Poker isn't about the money. Money is just the way of keeping score

Some months ago I was having an entertaining drunken conversation with a friend of mine. We were both being quite self-indulgent, and talking about our passions. He was talking about Eve, a massive-multiplayer game that took up much of his spare time. I talked about poker, and I think we were both interested in each others hobbies.

I mentioned the quote above "money is just the way of keeping score" and he immediately replied "but we know thats not true". I explained why I thought he was wrong. Sure, its a funny game in that you win (or lose) real money - but poker doesn't actually have to be about money.

It could be about anything that is in short supply. If online poker for money was banned by all governments I'd be happy playing for play money. The play money would have to be rationed - so you only got P$1000/week or something. Alternatively no-one would take it seriously enough, as happens with many play money tables at the moment.

The play money would move round to the better players, who would eventually accumulate enough to play for bigger and bigger 'stakes'. There would be a degree of inflation as more and more money each week was pumped in, and none was taken out, but the inability to buy in more than once per week would add some value to the chips. It wouldn't be as good a game, but I for one (and I'd probably be the only one) would play it.