Amid the nervous and indignant chatter over the big online poker bust, it's time to seize the moment and change the way the public -- and politicians -- think about poker.

Let's agree: It ain't like tugging the arm of a slot machine. It's more akin to chess. And is playing a game of skill for money actually gambling? Hellnaw!, says one writer at CardPlayer:

The truth is we are far more like chess masters than gamblers. In fact, it was an American chess champion who is also a great poker player who helped me learn about poker when I was new to the game. I recall a conversation we once had where he described to me that he felt poker was every bit as intellectually challenging as chess. Despite this, while chess masters are talked about in reverent tones and thought to be brilliant, we allow ourselves to be portrayed as punks and social pariahs for the simple fact that money is present in our game.