pawnstormCA wrote:
Unlike Chess or Football, Poker is a game where an amateur can rise to
the highest levels in practically no time and walk away with millions
of dollars. What attracts people to poker is the same thing that
attracts them to the lottery, the possibility that they could win a
very large sum of money via an activity that is largely luck based. .

I disagree with the "largely luck based" statement. The reason
why poker is legal in California is because it's a game of skill.
It'll be illegal if it's largely luck based.

Does that possibility exist in Chess or Football? Of course not. There
is 0% chance I'll be drafted in the NFL and there is a 0% chance that
I'll win the 2007 Wikj aan Zee. But with Poker, all it takes is $10,000
to purchase a seat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and give
yourself a shot at becoming an instant multi-millionaire. Just look at
who wins.

There are satellite events with entry fees ranging from a dollar
to $200.00 to win the WSOP entry fee of $10,000.00. Moneymaker
did it in 2003 for $46.00.

The 2004 WSOP Champion is a middle-aged, balding, overweight patent
attorney who walked away with $5,000,000 from a single event. The 2003
WSOP Champion is a 20-something CPA named Moneymaker whose only
previous experience was playing Poker on the Internet, and he won
around $2,500,000.

When people watch Poker, they can realistically envision themselves up
there. The same is not true about any other sport.

To me, the excitement of the game is the main reason why
Poker became a sport in TV that people watch. The shows
inspired more than 50 million Americans to play poker, whether
recreationally or for a living. Poker players can shout, dance,
sing, whatever, at the table and it's all part of the fun. Can we do
all of these in chess?