Poker is gambling, MM.

I could play for a whole night in a game in which I was risking no more than $20 or so, but that wouldn't hold my interest.

What makes it "fun", if you will, is the thrill of the possibility of losing more than you'd care to.

By no means am I rich, but at the level I play (usually $5-10, sometimes $10-20) I can afford to sustain a loss of a few hundred dollars when I visit a casino poker room, although I don't like to. When I win or lose only $20, I simply don't care.

However, as I explained in an earlier post, the level of competition generally improves as you play for larger stakes.

I have found that the line for me and my ability is the difference between $5-10 and $10-20. When I stick to the lower limit, I usually win. When I move to the higher limit I have a much tougher time.