Poker: a sport or game?
 

Which do you think and why? :boxing2:

Game. IMHO - A sport is something that requires physical skill.

Anyone can play a game of poker but to do it at a high level requires mental not physical skills.

It does not seem to be physical enough to really be a sport unless you are talking about a marathon of card playing. Chess games would then probably be considered a sport as well as spelling bees as they can last a very long time.

I suppose watching a few days worth of football games during the holidays would then also be a sport???

It must have a ball or object that moves to be a sport (like a puck in hockey) . . . poker, chess, horseshoes, track, swimming and golf are all games. :crap2:

Have you considered the length of competitions at the higher level of play? Professional poker players will play for 15-20 hour periods at a time, only getting up from the table to go to the bathroom a few times and once for dinner. The World Series of Poker (kind of like the Superbowl of poker) is a week long event where players play for upwards of 15+ hours every day for a week straight.

It's just a thought...I guess we'll never come to a solid conclusion :highfive:

Now what about cheer-leading everyone?! Lol

It all depends on whether you win or lose!

In sports the outcome is determined by physical capabilities. I do not think the number of times you need to use the restroom while playing poker determines the winner.

Sport, no way. Would you consider a poker player an athlete?

That is simply a wrong statement in my opinion. We could debate the difference between athletics and a game but certainly things like track and field, swimming and golf are sports not just games. I couldn't find a definition of sport as involving a ball or object. And by the way golf has a ball that needs to be moved so your statement would be incorrect right there.

The very first definition from dictionary.com: {an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.}

Poker is 99% mental abilities. In fact if you know much about high level poker the vast majority of great players are very high IQ individuals. Many of them either completed degrees from competitive universities (Ivy league etc) or dropped out when they realized they could make a better living through poker.

If poker was a sport, then also should be monopoly. I also agree that having a ball to be called a sport is wrong. I believe that sports have to be physical and the players are athletes. Horse racing is called the king of sports, but no ball involved. In horse racing I'd consider the horse to be the athlete. Good post though.

Secretariat was voted one of the top 50 athletes of the 20th century.

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/athletes.html

Notice how 6 golfers made the list also (2 in top 10).

I'm glad when we can get interactive threads on here like this! Regardless of the exact issue or question at hand, I enjoy reading everyone's input. Keep it up guys!!

Some people question if Golf is a sport, or the jockeys in horse racing. What about professional wrestling? Was Bruno Sanmartino, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers and Andre The Giant athletes of actors?

Golf? No doubt. You have to know how to apply force to an object. Joe Public can do it but pro golfers really know how to do it.

Jockeys? No doubt. You have to know how to control the horse, proper racing tactics, agility etc.

WWE? Some doubt. There is no doubt that they are great athletes with all the physical ballet that they perform. But sport? More like drama!

Poker is a card "game". :read: