blonde poker forum

Ok Guys, bit of a loaded question really as I half a good idea of the sort of responses Im going to get.

Is poker a sport?

I suppose the short answer is:

No, of course not, what ridiculous thing to say.

It is after all, an activity which does not require any athletic ability whatsoever, if we think of sport principally as a physical arena then it certainly isnt.

But it is shown on sports channels on TV. While it may not be a sport in terms of competing, it does seem to have molded itself into a popular spectator sport.

Maybe poker isnt a sport, but is it fair to say that professional poker players have a lot in common with sportsman? With sponsorship and ability Phil Ivey and Daniel Negranus are the Micheal Jordans and Wayne Rooneys of the game - but most poker players you see are fat, smoking slobs who sit down all day for a living, are far cry from the (non darts) atheletes.

It is of course a competition of ability, like chess or boxing or football or swimming. But by that token then surely a game of trivial pursuits could be regarded in the same manner.

Ok, I've planted the seeds, I want to start a discussion over why we think poker is like a sport, and we think it isn't.

Go for it

cheers

Lets hope he doesnt see this as a deliberate attempt to wind him up, and then throw his toys out of the pram

;)

sport     /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. 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. 
2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors. 
3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime. 
4. jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously. 
5. mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him. 
6. an object of derision; laughingstock. 
7. something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything. 
8. something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc. 
9. a sportsman. 
10. Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well. 
11. Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler. 
12. Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant. 
13. Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation. 
14. Obsolete. amorous dalliance. 
–adjective 15. of, pertaining to, or used in sports or a particular sport. 
16. suitable for outdoor or informal wear: sport clothes. 
–verb (used without object) 17. to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation. 
18. to play, frolic, or gambol, as a child or an animal. 
19. to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime or sport. 
20. to trifle or treat lightly: to sport with another's emotions. 
21. to mock, scoff, or tease: to sport at suburban life. 
22. Botany. to mutate. 
–verb (used with object) 23. to pass (time) in amusement or sport. 
24. to spend or squander lightly or recklessly (often fol. by away). 
25. Informal. to wear, display, carry, etc., esp. with ostentation; show off: to sport a new mink coat. 
26. Archaic. to amuse (esp. oneself). 
—Idiom27. sport one's oak. oak (def. 5). 

I was having a bad day .. i see the funny side now. :)

It is a mind sport or mental sport.  Chess, backgammon and memory contests are all mind sports as well .  I view any kind of competitive activity where you can shout "come on you beauty" after winning as a sport. One of the best mental atheletes is Dominic O'Brien. He is the 8 times memory world champion.

If your definition is purely athletic then no, its not a sport.
If you consider mental competition in games of skill as sport then yes - its a sport.

Nuff said.

Not at all, I dont mind you using my original post to answer my own question

 ;hattip; bravo

clever ;)

Glad you think so, took me long enough

I don't think poker is a sport, but that doesn't have anything to do with the athleticism (or otherwise) of the competitors.

Golf, Motor Racing and Snooker are classed as sports, and they're not athletic.

Yes they are.  They all involve some form of physical ability, co-ordination, and pitting one person's abilities in this area against another.  Some sports rely on less physical abilities than others, but they are involved in some shape or form.  Which is why darts is a sport, as is pistol shooting, etc.

Poker and chess aren't sport. They are on another level altogether.

Brilliant, complex game - yes.

Sport - no.

Not the way I've been playing it recently... :(

Yes, I think there is a great many similarities between poker and snooker, just don't ask me what they are.

What about shooting. Lie down for half an hour and shoot six rounds at a target 300 yards away. Is that a sport? if so, why?

It might be one of the less energetic sports, but it involves physical dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination.

What about the physical dexterity of chip tricks and throwing your cards without showing?  Hours of practise needed for that. It's all part of the game, letting your opponent know what a professional you are.  then there's keeping your heart rate down when you have a monster hand and bluffing faces, all these things take practice to master.

PMSL ...QUALITY 10/10

The difference for me is that I consider a sport to be something where results are directly proportional to the amount of training/practice you put into it and where the 'luck' factor is relatively small (i.e. results will, on the whole, be largely proportional to relative skill levels).

Poker fails on both counts for me.  You can play for years and years without improving unless you specifically look to make the effort to spot leaks, etc.  Also, the luck factor is too high for me in the short term.  I'd hate for someone to be crowned an Olympic Champion in poker as you could pretty much guarantee that they wouldn't be the best player participating at the time.  In a poker tournament, or festival, its accepted that the luck factor is there and poor players do sometimes win but an Olympic Champion would be seen by the outside world as being the best player of the time.

Anything you can do on the internet is not a sport.

Poker is a game. Not being a sport does not make it any less of a game.

If we start calling poker a sport then we have to call bridge and hearts a sport too.

I really don't want to do that.

Constantly seeing this question is making me long for the not so old dayz of endless ridiculous debates about Supersattelites for every tournament under the sun.


But the quick answer is NO, poker is NOT a sport.
1) Too many blatant classless ***** in it.
2) Any MoFo can do it, and on the right/lucky day beat the best.
3) There is no ball involved and we all know a sport has to include a ball.

The long answer is
(Loosely in the words of George Carlin)

There are only 3 sports. Yes that's right boys and girls, ONLY 3.
American Football,
Baseball,
and
Basketball.

-Soccer is NOT a sport (Because there are spots on the ball)

-Running is not a sport (Anyone can do it. "Hey! I'm going to run down to the shop for a loaf of bread." "That's great, Joey, but it ain't a FKN sport")

-Swimming is NOT a sport (It's a way to keep from drowning)

-Volleyball is NOT a sport (It's team ping pong played with an inflated ball and a raised net while standing on the table)

-Tennis is NOT a sport (It's ping pong played while standing on the table)

-Hockey is NOT a sport (It's three separate activites done at once: Skatig around in an oval, playing with a little piece of plastic with sticks, and beating the shit out of someone) It's fun to watch but it AIN'T a FKN sport.

-Lacrosse is DEFINITELY NOT a sport (It's a faggot college activity)

-Boxing is NOT a sport (It's beating the shit out of someone) Once again it might be fun watching two guys beat the shit out of each other but it AIN'T a sport.

-Curling is NOT a sport (It's some bizarro Scottish mating ritual)

-Skiing is NOT a sport (It's a way to get somewhere)

-Autoracing is NOT a sport (Once again it's simply a way to get somewhere) Also driving in a circle for 500miles certainly doesn't impress me.

-Golf is NOT a sport (It's a walk in a park with occasional wacks at a tiny little ball with a stick)

and others........


Hopefully that answers your question.

Have a nice day.

American Football - You dont use your feet, its for pussies because they wear armour and it stops and starts every 5 seconds
Basketball - is not a sport, its a being very tall competition
Baseball - Yeah, cant think of anything for this, I prefer cricket

Sorry, I just came over very British

lol Sholelace

one day very British will be xenophobic

untill then

 ;tightend;

Illness

Would you care to engage is interpersonal combat with one of the 240lb, 500lb benchpressing, pussies?

Or howzabout just calling one a pussy to his face.

I'd be tempted, if I lived through the beating I could sue, those guys earn a fortune.