Are Poker Players Athletes ?

[Dejana]

Yes, there's real athletes and ex pro athletes among poker players and that's it... 😄

Repet after me: "Poker is not a sport"...

 

[seiya1989]

Bueno la palabra atleta tiene su origen en el griego
άθλητὴς, athlētēs = alguien que participa en una competición; de ἄθλος
áthlos o ἄθλον, áthlon = una competición o hazaña.

Así que, estrictamente hablando... sí lo son.
Pero asociamos a los atletas con deportistas que participan en competiciones físicamente exigentes, algo que los jugadores de póquer ciertamente no hacen.

Yes, I saw a similar definition of the word athlete, brother. But I don't think the Greeks think that someone who spends hours sitting or lying down playing cards while having a drink or smoking a joint is an athlete xd

 

[Falai_san]

I see chess as a game that is a bit close to poker and it is not an Olympic sport, so I do not think that poker can become an Olympic sport.

 

[pentazepam]

 

[pavel1111111]

No way, maybe în our dreams 🤪😂😅, we are very laisy people... Ok maybe not all but most of the poker players are, sadly 🤪😁

 

[istbno]

While poker players may not fit the traditional definition of athletes, they share many traits with athletes. Successful poker players require mental endurance, discipline, and strategic thinking. They need to maintain focus for long periods, similar to endurance athletes. Additionally, they must manage stress, make quick decisions under pressure, and continuously improve their skills. While physical fitness is not as crucial, mental acuity and psychological resilience are essential. Therefore, while poker players may not be physical athletes, they certainly exhibit the mental attributes of high-performing competitors.

 

[john_entony]

Of course, I consider poker players as athletes! Many people are very mistaken when they think that playing poker is entertainment. No, no and no again! Playing poker is hard work, where you need to be able to analyze, make the right decisions, think strategically. After long 3-4 hour tournaments I feel tired and I have a need to recover my strength. Poker is definitely a kind of sport and I hope that soon it will be included in the Olympic Games.

 

[dannystanks]

I think of poker as more of a hustle than a sport. I’m trying to hustle the players worse than me while trying not to get hustled by the players better than me. I can compare how competitive I am playing poker with how competitive I was playing sports but I think that is the only comparison for me that poker is a sport. Hunting is considered a sport so hunting for bad players might be kinda sporty lol.
But I don’t need to be athletic to be a poker player.

 

[Luvepoker]

I do have to say that poker players ae not athletes. Poker could in my opinion be considered a mind game or mind sport but athletics is not poker.

 

[Suns of Beaches]

I do have to say that poker players ae not athletes. Poker could in my opinion be considered a mind game or mind sport but athletics is not poker.

Yes most poker players in general are definitely not.

But in my very opinion the top players, especially online, are kind of mental athletes. It takes a lot of strength to deal with huge swings and play many hours ur A-Game on multiple tables without tilting. Plus u have to be super aware and focused all the time to be one step ahead of ur competition.

 

[Cooking]

Definitely not, in my opinion not even close to be top athletes. There are a couple of big names of poker that won a lot of titles playing poker that even have/had a healthy lifestyle with a previous history of substance abuse problems.

 

[Mortis]

The Olympics have officially decided to start an e-sports branch dedicated to gaming (video games & pc gaming). I wouldn't be opposed to having a new branch for board & card games, where chess and poker could be classified...... and UNO. I would dominate the UNO Olympics.

But no, I don't see poker as a sport.

 

[TeUnit]

Some really good poker players are also athletes, but being a poker player does not make you an athlete - it makes you a competitor in a skill based game.

 

[ChubbySin]

No, poker players are not high-performance athletes. It's ridiculous to believe otherwise.

Indeed, further, we are gambling, we don't need muscle 💪 for it!

 

[fryderyk]

After what has already been added to the Olympics, nothing will surprise me. By definition, the Olympics are a sporting competition between men and women, but we have long known that it is not so obvious, sport is not only physical but also mental fitness. To translate this into very simple language, a javelin thrower analyzes every inch during the throw to optimally use the force at his disposal and direct it in the javelin. There will always be one very big unknown here, which includes all the elements from preparation through training, the supply of an appropriate diet containing all the necessary nutrients allowing for extreme effort of the body, to the day and hour of the competition in which it must be in optimal shape. So in fact, the athlete devotes his whole life to achieve the most important goal, a gold medal. I am an ardent fan of mental competition, but the more often this question is asked, the more I am convinced of the opposite opinion, i.e. calling poker a sport, and until recently I had a different opinion. If chess joined the Olympic competition, it would be questionable to promote health and a healthy lifestyle if a young person sat down and ate a hamburger while playing, as was the case during one of the tournaments. So I am at a crossroads because as a person who likes and has practiced many sports, I do not see the connection between poker and sports competition, but I see a mental Olympics where all measurable forms of competition, from chess to poker, could exist.

 

[s0ftdumps]

We have this Olympic competition going on in conjunction with the Olympics in Paris and it got me to wondering if poker players are athletes.
I can remember when it used to be said that automobile racers were not athletes--all they did was drive a car. They are some of the most fit athletes on the planet now.
I know that there is probably the same said about poker players---all they do is sit at a table and play cards.
Now most if not all of the top rated poker players have fitness programs and dietitian plans.
I am a poker player and my dietitian plan revolves around a steady stream of Diet Mt Dews and Oreos, but I am by a long shot not an athlete or a top player.
I will say that the top players that are really in it to win it are athletes and one day poker should be recognized as such and be in the Olympics.

So what do you think? Are poker players at the top levels Athletes?

The mental stamina, strategic thinking, and emotional control required at the highest levels are immense. Many top players indeed incorporate fitness and nutrition into their routines to maintain focus and endurance during long tournaments. While poker doesn't require physical exertion like traditional sports, the mental and psychological demands are arguably just as rigorous.

So, in a broader sense, I would say that top-level poker players can be considered athletes of the mind.

 

[dallam]

In what aspect:
Fastest auto-calls?
Best rage-dance?
Furthest folds?
Best dealer-kicker?
🦘

 

[Dimidrol2]

Of course not, poker is not a sport. Gambling cannot be a sport.

 

[pirateglenn]

I guess the real question (if this is a serious consideration) - is - what part of playing poker can ever be considered "athletic"?

 

[Viking70]

Nope. Poker players are not athletes. Neither are chess players. Or, for that matter, fishermen.

 

[Dougana]

Not athletes like sports, but mental athletes, you need to keep focus and mind in your game and the games of other players.

 

[Magallaneroy]

No, poker is only mental, athletes are mental and physical.

 

[valanddon]

No, playing poker uses no phyiscal strenght.

 

[havingfun]

I think if poker was somewhat less dependant on luck, then I could have seen it in a similar light as chess, but as it stands I see it as a very fun game that does also need skill, but it is not an athlete's sport.

 

[dompoker]

I don't think a player is an athlete, he spends hours sitting around playing poker, I don't think that's healthy.