• Is Poker Considered A Sport Team
• Is Poker Considered A Sport
• Is Poker Considered A Sports
• Is Poker A Sport Or Game

Poker doesn't involve physical training; however, no one will argue billiards or dart to be kinds of sport. The fact that poker will finally be considered a sport will facilitate those who wish to legalize it worldwide. According to Alex Dreifus, the head of Global Poker Index, this is the only way to legalize it in all countries. Games such as chess, poker (and other card games), billiards/pool game types games (carom billiards, cribbage (pool), cushion caroms, cutthroat etc) may not be considered a sport by everyone. A game like marbles has the physical skill to be a sport, but lacks regular competition. As for poker being a sport - I agree with #1, if chess is a mind sport, then so should poker be. In fact, poker is much, much more of a mind sport than chess is,both in mental and physical aspect (even though the physical aspect in mind sports is irrelevant when compared to sports). Believe it or not, poker is in fact considered a sport, a mind sport to be precise, having being accepted as so by the IMSA in 2010 (the guys in charge of that kind of thing). Other than this technical tag, though, what else does poker have in common with other, more conventional 'sports'?

Poker, like other gambling related games, even though whether playing poker is actually a gamble, compared to something like slot machines, is more often than not a matter of an old debate, and that is whether it should be considered a sport. Playing slot machines like the ones on Red Tiger Slots is definitely gambling, even though it is fun, but the results are completely randomized. Poker, on the other hand, takes skill and a lot of concentration.

The question remains, is it a sport?

Here are some arguments for and against poker being a sport:

Poker is a game of concentration and requires a lot of skill and training, learning various methods and approaches to playing the game, as well as spending multiple hours sitting, analyzing and trying to make the right decision in a split-second. The mental fortitude which is required of the player to play the game correctly and win, even, is great, whilst mental stamina is also one of the skills a person should be able to develop to compete in poker professionally.

Learning all the possible and different ways of playing the game, bluffing, trying to figure out which hand to fold and which to call requires a lot of time and effort and mostly, practice. One does not get good at anything practical by reading theory and poker is no exception.

While the traditional part of a sport definition “requiring physical exertion and skill in which an individual competes against another or a team versus a team” that is related to physical exertion is lacking in poker, competitiveness is most certainly there. Even some famous athletes move on to poker because it is so competitive.

The World Series of Poker or WSOP, attracts players from all around the world and takes place for a period of two months. There is a buy in price of 10000 US dollars which enables one to enter the main event, with the prize being as high as 7 and a half million dollars for the winner. The money associated with professional sports is certainly there and so is the competitiveness, yet it is still not widely considered a sport.

Many who argue against poker being a sport will bring up the physical part which many deem essential to the definition of sport, unless you are talking about chess and billiard games, to some extent. When it comes to other games which require little to no physical effort, they are overlooked while poker is almost always clearly not a sport.

Many people argue that poker is also not a sport because it is a gambling game. Sometimes, men who are not as well-trained in poker or have the experience win games, yet such “upsets” have been known in many other sports, whether it is football or bowling.

Be that as it may, poker is listed under a sport category on ESPN’s homepage, and they have regular covers of poker events, as well as the Fox Network. Brazil has it listed as a Mind Sport in their Confederation of Mind Sports, similar to the International Mind Sports Association. While poker is still a provisional on their list of mind games, it is a good sign for those who consider it a sport, even though the matter is still up for debate.

Is poker a sport or a game? While poker is hardly the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the word ‘sport’, if you look at the dictionary definition, you’ll see it falls well within its remit. The definition is as follows, ‘an activity involving physical exertion or skill, in which an individual or team compete against another, or others, for entertainment.’ Sure, poker may not burn the same number of calories as a marathon or a 90-minute soccer match, but it is a game of serious skill and mental exertion – rather than something people do to merely pass the time. Poker is a sport, and today we’re going to list the reasons why those that compete in tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) are athletes in their own right…

Is Poker Considered A Sport Team

Is Poker a Sport or a Game?

Poker is Entertaining

Just ask the crowds that flock to Las Vegas, or to casinos across the globe, to watch the best poker players in the world do their thing, year after year. Watching poker is an edge-of-your-seat experience where everything can change in the course of one hand. It’s a game where the underdog or even a complete unknown can defeat the most established player on the block. It’s a sport when the unexpected can, and often does happen. Poker is sheer entertainment (even down to the fun outfits some players rock). Why else would it be televised?

Poker is competitive…

If poker were merely a game, no one would care about the outcome, because the outcome would be of no consequence. Poker is built around being competitive. The best poker players are true masters of their craft. While the cards they are dealt depend on luck – what they then choose to do with them is where the magic happens. It’s where they can apply their knowledge and flourish. Poker players have history. They have grudges and vendettas to pursue each other. Competition is what makes poker interesting, and – it’s what makes it a sport!

Poker is Exhausting

While the vast majority of poker players probably can’t bench press anything impressive, there is no doubt that playing poker involves physical exertion. Just you try and concentrate for that many hours at a stretch and tell me you’re not completely exhausted! In addition to the sheer concentration factor, poker players’ brains are in overdrive. They are reading other players, strategizing, they are seeing off the less experienced players in order to get to the finals, they need to pace themselves, but they also need to be ‘on’ constantly. They may not be doing sit-ups for five hours straight, but make no mistake – poker players are strong as hell.

Poker Requires Training

Is Poker Considered A Sport

Did you ever hear of anyone training for a game of Monopoly? How about a game of hopscotch? I didn’t think so. Poker is a sport because every player, especially the ones that win, are highly trained. To achieve these big wins, poker players have read and absorbed every piece of knowledge they can find on the sport. They have honed their skills over years of hard work, worked with professional coaches, studied under mentors. Games are about luck. Sports are about dedication. And poker players are as dedicated as they come.

Is Poker Considered A Sports

Is Poker A Sport Or Game

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