It's come up a coupla times. Thought I might check out the lay of the land. I know all of you pretty well by now, so what you have to say has a lot of context. It's valuable.

Let's say a good friend of mine plays online poker for real money. This friend is a skilled player, able to consistantly beat their variance in the game, for profit.

Do you play Poker regularly, or have you played the game at all? Where & how?

How does online play compare to a brick and mortar card room, in your opinion?

(The info you get from players is considerably less, but that's not where I'm headed. Ok to toss in your perception though.)

The WTO recently ruled against the US, citing protectionism. Essentially, under our treaty agreements, we are free to ban online gambling of all kinds, or permit it --and permit foreign interests as well. Denying access to the banks, essentally cuts of American players, while state run lottos and online games run unhindered.

This is one of those times when the whole free market line of thinking really has me in a condrum. Personally, I think we should engage in some regulation of foreign competition, but we've agreed not to, so this is completely open for discussion as far as I'm concerned.

Do you think poker is a game of skill?

There is some luck involved, but a player can choose to lose, and this differentiates Poker from other games of chance where the player really cannot choose to lose. Players of other games, can bet incorrectly, but that's not the same as choosing to surrender one's stake at any one time when faced with a competeting bet.

Finally, Poker is a game among players. It's distributed in a way that other games are not. Typically the house takes a cut of the money flow, but the burden of payouts lies on those that play.

Does this influence your perception of Poker in general?

Finally, is gambling wrong morally? If so, what do you think about the legal gambling that currently exists? If not, then would the US benefit from a regulated and taxed Poker scene?

Unlike a lot of threads I start, this one really is a "what do you all think?" and discussion one. Put your stuff on the table and let's hash it out. I want to learn some stuff!

I play for fun only sometimes on partypoker.com! Would be fun to get a whole group of PDX'ers in there at one time!

I'm for online poker if it makes my own personal tax burden less. Better that the goverment scams suckers out of money than private hands. If one can play poker and beat the house, then more power to them, because in the end, I win too.

I stay away from stuff like this.

Won about 400 last year on one hand, so these guys do pay off. Not sure what to make of the new regs, but I have not risked it. Almost a "quit while ahead mentality" for me.