The game of poker has come a long way since its early days, when it was played in smoky backrooms frequented by dodgy characters, with the last couple of decades especially doing wonders for the game’s reputation.
From the founding of the World Series of Poker to the days of the Poker Boom, the game has distinguished itself from other gambling activities in many ways, yet it is still often associated with gambling by most average people.
And while a random person on the street may see poker as just another gambling game, many poker players and fans believe it to be much more.
So is poker a sport, a mental game, or just pure gambling? We set out to answer those questions and, once and for all, make it clear how poker compares to typical gambling games.
What Constitutes a Sport?
There are many definitions of what a sport is, and they differ from one dictionary to another, and from one professional source to the next. Yet, most sources agree that an activity needs to meet certain parameters to be considered a sport, including:
- Physical exertion: Physical movement and activity are usually associated with sports. This can include extreme physical exertion, such as in sports like running, as well as specialized physical movements, such as in golf.
- Competition: In order to be considered a sport, an activity must involve competition between individuals or teams.
- Clearly defined rules: An activity should have clearly defined rules, which can be enforced by a single international body or multiple regulatory bodies on state or other levels.
- Skill: Participants should be able to distinguish themselves from others by showcasing superior skill, which helps them win more often.
These are just a few of the basic elements that are usually included in the definition of a sport, but there are many traditional sports where criteria like physical exertion are only met to a certain standard.
How Does Poker Compare to Traditional Sports?
So, is poker a sport or not? To answer this, we must compare poker to traditional sports across all the defining parameters.
When it comes to a few of them, the resemblance between both live and online poker and classic sports is unmistakable.
The element of competition, for example, is very clear in poker, as both tournament and cash game poker are designed to have players competing on an individual level against one or more other players.
When it comes to rules, the rules of games like Texas Hold’em Poker are very clearly defined, although different venues may have slightly different rules for some situations. However, this is also true for many traditional sports, where different leagues or competitions may have slightly altered rules.
The skill element in poker has been proven beyond any doubt many times over, although some skeptics may still try to minimize its impact on the outcome of the game.
The physical exertion argument is likely the one where poker fails the test the hardest, as it’s hard to compare the exertion needed to play poker to sport slike football, athletics, or boxing.
Yet, many other widely accepted sports, such as darts, snooker, and bowling, require a similar low level of physical exertion, focusing more on executing particular physical skills perfectly, rather than repeating high-intensity physical exercises.
This quick comparison gives poker a good chance of meeting the standards to be called a sport, as it passes the test across several of the most important criteria.
Poker as a Mental Sport
In 2024, the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) added poker to its list of mind sports, once and for all ending the debate on whether poker is a sport or not.
Poker was added to the list of mind sports, along with the likes of bridge, chess, and Go, all of which are more widely accepted as mental sports.
The campaign to make poker an official mental sport was led by the World Poker Federation (WPF), which included representatives of 49 national poker federations, all looking to take poker to the next level.
While the admission of poker to the IMSA list won’t see Texas Hold’em becoming the next Olympic sport, it was an important admission of a major international organization of poker as more than just gambling.
This move came after long and extensive research into the game, which proved that poker is all about skill, competition, and rules, rather than pure chance.
The recognition of poker as a mental sport may help the game grow in many countries, as has already happened in Colombia, where the Ministry of Sport recognized poker’s importance in developing tourism and entertainment industries across the country.
How Poker Compares to Gambling Games
One of the clearest distinctions between poker and gambling games comes from the fact that poker is not played against the house.
Unlike gambling games, which are played against the casino and always have an inherent “house edge” to them, poker is played between players, with no advantage given to either side.
All players in a poker game play under the exact same circumstances, and there are no poker rules that give one player an advantage over another.
Players get to make multiple decisions in every hand, completely independently, and their decisions directly impact the outcome of the hand.
For example, if you decide to call three large bets with nothing but 8-high, you are very likely to lose a big pot thanks to your decision.
Similarly, if you have a fantastic hand and miss your chances to bet, you may win very little despite the strength of your hand.
The number of decisions a player can make in every hand, combined with the fact that the game is played between players and with no house edge in play, makes poker clearly stand out from any gambling game out there.
Thousands of poker players have proven that poker is much more than just gambling over the years, as they practiced their poker skills and were able to consistently beat other players at poker over prolonged periods of time.
Is Poker a Sport – The Definitive Answer
As of 2024, poker is officially considered a mind sport, as per the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), which governs other mind sports like chess and bridge.
Poker is as much a sport as darts or snooker, with stigma and fear being the only factors that make many people still reluctant to see poker take the step out of the casinos and into the mainstream.
Yet, poker continues its expansion every year, and tournament poker in particular is on the right path to one day having the same status as other sports.
The thing that would definitely take poker to the next level in terms of being treated as a sport is the organization of high-level tournaments for poker professionals where buyins were not necessary.
The overall popularity of poker makes it somewhat difficult to throw such tournaments as of yet, but the growing interest of sponsors in the game may someday see the top poker pros play for large prize pools without having to pay a dime to compete.
