The One-Million Dollar Question

[BigStack650]

Is poker a sport?

My opinion: poker is a game because you are not physically exerting yourself, but rather mentally. As far as typical sports go (hockey, basketball, etc.), a large part of the games are mental, but every player has to be physically fit and athletic to play. Poker is not an athletic competition as one sits for many hours a day in the same seat and puts chips into the middle of a table. Let me know what you think.

[wazz]

Not so much one million dollar question, more like the four-year old dollar bill that I found stuck to my a$$-cheek yesterday question.

My opinion? Yes, poker is a game. I'll have that buck back now thanks.

[ninjaunderwear]

I would be surprised if anybody considered poker a sport.

I'd be even more surprised if somebody considered that query to be worth one million dollars.

[StrikeR300]

Setting it straight for the 1000th time, according to the dictionary a sport is an activity involving "Physical Exertion" and skill that is governed by a set of rules. Just because poker (or anything else for that matter) is shown on ESPN does not mean it's a sport. You'll note that the first word in "ESPN" is Entertainment & while poker does fall into that catagory, it doesn't fall into the next.

In other news..
Auto Racing - Not a sport
Video Gaming - Not a sport
Bowling - Sport

[Five-Star]

Poker is GAMBLING.

[StrikeR300]

[ QUOTE ]
Poker is GAMBLING.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gambling: To bet on an uncertain outcome.

Well while each hand is uncertain, wouldn't a player of the game of poker who had more skill eventually win (even if this did take 1,000,000+ hands)?

My stance is that poker is a Game. A game of skill.

[wazz]

Can't it be both? The world isn't black and white, or at least it wasn't last time I checked.

[Five-Star]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Poker is GAMBLING.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gambling: To bet on an uncertain outcome.

Well while each hand is uncertain,

[/ QUOTE ]

Ding. Thank you.

Many pros will tell you that no matter what, poker is gambling and it is. I know it's a game of skill, this is why professionals have such an edge. But it is still gambling because you are risking money in order to win more money.

You are gambling that the 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] hits the river to fill you up and are willing to risk money to see if it will. Professionals negate this risk by being able to read their opponent and capitalize on situations. Making it a game of skill and gambling.

[Five-Star]

Also, look at card counters in blackjack.

[wazz]

Even if this hadn't already been discussed a hundred million times before, it's still a boring argument to try to classify poker. People use different classifications, and you guys are going to be arguing semantics, making the same points but disagreeing with each other, yadda yadda.