It is a good idea to play poker to improve your skills.I think that trading is a lot like gambling and the only difference is trading has better publicity compared to gambling.
While gambling is considered bad by most of the community trading is considered neutral.However you should be careful as both in gambling or trading you risk to become addicted.
Gambling is considered bad due to possible addiction that it can give out but on general sense it isnt really bad at all since its just an entertainment.It is only how people do treat with it thats why
we do see mostly negative effects on the community.
Comparing Poker to trading,i dont really see any correlation between these two other than on the risk involved but talking on the chance on how to be profitable then they would really vary actually.