Do you think poker is a sport?

[poker junky 972]

I get more pumped up on a good hand than I do running around the block

[sharkiller4u]

You talking about a Dopamine release!!! Yes...

[Vito_Nuccio]

I needed the other choice for the poll, so I could not give a concrete answer on the poll.

Dictionary.com defines sport:
It has about 20 formal definitions

nouns
# 3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.
# 6. an object of derision (The Donk, my addition)
# 8. something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc.

verbs
# 17. to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation.
# 24. to spend or squander lightly or recklessly

Synonyms 1. game. 3. amusement, fun, entertainment

Poker fits pretty well with the accepted definition of sport, it must be one.
I was on the fence until I went to dictionary, I think it is, my vote is yes.

[BADFINGER]

I don't think sitting on your butt is a sport, lol, thats my own opinion.

[GML Sugar Coat]

I say yes it is a sport not physical but mental, It takes practice as any other sport, and it takes courage as other sports require. it's as much a sport as sitting in a car going around in circles, and Nascar claims racing is a sport. racing is a lot like poker, you have to have a little luck, a lot of planning and strategy, a feel for what your oponent is planning on doing, and a lot of stamina to sit for 4 or 5 hours. This goes for both racing and poker.

[liladypokerpro]

Hmm let's analyze this thought a bit further, shall we?

What are the basic principals of a sport?

A game, played either solitary or in a group, sometimes compiled of teams.
Well, Poker is played in a group...so there's +1 for the sport aspect.

A game requiring special skills and athleticism, as well as intellectual strength.
Okay, there are multiple poker books out there to teach people the "special skills and intellectual strength" needed to play poker, and as for athleticism, it takes a well-honed body to be able to stand the fatigue involved in poker, so there is +2 for the sport aspect.

A game which requires a certain amount of points in order for a winner to be declared.
Yep...in the case of poker, the person with the most chips is declared the winner, so in my mind, that is +3 for the sport aspect.

All in all, after breaking it down, I don't see how Poker wouldn't be considered a sport....

[frankpapa1]

I think poker is fun but not a sport because you are not like excercising

[frankpapa1]

It cant be a sport

[frob23]

Originally Posted by frankpapa1 I think poker is fun but not a sport because you are not like excercising

Is fishing a sport? There's about the same level of exercise in fishing as well.

What more defines it as a sport is the competitive nature of the game (as well as several of the non-athletic definitions of sport from the dictionary).

What is really confusing is the fact that "sport" itself is widely defined and includes almost any recreational activity... not always ones requiring physical effort.

[frankpapa1]

i agree with what he said.. thats 100 percent right actually

[gamer4life27]

"Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively." (Sport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

And I know some people are going to say some controversy about the word 'activity', so heres the definition on that:

"Activity may mean:" (then it gives a list of different meanings) "Activity, a task." (Activity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

And Task:

"In common language, a task is part of a set of actions which accomplish a job, problem or assignment. Task is a synonym for activity although the latter carries a connotation of being possibly longer duration." (Task - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So according to dictionary definition, poker is a sport. Tell that to your poker buddies who think poker isn't a sport.

[kajacko]

no way is it a sport. there is no athletic endeavour. i am also a fan of chess and other gaming pasttimes but there is no way i consider any of them a sport either.
and hell if it is a sport how come i could never play poker at school?

[liladypokerpro]

Originally Posted by kajacko and hell if it is a sport how come i could never play poker at school?

rofl @ this comment.... you could never play it in school because schools frown on anything that is considered gambling.... because some casinos even offer WAR, a children's card game, as a casino game, our school wouldn't allow us to even play that!!! LOL

Poker is more of a sport than shuffleboard or badminton, but those are both Olympic games now...

[Huskers314]

I am a PE teacher and I certainly don't teach poker in class. Anyone who considers poker their physical activity of choice probably envies the physique of a whale. Classifying something as a sport or not a sport is not a validation of whether or not it is a worthwhile activity. For example - running, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling - None of these are sports as far as I'm concerned. They are contests or races. This doesn't mean I don't think they are worthwhile or that they don't require ridiculous amounts of physical strength and skill. They just aren't sports, IMO.

There's my long answer to a simple question.

Short answer - He11 to the no.

[gamer4life27]

Originally Posted by Huskers314 ...For example - running, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling - None of these are sports as far as I'm concerned...They just aren't sports, IMO... Short answer - He11 to the no.

If you don't think poker is a sport, but you also don't think swimming, wrestling, running, and gymnastics are sports, why do you teach those in PE but not poker? Simple answer, because poker is gambling. Schools frown upon underage gamblers, as does everyone else. Do you teach chess in PE? Do you teach backgammon in PE? Do you teach Scrabble in PE? No, why? Because people don't play them enough to actually classify them as a sport by a wide audience. Poker is widley popular, even with kids. As is Chess and Checkers. But poker is the only one to have such publicity to be featured on ESPN almost daily. And what does ESPN stand for? It stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. And also featured on Comcast's Sports section once in a while. So obviously major corporations think it's a sport, so why not us?

[Huskers314]

Originally Posted by gamer4life27 If you don't think poker is a sport, but you also don't think swimming, wrestling, running, and gymnastics are sports, why do you teach those in PE but not poker?

Uhhhh.....because those other activities improve your fitness.....

Poker is a great game - One we all enjoy. Saying it's not a sport is kinda like saying vegetables aren't meat. There isn't (or shouldn't be) any implied disregard for one vs. the other - They are just different. I probably have a very narrow definition of sports compared to most, but still, poker doesn't even come close in my book.

[usmc622]

Originally Posted by mollila I took the liberty of adding a poll to this thread. People call chess a sport, and as a skill based game I see it viable to call poker a sport as well.

you can deffinitly argue it either way but like he said chess is called a sport also bowling and things of that nature recreational activites lol

[bowlaman]

poker is a recreation and an excuse to drink with friends. I feel any game where you can drink while playing can never be a sport lol. Also sports have stars that repetedly win and score big. I have seen top pros lose millions in a 6 month stretch. I know im not great but for thew stakes I play you gotta call me kobe if you think its a sport.

[liladypokerpro]

Originally Posted by bowlaman poker is a recreation and an excuse to drink with friends. I feel any game where you can drink while playing can never be a sport lol. Also sports have stars that repetedly win and score big. I have seen top pros lose millions in a 6 month stretch. I know im not great but for thew stakes I play you gotta call me kobe if you think its a sport.

Hiya Kobe...I'll pm you with my address...I expect to see an autographed jersey on my doorstep in 3 days

All jokes aside...I can see your point with the whole drinking thing...but otherwise, like gamer said, if it's on ESPN and a variety of other sports-aimed networks, then it must be considered a sport...drunken or not LOL

[necoloschi]

Some call the war, others Battle, or things of pure ART gênero.Sinceramente I think, poker is fascinating because it is a game that, despite the likelihood is decided in the river, where it can enter the mudar.Daí where ART to steal or be stolen and I think that should be considered a sport but, despite some players who are more experienced talk that has to drink, I hope that these Experientia do not forget the dopings in all sports as we know it.
The VIVA POKER !!!!!!!!