Now i have had many a debate over this. I believe poker IS a sport and i have reaosns to back it up.
1) It is shown on the 3 main canadian sport broadcasters, TSN, sportsnet, and The Score. (dont know about U.S)
2) In the tv guide it is listed green, which is the colour of sports.
3) The definition of a sport is a recreational activity that requires skill. Now i realize that there are endless definitions for sport, some including physical activity, others not. So this points DOES sort of fail...
4) There is a world series, world cup, etc. I mean c'mon i kno its just a name but C'moooooon. How many activities that aren't sports have a world series or cup?
Everything you said is right StarScreamer except one itty bitty thing. You could say the referee is the dealer in a single table game. But in tournaments and most cash games, there is a seperate tournament director, who tries to make it his job to warn/kick people out on rule breakages, and be there for all the big pots to make sure things go smoothly.
And another thing i didnt notice about your post eyetwitch is that you basically said golf and bowling arent sports because they dont involve physical activity? Well golf definetly does, i don't claim to know much about bowling, but I would give them the thumbs up on physcial activity.
poker is a game not a sport, I mean you dont even consider blackjack to be a sport why would poker be a sport? Even since there are winners and losers that doesnt mean its a sport fst6, would you consider a video game to be a sport they have winners and losers.
I can't Stand People that say poker is Luck it is 95% SKILL! It is because it doesn't matter what kind of card you have. I could have 7 2 offsuit vs Pocket Aces and if the flop is like Kc Js Ks 3d 2h I could win easily by a bluff,
Well, people thinks that if you don't run, hit or do anything physic, its not a sport. They still have some mental sports. In gold, you hit and just walk. But you need intelligence and talent to hit well. You don't really need too much power. Also, in Poker, you need Intelligence and Talent. Also, in sports, they have people that wins and some loses. Same thing with this so for me, its a SPORT!
I can't Stand People that say poker is Luck it is 95% SKILL! It is because it doesn't matter what kind of card you have. I could have 7 2 offsuit vs Pocket Aces and if the flop is like Kc Js Ks 3d 2h I could win easily by a bluff,
A recent scientific study determined that 1000 hands was the threshold for the skill factor to take place. As most serious poker playerss easily reach this amount in their lifetime, it can be deduced that skil is more of a factor than luck and therefore it could be classified as a sport.
No, its a card game. Just because it's on ESPN sometimes, it doesn't make it a sport. Same with the Spelling Bee. Don't get me wrong. Poker players are very skilled. As are spellers.
I wouldn't consider poker a sport anymore than I consider Chess to be a sport. It takes skill and knowledge and you can win big, but it just has a different feel about it.
I like poker myself, but I'm not sure if I would call it a sport. There is luck, knowledge, and skill. I believe that there is such a thing as a talented poker player i.e.: reading other peoples bluff and bluffing good themselves. But no it is not a sport.
I'm 80/20 with this. Poker has reasons to be a sport but it was made as a GAME. I almost completely disagree with poker being a sport. Sport may require skill and physical activity is involved. But poker is also a 50% luck and 50% skill game. So you can''t say it's a sport really. It was DESIGNED TO BE A GAME!
