Comments on: Is playing poker a sin?

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:36:10 +0000

I am a Pastor and I play poker. The Bible says clearly what is sin. Gambling is not sin. Gambling can become sin to a person if he becomes a slave to it. Poker is not gambling as casino games go. Virtually all casino games where you are playing against the house there is a statistical advantage for the house and in the long run you will for sure lose period. Poker is for sure a game of skill. There is luck involved but a skilled poker player can become a consistent winning player. Will he win all the time? No. Do some people lose most of the time? Yes. If you are going to risk your money at something you need to become the best you can at it. Some people may not have what it takes to become a great poker player but it is still a fun and sociable game. I have been a consistent winning player for the past 6 years but I worked hard learning and playing low stakes to develop the skills needed to become successful. Is it wrong to make money at games? Is it wrong for someone to work toward becoming successful at a career as in football, baseball, golf etc? Of course not. Many people spend vast amounts of money and time trying to attain to a degree of skill to be good enough to make money in these fields without ever making a dime. Have they sinned. No. All of this being said, playing poker is gambling to some people that don’t put in the work and effort to become good players. Many people can also become obsessed and even addicted to it just as in other things such as video games etc. As Christians we need to have a good conscience in the things we do and not become enslaved to anything that would pull us away from the things most important. God and family!

By: prayers for blowouts » Blog Archive » CG2FF: Part II - To Pay or Not To Pay

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:03:29 +0000

[...] and wisdom (you can read more of my thoughts on gambling, specifically on playing poker for money, here if you like). If you feel the same way I do about gambling, then throwing a few bucks into a pot for the winner [...]

By: jack corbett

jack corbett — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:07:57 +0000

The way I played tonight was a sin, or at least something not good, I won 2 hands in 3 hours and was finally forced to go all-in w/ A-J unsuited. My only caller had A-A. And, yes A-A held up.

By: jack corbett

jack corbett — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:04:41 +0000

Poker is great in moderation. I’m a regular cartoonist in WITTENBURG DOOR, and I believe we should all lighten up a little. Enjoy life, play games and have a sense of humor. I couldn/t play in a poker game where everyone is up tight. Both games I play in are great fun, and noone loses the deed to the ranch. Moderation. Enjoy your articles, Bryan. Keep up the good work.

By: prayers for blowouts » Blog Archive » Daniel Negreanu: Poker Player and Christian

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:31:33 +0000

[...] If you’re new here, and you’re into sports and/or the Christian faith, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!editor’s note: if you came to this page wondering if playing poker is a sin, might I suggest you read my post on that exact topic? [...]

By: prayers for blowouts » Blog Archive » NFL 08 Over/Unders

prayers for blowouts » Blog Archive » NFL 08 Over/Unders — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:36:34 +0000

[...] If you’re new here, and you’re into sports and/or the Christian faith, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!We don’t condone gambling here at PFB, we encourage it. No, I kid. (Although, as I’ve said before, I have no problem with gambling in moderation.) [...]

By: sebastian

sebastian — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:32:19 +0000

great article, thnak you, im 25 and playing poker as a living, i live in south america so playing poker is more an option than a one dollar an hour normal job. everything is a sin when it gets out of control. is there anything on marihuana, and could you give me some bible cuotes about marihuana, thank you very much

By: paulette

paulette — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:08:01 +0000

There’s no problem playing poker at all. What is bad is if there’s no moderation at all making you to forget other duties.

By: John

John — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:19:48 +0000

I don’t think is actually a sin. Pretty dumb? probably. Unwise? Yeah. But a little gambling as sin? No. As long as you don’t lose more that you can afford and remember to have fun. Gambling doesn’t have to stem from greed, it can be enjoyable and then I see no problems.

By: Mike L.

Mike L. — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:53:02 +0000

I once had a church group that meet weekly at the church to play poker and drink beer. It was a wonderful experience. We meet elsewhere simply because of some space limitations, but the concept is the same. I can’t think of a better way to fellowship. Poker is fun and beer is good. What’s not to like?

I wrote about my feelings on my blog…

http://www.faithprogression.com/2004/11/poker-is-nuts.html