ArticlesIs poker a sport?
- By Ryan Alyso
- Published 03/28/2008
- Poker
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Rating:
I have
heard numerous times from poker commentators on television referring
to poker as a sport. I love poker but that couldn’t be any further
from the truth. A sport is that activity that requires physical ability and
dexterity and where you compete against others. Although poker does cover the part
in where you have to compete against other people, it is no where near the main
purpose of a sport. No one can compare the World Series of Poker and the Stanley Cup for example, sports are performed by athletes and if some athletes also like to play poker then is a just a mere coincidence.
Poker requires no physical ability whatsoever, no one runs, lift weights, swings a bat or runs after a tennis ball, I''ll pay to see if Greg Reimer or Phil Hellmuth can run a marathon or play a soccer match. The only thing poker can be seen to have in terms of physical ability is having to play for long periods of time, but that’s more endurance than anything else. But, if you look at it, you can do anything for a long period of time, even scratch your bellybutton, all you need is the time and the perseverance to do it. The reason why I am opposed to those who call poker a sport is because if you call poker a sport, then chess, rock paper scissors, backgammon, dominoes, and all other card games for that matter have to be called sports as well and then you have to start calling the casinos and poker rooms “stadiums”, “fields” or “courts”… In my opinion, the term sport is being used too loosely nowadays. Ask yourself if playing online poker represents any physical or cardiovascular activity. Poker is a great game and that’s what it should stay as: a game.
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4 Responses to "Is poker a sport?" 
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said this on 03 Apr 2008 5:13:00 PM AST
go ahead and argue against poker being a sport, but a recent episode of the World Poker Tour had a doctor reach the final table and he commented on this subject. he said when he was involved in a hand his heart rate would increase, his breathing came in shorter, quicker breaths, and he started to perspire. sounds like a cardiovascular event to me!
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said this on 30 Aug 2008 8:09:52 AM AST
ok.. if thats the case im going to hold a knife to your throat im sure ure heart rate will increase then too. oh look i just invented a sport.
and it's not a sport because you dont start with a level playingfield, you have a completly different chance of winning everytime. it's like somebody going up to 6 profesional golfers and having 6 different clubs in a bag, asking them to pick a club each and then to play a hole. ok some could say that the proffesionals have the required skill to get to the final tables all the time and that must prove something but it dosnt they just buy into a lot more tournements. but if i get pocket aces against phill hellmuth im more than likely going to beat him. POKER IS NOT A SPORT- its gambling.
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said this on 01 Jul 2009 4:50:28 AM AST
i like the original argument... i understand where you are coming from personally i love hockey.. and i think that poker has no relation to it what so ever. but several other sports are mentally and physicallly challenging. and poker is the same, people work hard to get where they are in poker, and the best poker players put in just as much time to be as good as they are as athletes do. I personally believe that it is a sport. it requires skill that not many people have much like other sports. and the reason why i dont think that all other card games and "rock paper scissors" can not be classified as the same is because you can only get so good at those games.. rock paper scissors is a reading game.. and following patterns. poker is so much more then that... you have to sit there and it requires physical strength as your body uses up much energy when you are thinking constantly, most professional poker players have a routine much like athletes. they eat healthy and they work on there stamina all the time. and that is important. also in poker you will face many challenges and you have to take it and learn from it and let it make you play better and continue to persevere... much like running a marathon. mental stamina is significant in many sports and it is no different then poker. i think that holding a knife to your throat is a little far... because obviously if someone had a gun to their head they would tighten up and not be able to think properly.. but in sports and poker the thrill you get does not stop your thinking nor does it cause you to make a life or death decision. the doctor got a thrill which is uncomparable in a more literal context. ken was just saying that mental stimulation is just as significant in all sports.. which is why poker can compare.. i love poker, i have competed at hi levels of soccer. and i would not say that they have the same comparisons. however they both have qualites which can be attributed to sports. which is why poker could be. and once upon a time chess was confirmed as a sport. lots of people love poker.. much like they love sports.. the comparisons are there tho and if you play poker for a long period of time then you can start to experience situations that you have before while playing in a soccer match or a hockey game.
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said this on 11 Aug 2009 5:51:46 AM AST
If we are gonna talk about when sitting down then it's not a sport, does motor racing count as a sport? I admit it does
take a physical toll on the body, but your not running, swinging a bat, or any other physical demand. It requires intense
concentration and planning of what is coming up ahead.
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