Gambling is in my genes

I read an interesting article somewhere in the NET a couple of days ago. It claims that the reason why a lot of good poker players are broke is not because of their poker playing. It is primarily because they engage in a lot of gambling on the side in neg EV games like sports betting, blackjack and other games where the house has an advantage.

It is a paradox of some sorts if you think about it. One of the primary skills of a good poker player is his ability to think logically and to compute odds so that he is able to get his money in when he's got the best of it. So why would a logical person like this engage in a game where he knows ahead of time that he is behind?

Heck if I know. Some scientific theories propose that there is actually a gene somewhere in our DNA that triggers compulsions related to gambling. A lot of mumbo jumbo about D2 receptors etc. But what does it all mean? Well, basically it says that some of us were born to be gamblers. Heheh ...

I for one cannot deny our family history. Before he passed away, my dad was a compulsive gambler of the highest degree and was a regular in the casinos around town.

The fact that I enjoy poker very much and have dabbled in some other forms of gambling do give credence to the gene theory. I am just glad that I have seen the bad effects firsthand and that I am now able to temper this impulse somewhat.

So my question is, are we all gamblers at heart? And all this talk about poker being a skill game is just our excuse to engage in this activity that undeniably gives us the rush that we all crave for.