Should poker be an Olympic sport?

[Ogma]

Why not? Involves skill, stamina, concentration, strategy..

 

[Tero]

Breakdancing is a Olympic sport and in my view that is no more far fetched than having poker among them.
Although I find that gambling would be a tough pill to swallow for the Olympic committee. They hold up such a pure values

 

[Vallet]

I do not understand the structure under which Olympic athletes will invest their money, expect a bubble and worry about losing a bankroll. Getting a medal will not make any difference.

 

[Suns of Beaches]

No, too much luck factor in the short run.
Plus Athletes do not use any computers during their contests.

 

[Marshmalo1994]

I think that to be an Olympic Sport, it'll need to be played with a format that decrease the variance. I don't know how it could be done.
Maybe some points system and not just a single torunament.
Some years ago I remember an American cup was played, It was played by teams of four I think.

 

[Ogma]

I think that to be an Olympic Sport, it'll need to be played with a format that decrease the variance. I don't know how it could be done.
Maybe some points system and not just a single torunament.
Some years ago I remember an American cup was played, It was played by teams of four I think.

I did ponder a team event. In fact if this unlikely scenario was to happen, I think it would be as a team event.

 

[TeUnit]

Poker is a skill based game, not a sport.

A sport is a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other.

 

[martinoni]

I see that not only poker but chess too should be an Olympic Sport... as a Mind Sport

 

[Rmi]

Ya lo es, ahí están los wsop que se están reproduciendo en todo el mundo...

 

[najisami]

It's been a lot of talk about this around 2006-2007 to no avail, and then everyone just forgot about it.
And to be honest, it's not that easy to be decisive even for people who are leaning towards a yes as an answer.
Of course the game requires patience, perseverance, mental strength, stamina and more skills that could only be found combined in an athlete, but people who are against always bring up the physical aspect and end up blocking the debates.
Just 40 years ago, who would've thought I could get these words across to all of you in a matter of seconds? As a team competition, I think poker might make its way to the Olympics, it's only a matter of time.

 

[pentazepam]

Poker is a skill based game, not a sport.

A sport is a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other.

I agree with your definition and distinction between games and sports.

But this always comes down to semantics and how little or much physical effort it takes to make it a physical activity.

Just to play devil's advocate here is a link to people who argue that it's a sport:

Is Poker a Sport or a Game (Or Both)?

Poker appears to meet the dictionary definition of both a sport and a game. Find out more.

www.pokernews.com

 

[Mauricio Perrotta]

I don't think so. I'm even in doubt if it should be considered a sport

 

[scobido]

Why not, I think just like chess, the mind is involved, quite challenging.

 

[Dimidrol2]

Why should gambling be equated with sports? Definitely not.

 

[Igor G]

Why not? Involves skill, stamina, concentration, strategy..

In my opinion, poker is a sport. And although I think that poker deserves to be an Olympic sport, I think it's unlikely that it will ever happen.

 

[BelFish]

I think that to be an Olympic Sport, it'll need to be played with a format that decrease the variance. I don't know how it could be done.
Maybe some points system and not just a single torunament.
Some years ago I remember an American cup was played, It was played by teams of four I think.

I think that we can add the game 7 Card Stud SnG HU to the list of Olympic games )))

Sklansky wrote that 7CS is the most difficult form of poker.

It is very difficult to beat an excellent player in such SNG games at a distance. So difficult that you can start tearing your hair out when everyone has 5-10BB left in the stack due to the increase in bets

 

[valeski 28]

It is an excellent mental game but I don´t see it as a Olympic sport.

 

[RhinoRyan89]

Seems like most sports that are considered for the Olympics had some kind of physical aspect just how physical is poker im not sure.

 

[MK_]

Sport,
an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

 

[R.Melnyk77]

Why not? Involves skill, stamina, concentration, strategy..

Of course not
Poker shouldn't be an Olympic sport, it's ridiculous. Poker is a game of chance, poker is definitely not a sport. We are all gamblers, we are not athletes, that's for sure
slots or roulette might as well be recognised as Olympic games

 

[Ogma]

Poker is a game of chance

Well that's not entirely true or accurate for a start off, is it.

In response to the post above that, poker can be very entertaining to watch.

It's out there for debate. Great to hear a spectrum of opinion.

 

[dzsire]

Also the question itself is questionable, because it contains the word 'sport', but poker is everything, but not sport.
Working your mind is not a reason, with that much power the crossword solvers or sudoku players should be there too, right?

 

[Dejana]

100x no, poker is not a sport...

 

[pavel1111111]

I Dont consider poker a sport, from what i know poker îs a game of cards 😁

 

[Stringy]

no poker is not a physical sport which is what the olympics is about. poker is not really even a sport (some could argue a mental one)