Icebreaker  |  Poker is a Game, NOT a Sport!

The definition of sport is, 'an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.'

It bothers me that people consider Poker a sport because it simply is not. E-sports are in the same category as 'pseudo sport', but at least they tag the 'E' to make sure people know there is a branch to 'sports' beyond the regular.

Poker is a game in which people sit around a table and bet on fate...

Many claim that there are intricacies to poker that allow you to become a better player and what not, but there is reason that even the best can get destroyed even when the odds are in their favor.

The deepest sense of play in poker comes with the ability to conceal thought and emotion.

Poker is more an exercise in emotion which is what a game intends to bring out... a sport is something that must be practiced, trained upon and put into action with the entire body, mind, and spirit intact.

No 'athlete' has ever had to train for pocket Aces!

The fact that I can play poker highly intoxicated and in fact play better in that mindset just further proves that it in fact is NOT a sport!

Many may argue that one can play basketball intoxicated or any sport really, and although that is fair to some extent, nobody at a pro level would do this or be capable of this.

I can seriously take a few hundred dollars, enter a poker tournament, and play the supposed 'best in the world'. What other sport would this be possible in?

Guys like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are highly sophisticated in their ability to pick up player action and card odds, but that makes their field of expertise no more a sport than black jack.

People claim that Black Jack takes no skill, but Poker doesn't require skill either, it only requires knowledge of the rules.

People will argue this until the death, and we are in an era where rules and definitions change consistently so points from either side will stand.

Let me ask rhetorically, is Poker a sport? 100% Upvote to anyone who can sway my thinking!