[Warhead W-88]

I just meant that in poker, there is the "Win the hand" aspect which is pure card-play, and the "Win Money" aspect, which is gambling, and that the object of course is the latter, not the former, and anyone who plays the former is going to end up broke.

By which I meant-- Beginning poker-players tend to stay in hands for too long, because they're interested in the card-play aspect (seeing if they can finish that straight, etc.), when more experienced players see folding the hand as just as "interesting" a move as trying to draw that needed card.

There is a big difference between the gambling-game and card-play game in poker. There's not such a big difference in Bridge, where card-play translates pretty much directly to success at the gambling aspect.

[Warhead W-88]

Without gambling, Poker is pretty much just a childish game of "collect the pairs."

That's all I meant.

With gambling, of course, it's a whole lot more interesting.

But it NEEDS the gambling to become a sophisticated and interesting game.

[discostu]

Winning the hand is card-play when more than one person reveals, if you're doing your job with the chips right that's a pretty rare occurance.

Interestingly while beginning players tend to stay in hands too long so do the junkies. And for the same reason, they're focusing on the money already tossed in, or even the money lost in previous hands. Both the beginning player and the junk have an inability to focus in the short term and have no memory of what has gone before especially the bad stuff (also a skill needed by goalies and quarterbacks... guess I'd suck at that too).

I'm not sure why bridge has never entertained me. I like hearts and that's in the family, maybe just not playing with the right people. Maybe just the human need to dislike something.