Comment by mancerayder
2 months ago
>Which sounds similar to how gambling addicts report their thoughts on their addiction - that they are smart enough to learn poker, or they know enough basketball to be able to predict outcomes.
Some people are smart enough to learn poker, and build careers out of them. And there are many books on poker. You picked a poor example.
A gambling addict thinks they can learn to play poker because there is a small elite of professional poker players.
Which is exactly what an amateur trader thinks - I will learn to beat the market, because Ray Dalio did.
I used the poker example precisely because of this parallel between a very small elite and an overwhelming majority of loss makers.
You're right in that sense that people think they can learn to be the best, and fail at it, as only few succeed. The game wouldn't have tournaments if that were true no one could consistently win financially.
You're also right that it triggers the addiction itch in some vulnerable individuals!
I play poker and would never be stupid enough to put real money on it. It's great as a social game for me where 25 dollars is the risk.
Don't hate the game...
> I play poker and would never be stupid enough to put real money on it
This whole thread is casinos arguing against regulation because casual poker players don’t get addicted. We have billions of dollars targeting young people (mostly single young men) with gambling, from zero-day options trading to crypto and sports betting.