You are absolutely correct. When one bets against the house edge, they are playing with a negative expected value....always. I wouldn't recommend playing against the house for long because the house will always win in the long run. My example above was a poker example which some people still believe is a game of chance and not a game of skill. Some people even think that poker is a form of gambling...lol!
so poker is not gambling?
I was being a bit facetious. It really depends on how one plays. Yes, one can always take gambles in poker...betting on draws and long shots for maximum return. But, it's a hardly a gamble if one plays by the numbers when playing against opponents of a lesser skill set.