Tonight we had several people over to play cards. We usually play variations of Texas Holdem, which is by far my favorite card game. The people that we play with get competitive and I absolutely love it.
NOTE: I feel it should be said that we are only playing for bragging rights. Not cash. However, I’d like to get your opinion on this. Here’s my question. I will try to word it as unbiased as possible.
Does playing cards for money constitute gambling? Yes or no? Does the amount being played for matter? What if it were only for $5?
Hypothetically speaking, suppose that you played in a poker tournament that cost you $5.00 to enter. Win or lose, that card game served as your entertainment for the evening. You could have chosen to go to the movies, but instead you played cards. Were you indeed gambling?
Now let me throw a twist in the question. Let’s now consider a golf tournament, which is frequently played by Christians, even pastors. This tournament required an entry fee, which went into a large pot and would be awarded to the winner. Is this gambling?
Is there a difference between the poker tournament and the golf tournament? At what point is the line drawn and something is then considered gambling? If you view one as gambling and not the other, tell us why. I’d like to hear your thoughts.
RSS Feed