You've definitely got a point. But I still feel that even most of the other things you mentioned create more wealth. I'll try and explain my feelings, but I might do a poor job of it.

Sure, professional sports players, chess players, etc. are not creating material wealth (I'll sidestep the hustler issues for now). The thing is, they are creating wealth by pg's definition, i.e. creating something people want (entertainment, in this case, that people can view).

Compare that with pro poker players. Ask most players what they want (who they want to play against), and they won't tell you that they want to play against a pro. I think pros make most of their money, "preying" on poor players who don't realize they're up against a pro. In that sense, pro players are not really creating wealth, they're tricking other people.

Of course, I'm completely ignoring a part of the poker world which does create wealth, i.e. the televised matches. These are obviously equal to spectator sports. Still, I think the majority of players who grind out a living playing against weaker players really aren't adding wealth to the world.

Hope that was clear. I'm not anti-poker players or anything, I love poker, I'm just explaining why I would never do it for a living.