Gambling Is Not a Crime

I’ve been starting to play HU NL on cake because the games are quick and I figure it will be the fastest way to build a roll, at least that’s what I once read on two plus two. The problem is the games are sparse. Limit Head’s up games are even more rare. Come to think of it there’s nothing really that popular on Cake except for the No limit Cash games. I watched a few videos on it before and I figure I can just play 30 buy-ins. It’s helping with my bet sizing and reading abilities. What does someone do when they have one of the monsters they get about 4% of the time? They tend to raise more, especially the min raisers.
Yesterday someone called a raise with 92o and I filled up. I couldn’t imagine hardly any deuces in his range that didn’t contain an ace so I stacked off. I was wrong. Why did he play 9-2? My first inclination is to think. . . yeah big mistake, but that’s not really the case. The reason to play 9-2 when my stack is on the shorter side is because I would stack off if he hits a monster(he had quads) He didn’t need a hand that strong, but it’s very deceptive. In fact I should probably add a couple of those bottom 10% hands in my range just for balance. 92o and 83o seem perfect.
I don’t really like Cake, but I don’t have much choice. I'm dead money right now and I'm okay with that. I play ultra micro levels to try to learn the game, figure out my SPR, and learn the ABC's of No Limit before I venture out into higher stakes.
Today Card Runners posted a thread on 2+2 that suggested the DOJ thinks the WIRE act only applies to sports betting. That seems strange to me. If they thought that then why did they seize the domains of Poker Stars and Full Tilt? I can see Tilt, but it appears the Department of Justice did not know about the so called Ponzi scheme until well after they seized the assets.
The proper roll of government is to protect its citizens from others, not to protect citizens from themselves. When laws are passed to protect people from themselves, freedom is lost. It bothers me to see how often people make the wrong arguments. Poker is not gambling, it is a game of skill. This moot point, is a red herring. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, it is gambling. It certainly can be, and for the losers it is. What is wrong with gambling? Is it inherently immoral? Gambling is not a form of stealing. All bets are essentially an agreement just like any other verbal agreement or contract. When you “put your money where your mouth is,” what you are really doing is placing a value on your knowledge. If you wager $100 on a football game you are betting that your knowledge of the players, injuries and assessment of the skill of the players et cetera is better than your opponent’s knowledge of his or her chosen team. If you sit down at a poker table you are banking on the fact that your knowledge of the game is greater than at least one of the other players.
Of course you could be wrong. You could even bet a hand of blackjack thinking that your “luck” is good. Your knowledge is flawed, but people make these bets everyday. They don’t realize the casino knows that as long as you bust before the dealer you pay them, but if the dealer busts in the same round the casino doesn’t pay you.
In gambling, knowledge is power. This is not the same as stealing. If you buy a car at one dealership, but don’t know it is $5,000 cheaper at a dealer across town—you lose $5000 to your ignorance. What’s the difference if you lose a gambling game because of your ignorance? Shouldn’t you be free to choose to do so?
Should it be a crime to waste your money?
Nearly all gaming is games of skill. Usually the casino, or in the case of lotteries, the state is in possession of that skill.
Why does it matter if someone bets $5.00 on the Laker game over the phone? What’s wrong with that? What if it’s $500.00 $1,000, or even one million? Why is it anyone’s business? Why should someone not have the right to do as they please with their own money? The question should not be is poker legal according to the WIRE ACT of 1961. The question should be why does the government need to impose the WIRE ACT of 1961 on it’s citizens?