This week, I played Poker Online. The game is called 247 Free Poker, and the target audience is quite broad: anyone who likes poker and card games in general. It was developed by 247 Games; playable in-browser via 247freepoker.com. I had never really played poker before. I was vaguely familiar with some of the rules, such as pairs, bluffing, and such, but nothing more. However, I find myself spending almost an hour just doing whatever, but trying to win more money than I lose. When I was playing, I told myself I would just “figure it out”. Even without real money on the line, I felt angry and I played the wrong cards, and a rush every time I win, even just $5. Chance can make players feel addicted quickly, because you feel like you can just “be lucky”, especially when wrapped in the illusion of control.
Unlike slots or roulette, poker is not just pure chance but also includes a skill component, betting, bluffing, and timing. This illusion of mastery gives players, even beginners like me, a reason to stay. Players would think: Maybe next time, I’ll fold earlier. Maybe I’ll read the player better based on their action. In addition, the lack of IRL play in this case made it a little harder, but I also find myself getting even more hooked, so I can just base it on players’ actions. However, the randomness is still there. And as Addiction by Design argues, it’s exactly this ambiguity, not knowing how much is luck versus skill, that’s so addicting. Moreover, rewards come unpredictably, like a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule, a pattern where you don’t know when the reward is coming, only that it might. The dopamine doesn’t spike when you win, it spikes when you almost win. I didn’t need to understand poker deeply to fall into this loop. When I would get a good hand, I would find myself raising the stakes. Even when I lost, I was still rising, convinced that I could win back the money by chance.
me raising the hands
Poker, like the reading by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, is a game that feels never-ending. The game hooks you in, unlike other games we’ve played, not with endings or satisfaction, but with engagement. Poker is one of the oldest examples of this design pattern. There is no final level, no boss, no arc. Just the promise that this hand might be different, and you might have a chance to win. Like the zombie games described in the article, 247 Free Poker is designed to bleed forward, not conclude. The lack of closure is the point. Even though I was unfamiliar with the game, I didn’t feel out of place, I kept going. Perhaps it’s the reward system, similar to other games that we learned about; the rewards also kept me going, prompting me to want to win and earn more and more money.
Randomness in and of itself isn’t unethical, where it gets blurry to me is what is associated with it. Games like 247 Free Poker encourage fast-paced rounds, instant chip resets, and monetary rewards to encourage or hook people in. For a beginner like me to feel like I should raise repeatedly, without fully understanding the risks, reveals how the design subtly guides players toward making impulsive decisions. The game rewards boldness, not caution. In a free game, this may seem harmless. But I can’t help but think this same design was used in a real-money poker game, the consequences could be serious. You could continue through and through, and while I was playing with fake chips, this could be rent or savings. The exact same interface and pacing could lead someone to chase losses, bet recklessly, and fall into financial harm. The behavior I saw in myself, overconfidence and chasing a win, was shaped by game design and by the reward associated with randomness. A more responsible design could include:
- Break timers every 30 minutes to encourage pause and perspective.
- Post-hand feedback that contextualizes risk: “You had a 12% chance of winning this hand”
- A beginner mode with capped stakes, educational pop-ups, or simulated odds, offering structure for learning without punishment.
These simple designs won’t kill the fun, but instead encourage reflection.
Poker is addictive because it makes you feel powerful and powerless at once. You think you’re making the right call, but chance always has the final say. Even as a total newcomer, I found myself quickly escalating my bets. Randomness can make the game fun, but when you introduce other stakes, it can lead to serious consequences.
