behavior?
Risk theory suggests that we all need a certain amount of risk in our lives to feel alive. Wagering is one of the few risks you can take that doesn't put your physical health in danger. If there are winners and losers it is no different than in any other part of life.
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