Who would qualify poker as a sport? Poker players themselves or some skill games organizations?

 Is Poker a sport, a game or simply gambling?

Lately, poker very often gets labeled as a sport. Many people disagree with this, as poker requires

no physical ability. However you do compete against other players and when looking at an event

like the World Series of Poker, it can be very strenuous playing poker for several hours at a time.

You cannot let your concentration go, you have to keep calculating the odds of winning a hand

and of course, you have to show your “poker face” throughout the game. The poker face is the

smallest problem as most professional poker players wear caps and sun glasses to hide their facial

expressions.

 

Let’s have a look at the definition of ‘sport’ according to the dictionary:

• A game, competition or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job

• All types of physical activity which people do to keep healthy or for enjoyment

When looking at the first definition, poker could be qualified as a sport, except that there is no real

physical effort involved. The second definition is more difficult to apply to poker as again, it is not

a physical activity as no one runs, lift weights, or swings a bat and it also doesn’t keep you healthy.

This keeps us wondering why the International Olympic Committee did recognize bridge as a sport.

 

Some people are trying to get poker recognized as a demonstration sport on the Olympics of 2012

and a complete sport for 2016. This is going to be difficult as other ‘real‘ sports like baseball, golf and

cricket are trying to achieve the same thing.

 

ESPN and the Fox Sports Network both cover poker events regularly, while magazines like ESPN

The Magazine and Sports Illustrated write about it. This is significant because the media already

recognizes poker as a sport. They also listen to the demands of the audience; it is a fact that poker

has become very popular in the last 5 to 10 years.

 

One of the reasons that poker became so popular is due to the rising boom of online poker rooms.

When you are new to the game, it is not likely that you go to a casino or participate in poker events,

because you will most likely lose all your money as you lack the practice. The online poker rooms

offer free tables to play at. This is a safe and easy way to learn the basic rules, adopt a strategy and

to develop the ability to calculate odds. Once you are ready to play for real, you can also save some

extra money by applying for rakeback. This way you will get part of your paid rake back to your

players account at the end of each month.

 

 Doyle Brunson, owner of online poker room Doyle’s Room, is a professional poker player. He was a

high-school state champion in the mile run - and a basketball standout at Hardin-Simmons University

in Abilene, Texas - and was ticketed for the NBA before he shattered his leg in a factory accident.

According to Doyle, many top professional poker players are former athletes. He further claims that

you have to be a mental athlete to play and that you have to have the physical endurance. At the

World Series of Poker of 2005, he played 18 hours one day and 16 hours on the next day. He won

the NL Hold'em Short-Handed Event and walked away with $ 367,800.

 

Doyle says that you have to practice like you do in athletics. When going several weeks without

playing, it makes you rusty and you will make a lot of errors. According to Doyle, the best

poker players have the sort of mental toughness and discipline that you see in top athletes.

Leaving you with this last remark, what do you think? Should poker be qualified as a sport?