“How might this game put people at risk for addiction?
Similar to the gambling machines in Las Vegas, poker is highly immersive in nature that leads players to a flow state where they are constantly entranced and invested in the game. The social community, skill development and chance builds an addictive environment where players might not be able to disengage after a while. The continuous action and dopamine production of poker keeps the player in deep focus mode while distorting the sense of time.
Poker also uses reinforcement psychology to actively engage and encourage the player to keep going. Through the winning hands and success of player’s bluffs, Poker promotes the behavior of ongoing engagement, leading to more loss of money and time. It creates a sense of control over their skill development even though it’s arguably mostly luck. The sense of risk-taking for a big reward could also be thrilling and exciting.
Unlike the solitary aspect of machine gambling mentioned by Natasha Dow Schull, the social aspect of Poker can create a sense of community with competition, interactions and social influence that makes it even more addictive. There’s the quest for social recognition among their friends, making them continually play to prove themselves.
How does it compare to other games that use chance or probability? How does this game engage with aspects of probability, and how is randomness feeding into addiction?
Psychological elements such as bluffing, emotion control and analyzing others behavior adds a layer of strategic complexity that aren’t usually present in games such as roulette or game machines that only use luck. So, there’s a sense of control and mastery of skill in poker, leading to higher likelihood of addiction.
Poker has a steep learning curve since you’ve to learn different strategies, patterns and psychological tricks that aren’t present in chance-based games. In the long term, if you master the skills, you can consistently win the game and keep earning money unlike the chance-based games where you lose money overtime.
