‘Is poker a sport?’ If you ask this question to a poker player, they will definitely say ‘yes’. However, if you ask this question to a football player or a sprinter, who looks at sports as more of an athletic activity, their answers may vary. If you ask this question to a commoner, they may be confused about it. This is a debate that has been going on around. A large community argues poker is a sport, and a larger community is not really sure about it. Our team coming across this question thought it was not just a mere fact of saying an ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Rather it needs to be examined in detail before you can arrive at a final verdict.
Here we explore poker being a sport based on facts. You will find the answer to the question, at the end of this article. So, start reading now and do not stop until you get the answer.
The game of poker
Some people don’t really get the point of poker being a sport. They think there is no big deal in that. Why should even poker be a sport? After all, it is a game involving some cards. Is this how you think? If yes, then you need to surely go through this article.
Poker is a card game and there are thousands of variations and versions of the game. However, you can’t just play the game and win it, with zero knowledge of the card game. You have to study and learn about all the rules of the particular game that you are playing and this needs to be done before you play the game. Typically, players immerse themselves in the game description, game rules, and terms and conditions, and they even look out for the availability of a demo mode of the game.
However, in order to win high-end poker games, you need to possess exceptional card knowledge and skills. It requires years of practice and cunningness to master the game, you should be really good at bluffing and you should know when to pull the right trick at the game. There are many hundreds of poker strategies that people from all over the world use to play poker.
Why should poker be defined as a sport?
A sport is an activity where athleticism is present, and it requires skill. It is competitive, needs you to employ a strategy to win the game, and should impart pleasure to the participants.
Here you need to look at poker other than the form of the POV of gambling. Poker is not only present in the gambling realm, let it be online or offline poker.
Poker is a competition and with international associations
The World Poker Federation and the International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP) uphold poker. It conducts international-level competitions and chooses winners. The Match Poker is entirely different from the gambling poker games, and you need to possess unmatching skills to achieve any position in it.
Both these federations are a part of the IMSA, the International Mind Sports Association. Currently, Match Poker has an observer status in the Olympic games, which means that higher federations have kept the category in a monitoring phase before they could decide more about it.
So, can poker be considered a sport?
The short answer is ‘yes’. Poker is a sport. Anyone can play this game, but in order to be the winner of the game, the player needs to have a deep-rooted knowledge about the game, the card tricks, and a top-tier skill. Typically, poker is seen as a game of luck where you can not predict the odds of the game. However, when it comes to Match Poker and related, the skills possessed by the players determine the winner of the game. The presence of the international federation and governing bodies is yet another sign that poker needs to be considered a sport.
It is true that it does not require physical effort and athleticism when it comes to playing poker. However, there are many other mind sports games such as chess, and other low-impact games included in the list of sports.
The Bottom Line
Match Poker getting the observer status was a great achievement for the poker community. However, poker has a long way to go and let us hope that poker lovers get to see their game completely announced as a sport with no further questions asked.
Read More: 36 Things You Didn’t Know About Roulette
