It,s not a sport at all, at least if we are talking about online poker, and it,s not a gambling, just because i think gambling is sportsbetting and casino games.
Poker is just a game.
Poker is just a game.
Its a sport with a little bit luck or gambling. Today the development is very fast. New software tools help to make better moves and decisions. You must learn a lot about the game the strategies etc. On short run it could be gambling but on the long run you must be fit. Not only in rules and strategies, also in mental fitness. If you play a tourney and you going deep i could be 10 or more hours. So its simple to knew that this long period of concentrating is physically hard. I think there are more same things between poker and sports as poker and gambling,
Poker is not a sport nor is it gambling in my opinion. If you called is a mind sport I guess i could go there but sport never. While poker does have the element of chance, its more about the odds and knowing how to read what is going on. While you may need to gamble at times I just dont think this game is gambling.
One must define one's terms. OED defines Gamble as:
1. Play games of chance for money; bet.
2. Take risky action in the hope of a desired result.
OED defines sport as:
1. An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Ergo, Poker is gambling.
1. Play games of chance for money; bet.
2. Take risky action in the hope of a desired result.
OED defines sport as:
1. An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Ergo, Poker is gambling.
Gambling in my eyes. It's a game of part skill and luck, you have to be lucky to win consistently if playing tournaments since the cards being dealt are out of your control. It's always a gamble since it's a game of partial information.
Kenorgcom said:
A decade and more ago there was a campaign in the UK to have chess recognised as a sport. This was a funding wheeze. Calling something something it clearly isn't, doesn't make it so. The latest nonsense is of course for people of a certain mentality to self-identify. This is likewise playing semantic games. Texaz hold 'em is simply a gambling game.
I think that cash games are more like an sport and MTTs (specially hypers and turbos) are more like gambling.
Why?
In a MTT, to get into the FT you get into so many all in situations. If you are in great shape you will face 70-30 most of the time.
So, lets say that you are going to play an MTT and you have to win 5 all ins to get into the late stages, 1 flip and 4 70/30.
The chances to win ALL those hands together are 12%. So you have 88% to not get in the late stages dont matter how good you are
Ofcourse sometimes you need less all in situations, sometimes more. Sometimes you will be the chip leader (less risk) ...
But most of the time, that's how MTTs works
In cash games you play post flop most of the time and you can go all in pre only with super premium hands (AA/KK) because you have 100bb all the time
Why?
In a MTT, to get into the FT you get into so many all in situations. If you are in great shape you will face 70-30 most of the time.
So, lets say that you are going to play an MTT and you have to win 5 all ins to get into the late stages, 1 flip and 4 70/30.
The chances to win ALL those hands together are 12%. So you have 88% to not get in the late stages dont matter how good you are
Ofcourse sometimes you need less all in situations, sometimes more. Sometimes you will be the chip leader (less risk) ...
But most of the time, that's how MTTs works
In cash games you play post flop most of the time and you can go all in pre only with super premium hands (AA/KK) because you have 100bb all the time
Poker does not have to be all about Gambling, any more than Snap is considered Gambling. Sure you can put side bets on Snap! Just like you can turn two raindrops falling down a window pane into a bet, winner taking all, but it doesn't have to be like that.
I suppose this is one reason I prefer Tournament Poker over Cash games, in a Cash game every chip you put into a pot is real money out of your pocket, In a Tournament, every chip is a fraction of your Buy-in and yes it can be considered to be gambling.
I prefer to think of the buy-in as the price I pay, to play a game I enjoy, just the same as paying an entrance fee to watch a football game, or a film at the Cinema, It is nothing more than the fee I pay for an evenings entertainment.
The only difference is at the end of a film you go home with slightly less money than you went out with, but with poker you can go home with your money back and more if you win, but if you go home with money in your pocket with just the buy-in missing, where is the harm? You have had an evening out, at a price you are willing to pay.
When the fun Stops, STOP!
I suppose this is one reason I prefer Tournament Poker over Cash games, in a Cash game every chip you put into a pot is real money out of your pocket, In a Tournament, every chip is a fraction of your Buy-in and yes it can be considered to be gambling.
I prefer to think of the buy-in as the price I pay, to play a game I enjoy, just the same as paying an entrance fee to watch a football game, or a film at the Cinema, It is nothing more than the fee I pay for an evenings entertainment.
The only difference is at the end of a film you go home with slightly less money than you went out with, but with poker you can go home with your money back and more if you win, but if you go home with money in your pocket with just the buy-in missing, where is the harm? You have had an evening out, at a price you are willing to pay.
When the fun Stops, STOP!
Nano5722 said:
Poker is gambling; it doesn't make sense unless it is played for some sort of stake. The definition of a wager is to stake something on the outcome of an uncertain event. The only thing that is certain is you will pay either a tournament fee or the rake.
Poker is just a card game, no different from other games like Bridge or Canasta.
The difference is, we play poker for money, and that's why it is called "gambling".
We don't call Bridge gambling, because (usually) people don't play for money.
I would use the term "competition" instead of "gambling" or "sport". Poker is a competition between players, using cards as a device along with a specific set of rules. This is a "competition". It's not a sport, there is nothing athletic involved in poker at all, except the endurance to sit on your butt for hours or days without a break. LOL And if there was no money involved in poker, it wouldn't be "gambling" either.
Poker is a competition.
The difference is, we play poker for money, and that's why it is called "gambling".
We don't call Bridge gambling, because (usually) people don't play for money.
I would use the term "competition" instead of "gambling" or "sport". Poker is a competition between players, using cards as a device along with a specific set of rules. This is a "competition". It's not a sport, there is nothing athletic involved in poker at all, except the endurance to sit on your butt for hours or days without a break. LOL And if there was no money involved in poker, it wouldn't be "gambling" either.
Poker is a competition.
thetzarofpoker said:
Since so much of the game is solved the answer is something that I have said many times:
Poker is game of skill, variance is only the lower probability coming into play and luck is when that variance hits you, its good luck if the lower probability happens at a non critical moment when you have barely invested any chips .. bad luck if it happens at a time when you have invested your entire stack at a critical juncture of a substantial game.
SKILL
VARIANCE
LUCK
Poker is a lovely game of all these aspects and that is what makes it exciting and enjoyable.
