Poker, Sport or Game?

[Beriac]

Poker is a game...

With respect to the posters who make excellent points in favour of poker as a sport, I would say it is a game.

1 - I think that the definition of sport as a competitive physical activity precludes poker. Sure, you need to move your arms, but hey sleeping requires breathing and moving your lungs. It's not physical activity the way such is meant.

2 - Everything I can think of in the English lexicon... "games of chance", "games of skill", "game of poker", the word that always fits best is game.

This is not to take away from poker, I think it's a great game and I don't think it would be improved if the players played while skipping rope, but I don't think we can really fairly call it a sport.

Personally, I see the link between chess and poker, and the logic that if chess is a sport then so is poker, but I think the link to chess as a sport is not really rock solid either so it's not enough to convince me.

 

[XXIII]

Poker is a game to me. But don't feel like I do not love it.

But I also do not count:
Car Racing
Golf
Figure Skating
Body Building
and many others

Just because I consider a sport something between 2 teams where a score is kept and there is a possibility of injury.

 

[holduplaya]

It's a sport when...

one group of players teams up and another group of players form a tam and they play each others team for points, also , money. Like hockey the teams play each other and win the Stanley Cup.

 

[El Viajero]

Poker is a game to me. But don't feel like I do not love it.

But I also do not count:
Car Racing
Golf
Figure Skating
Body Building
and many others

Just because I consider a sport something between 2 teams where a score is kept and there is a possibility of injury.

By this logic tennis (singles) is not a sport. Nor are most athletics. Do you really not consider these to be sports?

 

[Kenzie 96]

Neither.

Poker is a love affair...

If you dont take it seriously it is no fun...

If you do take it seriously, it will break your heart.

-Bill

Nice quote, Bill. Competitive love affair works for me.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

Does it really matter?

 

[Styrofoam]

just to make a point... Chess is considered a sport...and in fact, it was in the sports almanac last i remember....and poker is nearly the same as chess IMO.

 

[bubbasbestbabe]

Poker is a game to me. But don't feel like I do not love it.

But I also do not count:
Car Racing
Golf
Figure Skating
Body Building
and many others

Just because I consider a sport something between 2 teams where a score is kept and there is a possibility of injury.

We have had team play here and as for injury, I've taken quite a few hits to my bankroll playing poker.

 

[XXIII]

By this logic tennis (singles) is not a sport. Nor are most athletics. Do you really not consider these to be sports?

Baseball
Football
Hockey
Basketball
Soccer
Rugby
Volleyball

OK Fine any game where you sweat, play offense and defense, can get injured by an opposing player, and most importantly it is not something someone over the age of 65 can do.

 

[SexyAceJoker]

To begin my post, I would like to say, chess is a sport. Before moving on to play poker, i used to play chess at a pro level, if you could say. I had gained a tittle and i used to travel around the United states playing big tournaments, with had buy ins ( raging from 50 dollars to 2000 dollars ) . In chess you recieve rating, with measures your strength. You can check www.fide.com the official world federation page or www.chessbase.com , that gives information on all of chess world news. Most of the top ranked players have played since they where 4, and didnt even go to school, they live out of this profession. As for poker, i believe that as long as you can read books on a subject, and you can train at it, and prove by means of skill, that you are better then someone in something, it should be a sport. Some people say poker aint a sport because you play to win money, well , in every major game you are playing for money. Do you think Allen Iverson would be happy to play on the NBA for free ? NO!, this is his profession and this is what he lives for. Take Allison Fischer for example, she plays billiard in the worlds biggest and strongest pool tournaments, and she makes a living out of it, although she doesnt just play for the pure joy, she plays for the money .

 

[Beriac]

Hmmmm...

Okay, I agree that if we consider chess to be a sport, then poker is in many ways similar enough in terms of training, intensity, stamina, competitiveness, livelihood, etc that it, too would be a sport.

Personally, though, I believe that "sport" refers to athletics in its general traditional usage, and imagine that lots of other things that are also similar to chess are not themselves considered sport. Chess seems to be an aberation here.

I don't consider sport to be a measure of worth, like "sport is better than game". I like to play sports and I also like to play games, and my life has room for both, and it doesn't validate playing poker to me to call it a sport.

I respect the opinions of those who view it otherwise, though.

 

[Styrofoam]

Dictionary.com defines Sport as

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.


Poker imo fills all 3 of these requirements by definition (although, some argue that there is very little physical exertion. I defy them to play poker at a high level for 20 hours straight and not feel physically exhausted). Nearly everyone will agree that being a winning poker player takes skill to accomplish, and there's no doubt in my mind that it is governed by a set of rules and customs and its definatley undertaken competitivily. SO, by definition, poker is a sport.

 

[Beriac]

The problem with that line of reasoning is that so many things become "sports" if the minimum physical exertion that we set is "more than none".

Sure, maybe 20 hours of poker is exertion, but are we counting live poker or does online poker count too? If online poker counts, how about Ultima Online? Is that a sport?

I'm not saying that playing top level poker doesn't require physical stamina -- it does -- but sports are not defined by solely their top level. I'm not trying to take away from your arguments, I think this could go either way, I just think we get into some strange territory if we go in this direction.

 

[rotty]

ESPN airs the wsop. ESPN is a sports channel.
GSN airs poker matches. GSN is the game show network.
So poker is 1/2 game and 1/2 sport
Poker could be called a gort.

 

[Beriac]

I agree. Let's call it a gort. Or a spame.

 

[Ace de Espadas]

Well, I want it to be, but I really don't think it should be considered a sport. Its more of a strategy game. Even though it isss on ESPN2, many things are on espn2, like the national childrens spelling bee, would you call spelling a sport?

 

[Styrofoam]

Ultima online doesn't follow a set of rules and customs, and imo doesn't take skill or strategy to play, but moreover, isn't really that competetive. Fishing is a sport, so is deer hunting...both of which take minimal ammounts of physical exertion....as for the spelling bee...yes i believe it would be considered a sport simply because of the considerable ammount of MENTAL exertion (same with chess, checkers, Poker, and even competative scrabble)

The main line i would draw is this: A neighborhood football game, i would not consider a sport...its a game...not really competative...just for fun. The NFL, or the NCAA football games...that is sport... when you bring in competition to a game that requires skill and some sort of mental or physical exertion...that makes it a sport. And i don't know about you guys, but playing poker takes alot out of me...even online if i play long enough. If you work your brain, you end up phsyically excerting yourself eventually. Anyone taken the LSAT or MCAT? Big tests like this usually are followed up by a meal and a nap.

 

[Ace de Espadas]

Styro., I strongly disagree. A pick up game of tackle football has a load of physical wear, just like basketball or other sports like that. You don't have to be a pro to play a sport. What an odd comment.

 

[Tammy]

I've been looking over this thread for the past few days, and all I can say is that I can see both sides. There have been some valid points on both ends. What it really comes down to is perspective.

While some things are obviously sports, there are others that fall into that grey area. I for one don't see hunting as a "sport"; unless you are going out there tracking the animal, and using a friggin' spear, bow and arrow, or your bear hands, I don't see how waiting behind a tree or in some bushes until something comes by for you to shoot can be a "sport". Now don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-hunter or anything--as long as you are responsible and use what you take, I'm cool with it. I just don't see it as sporting.:dontknow: Or a spelling bee? Are you kidding? Competition, yes; sport? No way.

I think I would call Poker a competition (which it is) rather than a sport. I believe a sport entails not only competition, but some athleticism as well.

 

[Beriac]

Yeah Styrofoam, I could not agree more. I see where you're coming from, but I think you're basically defining sport more by whether it's competitive than whether it's a physical activity, and I just think the spirit of the word is that it comes from physical activity.

I've been chatting with people about this the past couple of days, and to be honest few people I talked to really thought chess was a sport either. It may technically be regarded as one, but I'm just saying most regular folks view sports as something that might involve running around or something otherwise physical.

This takes nothing away from poker, it's really how we define the word.

 

[slost]

I love the thrill of the game. To me it can be .01/.02 or 25/ 50 the thrill is the same.

 

[robwhufc]

Anyone taken the LSAT or MCAT? Big tests like this usually are followed up by a meal and a nap.

Presumably, by following your previous line of logic you would consider these tests a sport? Poker is a game not a sport. I don't see how that isn't a simple statement of fact not opinion??!?!?

 

[JRskatr]

Poker is a GAME, not a sport

 

[robwhufc]

Poker is a GAME, not a sport

See, that'll be deleted and you'll be back down to 1 post again. 15 QUALITY posts for the password (or am I being mean, you're not spamming for the password at all?).

 

[Stahanov]

Definition of Sport:
1. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2. An active pastime; recreation.

Poker has rules.
Poker uses a clear set of rules to govern game play and rankings to determine the winner. Betting conventions are in place to facilitate proper action, and certain actions are expressly forbidden at every table. Breaking the rules in poker can have dire consequences.

Poker employ tactics and strategies to gain an advantage.

Poker are contests of skill.
Being able to understand what is a good starting hand, and when you should be in or out of a pot is essential to being a good player. But these decisions can come from knowledge of probability or an understanding of sound poker strategy, not from a particular skill. The skill involved in poker is evident in how good players play their opponents.

And poker certainly requires a certain amount of mental concentration.

I think poker is a sport.
If chess it is ... poker is more.