Is poker a sport? – Part 1

Here is a good question for people to think about. Is poker a sport? Hmmm, let’s give this some true thought. What types of characteristics of poker would make it a sport?

Is it a game?

Yes, poker is indeed a game. After all, look at the millions of people that play poker. Look at the number of variations of poker itself such as Texas Holdem, Blackjack, Stud and even more!

Does it require strategy?

Ok we know that any real sport requires strategy. Now, some would argue that poker is just a game of luck. It’s a matter of the cards and how lucky you are. This is not so. Poker is a game of bluffing, reading opponents, knowing the basic hands and so forth. There is a tremendous amount of strategy for poker. So, we can definitely put a check mark next to poker for requiring strategy.

Does it require training?

Yes, poker does indeed require training. After all, you can’t learn all of the game rules, basic plays and how to read people without training!

Does it require practice?

Any good sport requires players to practice. Practice makes perfect. After all if it was a sport that just anyone could play then it wouldn’t really be that much of a sport. Poker requires a great deal of practice to learn all the techniques and plays to make. With practice you can even read people online. So, yes for poker requires practice.

Does poker require endurance?

Now some would argue that poker requires no endurance. But then there are other sports that don’t require much endurance either. Yet, if you think about the poker competitions, there is a great deal of endurance. There are hot lights, long length of times at the table for play, repetitive motion and even more. So we’ll give poker a small check for endurance.

Are there competitions?

No good sport is without competition. Poker is definitely a sport that has many, many different competitions. Shoot there is even a world poker tour!

YES! Poker wins out hands down for being a sport.