Is Poker a sport ???

[Locaj]

Hello everyone

We all know Poker game and many different types and origins.
Do you think that Poker can be treated as a sport?

Many thanks

Kind regards

[Travalgar]

No way, man. You don't call a game where you try to win a lot of bucks using a lot of bluffs and a lot of luck a sport. Plus, you don't gain any kind of physical health improvement from playing Poker.

Btw you don't have to run in something to have that something called a "sport." You don't run in swimming and yet we still call it a sport. You don't run around in golf (well, for most people) and yet that was still a sport. The same goes for all kinds of martial arts such as Taekwondo, Karate, Kempo etc.

[Gregindahood]

Yeah, its not easy, and it takes time and practice. Its on ESPN also.

I think its a sport, not a top sport, but a sport non the less.

[+dd. PatTheRat]

i dont look at it as a sport so much but it deifnately takes skill. as a guy who use to spend like 40 hours a week playing poker (old job had nothing better to do there) i can tell you that it takes more than luck to be a pro.

[xaTTeMpTx]

Yeah I would not consider poker a sport, I would think of it as more of a hobby. Or for some people a career. But definitly not a sport.

[Ferahgo]

Hells Yeah it is. And I do two hardcore sports as it is. And poker can be pretty tiring...

[moose]

i wouldn't really consider it a sport either, i also think of it more has a hobby.

[Eebro]

Of course its a sport. Lol it is shown on DSF sport :D

[yopladas]

no, its not a sport.

[BCKyon]

Poker is not a sports....it's more like a hobby or something.

[jin4000]

Yeah I would not consider poker a sport, I would think of it as more of a hobby. Or for some people a career. But definitly not a sport.

i would have to totally agree with this, poker is more of a game to some people aswell

[E-Z-fosheezy]

realy anything can be a sport
i mean look at some stupid "sports" we have that shouldn't be called a sport
we have cup staking and the spelling bee to some people is considered a sport
i dont think it realy maters its a fun game/hobby and u can call it what u want

[Dravith]

I don't think poker is a sport as you don't really get ative, and move.

[pheonix27]

Definitely not a sport and it is only broadcasted on sports channels because it is more of a "guy thing" and gets better ratings on a channel such as ESPN. Very fun hobby, but not a sport.

sport   /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [spawrt, spohrt] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.


*Don't see poker listed.

[Bolt]

Well a lot of games are called sports hehe...

Thake the case of chess, like poker is called a sport...

But in my opinion poker isnt a sport...

[skeetskeet]

Definitely not a sport and it is only broadcasted on sports channels because it is more of a "guy thing" and gets better ratings on a channel such as ESPN. Very fun hobby, but not a sport.

sport   /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [spawrt, spohrt] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.


*Don't see poker listed.

Sport is also defined as diversion, recreation, or pleasant pastime.

Sports don't have to be physical, and many aren't. Something must be competitive, and require skill to be a sport in my opinion. Poker has both of those things.

[HaggardSpartan]

Of course it is...

Sport - Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively

thats the definition of a sport.

[Thomas1337]

ofc you can be pretty keen on poker and do it everyday as any other hobby, but it doesn't fulfill the definition of being a sport. sport is something physical, something where u stress your muscles.

in poker you just use your brains to win, like in science, but you can't call that a sport either can you?

[Magookas]

If baseball is a sport, poker is a sport.

I love people who try to throw away the idea of poker being a sport simply because of the amount of "luck" involved. When it boils down to it I guarantee you there is the same amount of "luck" involved in poker as there is any other sport.

Poker take skill to be successful in the long run. To be a self made "Dynasty" in poker is damn near impossible. "Dynasty" is defined in most sports as a team or indivual who wins their respective championship 3 times in short amount of time. Meaning winning 3 NBA Finals in say 3-6 years (Spurs?) or 3 Superbowls in the same amount of time (Patriots?). Who could do that in poker??? It would be almost impossible to win what most call the "Championship" of poker (The WSOP Main Event) 3 years in a row.

If they did, I would call hacks.

[Lhanz0893]

I think no

'coz i know that poker is a card game
lol i dun know :?

[skeetskeet]

ofc you can be pretty keen on poker and do it everyday as any other hobby, but it doesn't fulfill the definition of being a sport. sport is something physical, something where u stress your muscles.

in poker you just use your brains to win, like in science, but you can't call that a sport either can you?

Poker is more than a hobby. A sport doesn't have to be physical..

Ping pong is a sport, and nowhere near the definition of physical.

Bowling is another sport which doesn't involve much physical strength.

"Something where you stress your muscles," I stress a couple muscles about twice a week alone in my room :wink:, and that isn't considered a sport.

A sport is something that is competitive. It isn't a physical sport, but it's a sport non the less.

[coolgangster]

Poker is obviously a sport and not just because it is in the sports channel. A sport is anything that makes you go against an opponednt or more than 1 opponent. Such as chess. You can argue that it is not a sport, but it is. Chess is now checking for steroids before you play it. Not because strong people have the advantage, but because chess is trying to make it into the olympics next time they come out. If chess has a chance to make it in the olympics in the next four years then it has to be a sport. And if chess is a sport than there is a pretty big chance that poker can be a sport. The reason they are usually not considered sports is because they are boring to watch and requires no exercise to do.

[Scratched]

poker is not a sport, its a game that takes skill. pretty soon we'll be calling them athletes?

[coolgangster]

poker is not a sport, its a game that takes skill. pretty soon we'll be calling them athletes?
You just stated that it is a game that requires skill, just like every other sport. Here is dictionary.com's definition of a sport:

"1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc."

It says that a sport is an activity requiring SKILL as you mentioned above. It also says that it is OFTEN(not always) of competitive nature.

Now here is its definition of an athlete straight from the site:

"a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill."

The first definition is a person with good physical attributes, such as agility and stamina. The second is a participant in a sport.(I already mentioned poker is a sport)

As much as you want to argue poker IS a sport and poker players ARE athletes. If you do not agree with this then you must complain to the dictionary.

[azzawrighty]

I think it is a sport, if you think they class dominoes as a sport so i would have thought that this would be a sport as well, if they dont class this as a sport then maybe its just in its own catorgorie
-Card games Lol

[MeitanteiMatch]

i think the poker is a sport. if they made CHESS a sport, well then why shouldn't poker be a sport. Of course if you follow that sort of criteria then anything else (13, blackjack, go fish, snap, yu-gi-oh(lol), and even nots and crosses) can be a sport (?).

Ah ha, just my personal opion of course... then again, until most things mentioned above, poker requires WAY MORE skill, effort, etc. People dedicate there lives/professions to poker- i don't see why it shouldn't be concidered a sport.

[shikyo]

More like a hobby. The calories you burn from playing poker comes from thinking. :lol:

[SexyVixen]

Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport

to see more definitions :P

So yes i think poker is a sport !!!

[decipher01]

a sport of bluffing and critical thinking..yeah it's a sport..

[AceSXE]

I believe it is because with certain tournaments that last 10 hours a day for a week in a row it can take a huge physical and mental toll on your.......my opinion

[Popoyuanbro]

People try to argue that poker is a sport or whatever, I don't buy it
There is little to no physical activity involved in poker, it's all about the smarts
It's like saying chess is a sport.. really now

[rosty]

sport? no, i don't think so...

better question: is poker a pure luck game.
often said by people who don't know poker very well. but not the topic, so i won't refer to that ;)

[PR0UD INFIDEL]

Talk about bringing a dead thread back to life.

[rosty]

yes, my fault, didn't see the date. it was at the top of the page, so i was of the opinion that it's quite new


btw, 1 month doesn't seem very dead for me ;)

[m83stratocaster]

Well in my opinion it's not a sport, but I mean Poker and Texas Hold'em take a lot of practice I mean knowing which cards to play, what to expect about your opponent and so on.

[SF_KiLLaMaN]

a game that is over 50% luck is not a sport. sure there is some skill in knowing when to play cards and bluffs, but the cards you get are all luck. so not, unless it takes 100% skill and effort it is not a sport.

[DrWiley]

Heres your answer by espn.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lovinger/040614

[Random08]

Nope, not a sport you sit on your but and move your hand to get the cards/chips

[Ultraviolet]

poker is absolutely not a sport lol, i play it and in no way should it be classified as a sport, its a game.

[bobyman101]

nah i dont think it is.

It is just something to do when your parting or haveing people over.

If it were considered a sport i belive tha schools would be having as a team, and there would be teams.. like freshman, Junior Varsity, Varsity.

To even consider it a sport would be dumb.

No running no real stratige, its almso just based on luck. :roll:

[Thwikehu]

I guess it's in the eyes of the beholder. I don't really find it a sport, more of a leisure activity. Although, the hardcore card players would beg to differ with my feelings. I guess... I'm on the fencepost. There's no "yes" and "no" for me. More or less, an inbetween.


Well, that's just my humble opinion...

[purplemuffins0]

if hunting/fishing are sports then poker should be one too...
u can't really say fishing takes much skill, just gotta know where to go, and what bait to use.
like poker you got know when to bluff when to fold how much to bet..

imo I probably would say no its not a sport but then alot of people will argue that if you can WIN its a sport, (so then is uno a sport? lol)

others would simply say NO its a game of luck, but hey what isnt. gotta be lucky in football when picking a play, u do a PlayAction and defense blitzes your screwed, alot of games have alot of luck involved so thats not a good arguement.
any who..

[kreivi]

If baseball is a sport, poker is a sport.

I love people who try to throw away the idea of poker being a sport simply because of the amount of "luck" involved. When it boils down to it I guarantee you there is the same amount of "luck" involved in poker as there is any other sport.

Poker take skill to be successful in the long run. To be a self made "Dynasty" in poker is damn near impossible. "Dynasty" is defined in most sports as a team or indivual who wins their respective championship 3 times in short amount of time. Meaning winning 3 NBA Finals in say 3-6 years (Spurs?) or 3 Superbowls in the same amount of time (Patriots?). Who could do that in poker??? It would be almost impossible to win what most call the "Championship" of poker (The WSOP Main Event) 3 years in a row.

If they did, I would call hacks.

[Apollo13]

The Sport of Kings. Just after Bridge.

๖ۣۜApollo.

[miel]

I think yes because it has a World Poker tour tournament and also in ESPN.

[Berisha95]

I also think the same as Miel

[DJMunky]

I would say yes, Poker is a sport but not a top sport. All sports have objectives that need to be reached and beaten by players. Also, there are games in a sport. Poker players play tons of games just to get into the big league. There's also trophies for the WSOP. Every sport has a trophy given out to the best team/player.

[NathanAskew]

I Personally Class It As A Sport People Have There Opinions

[DielonAE]

Poker is a sport.
You Must All think that a sport is something where you must exert yourself physically when thats not even close.
You May not Run, Jump, or shoot a puck with a stick...
But this game requires Skills and Knowledge.
It Requires Tactics just like any other sport.

[Cian]

I wouldn't think of it as a sport. I serched "sport" and found this definition:

1. a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.

2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.


Link (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sport)

I do think it takes skill and experience but I don't think that that makes it a sport. Otherwise lots of things would be sports, playing piano, certain types of video games, carpentry etc.

[Babalu]

It takes brains but no athletic ability whatsoever.

[pwnasaurus]

i'd have to say no... no running no physical aspect it dosent take a ton of skill yes i know there is lots of things to learn like odds etc but part of it is in the cards.

[jusatin~fg]

No it isn't its gambling :)

greetz jusatin :p

[Pugene]

Agreed.

You're just playing with numbers. How is that a sport?

[+dd. `aNime~>kiNg]

its not a sport all it is is luck no skill in it u might think u have the winning hand and it could be like a lil chance of u losing u can still lose all thts involved is luck this is so not a sport!!!:P

[Fighter]

It's as much of a sport as snooker :p

[+dd. `aNime~>kiNg]

snooker is rele hard poker isnt its just look snooker takes skill

[TimSimm2]

i'm not sure. i think it is

[Emmanuel]

Yeah, I think Poker has officially turned into a sport. :cool:

I like watching Poker After Dark sometimes, and I'm just starting to learn how to play poker myself along with learning to make siggies. lol

[Fighter]

snooker is rele hard poker isnt its just look snooker takes skill

I know perfectly well that Snooker takes skill. Playing it myself and what not xD

[goalieman75]

Sorry to bring back an old thread (I know some people hate that), but I say NO. And it kinda ****es me off that they have poker on ESPN when they could be showing a hockey, soccer, lacrosse game, etc.

[RadonCloud]

I dont exactly think that Poker is a Sport per say, but it definitely takes skill...

[Chuck33]

I agree with radon, deffanitly needs skill. Although i dont believe it is a sport.

[LiLThuG]

Although it requires alot of skills, i wouldn't call it a sport..

[KiwiStyles]

The term sport is used loosely, chess is considered a sport, race car driving is a sport, horse/animal racing is a sport, ballet is a sport.
The term sport can cover a pretty general array of generally competitive activities.

[DoRo]

I do not think it is a sport. It is a game. But I guess its how you define a sport.

[Khax]

like DoRo said, depends on what you consider to be a sport. Like many don't consider golf to be a sport, but you are out and working physically right?...