--To the Addict: If a player does not recognize the addiction, he or she will often believe themselves to be having a losing streak, a string of bad luck, or simply playing against superior players. While any of these factors may be true, the difference between how the addict deals with these situations, is very different than how a rational person would.
A player who is not addicted would recognize that for every loss there is a win, and that in the long run the cards all even out, maintaining optimal playing strategy at all times. When facing superior opponents, such a player would try to adapt, and if still out-classed, would seek a more suitable, and ultimately profitable, game.
The addict however, will react much differently. He or she will allow for a more broad spectrum of starting hands to counteract bad luck. Further, while the addict will try to adapt to superior players, they will not be able to pull themselves from the game - even when they know they are the fish amongst sharks - until much (if not all) of their money has gone away.
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--To an Outsider: For those on the outside, watching a loved one who is addicted to poker can be difficult. They will be very preoccupied with the game, constantly bringing up their most recent wins, and sometimes sharing big losses and bad beats. They will often look sick from countless nights spent trying to recover lost funds. And they will adamantly refuse to accept your concern that they might have a gaming problem, claiming that poker is not like other games. Poker is a game of skill not a game of luck; it is on this basis that poker is so addicting. Unlike other forms of gambling, where the old adage "the house always wins" holds true, with poker, there is no house, and the only edge one can have is his or her mind.
Below you'll find a quiz that will reveal if you have a gambling problem.
