Poker and the Intentions of the Heart

So, I'm back to updating the blogaroo. And yes, I do realize that I just made an incredibly dorky statement. But I'm back in America, and I can blame it on culture shock.

Rewind a few weeks to the beginning of December, and you will find me and Hannah, along with the guys, playing an exhilirating game of Texas Hold'em. And we had some pretty deep discussions over the game. I also learned a lot about myself, or at least a lot about the way I play poker.

First, about me (isn't that always the truth?). I'm not a risk-taker. I start small and get out fast when I know I can't win. And 9.5 times out of 10 when I fold before the flop, I would have lost anyways. That other time, I would have had four of a kind. And, I'm pretty frugal. I came in third. I had about 100 in chips, and I made those last several rounds, while the last two guys were pooling thousands. Made the game more fun for me. I even doubled my pot once thinking I was going out, then made the hand on the river.

But now to what we learned about the heart, and how Poker can effect it. Poker happens to be a dirty, lying, gambling sort of game. Extremist and literalists may or may not be placated by the fact that no actual money changed hands before, during, or after the game, unless it was to pay for the steak dinner... But a lot of "bluffing" did go on. And we had a discussion about the morality of bluffing via poker chips. It is not a verbal bluff, but only a bluff as understood by the interpretting players. And what I understand to be a bluff may, in fact, be a legitimate raise. It also comes to the point when you have to show your cards and admit that in your heart, you intended to bluff (read lie) or tell the truth about the strength of you hand. You also get into the gray area of betting on your cards when there is no money involved. Is it the same as betting on how many tricks you'll take in spades? I mean, if there's no money involved...

So, you tell me. Is it all right to play poker when no money is involved? What do you think about playing "betting" games in general, like poker, spades, hearts, rook...? Let me know...