Luck or Freedom?

[Content Disclosure: 100% Poker, 43% Freedom]

I played a home game the other night, a real home game; no poker media, no one who had ever even played in a card room. Some 'Follow the Queen', a few wild card games, lots of beer. My buddy, who got me the invite, just had to mention my credentials and that meant I had to supply stories for at least part of the evening. Eventually, someone had to ask: "How much is skill and how much is just luck?"

But this post is not about luck, besides I have given my opinion on this issue often. In case you missed it: There is no luck in poker, there is, however, variance.

What bothers me about the luck question is when it is posed as: "Is poker a game or skill or luck?" and then courts make decisions about whether or not we can play poker based on some answer a judge drags out of his Sunday school upbringing. I really hate lawyers and judges messin' about with the skill or luck question because that is not the right question. Never was, never will be.

The question about legal or illegal poker is much more basic. The question is correctly phrased this way: "What the hell is the government doing telling me or anyone else how to spend our time, energy or money?!"

Forget the Skill vs. Luck question that just distracts the focus from essential issue that poker players are simply exercising their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of some basic enjoyment. Moralists, book thumpers and all those who do not enjoy a game of cards should enjoy their life as they wish and stop trying to control mine. If playing poker for money will in your system of beliefs lead you to hell then you probably should not be hanging out at a poker table; but the imposition of your myths on my life is the very thing that starts wars. Please just go away and let everyone else live their life as they deem appropriate.