Should poker be considered a mind sport like chess?

For me, poker is a mind sport. Otherwise, how could professional players exist who make, say, $200k per year just from playing?

If you think it’s all luck, try going all-in on every hand. If poker were purely a game of chance, you’d win roughly every second hand (assuming only one caller). Clearly, skill makes all the difference.

LiviuRo123 said:

It takes skill, psychology, math, and discipline. Do you think poker deserves full "mind sport" status?

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Poker is a game of chance, which is closer to chess than to basketball. Can poker be called an intellectual game? I think so, absolutely. There are different types of games of chance, and obviously some of them can be considered intellectual

Sport is about people doing something and it is financed by advertisers and bookmakers at the expense of the consumer. In poker, players contribute to the prize themselves.

you do need to use your brain that is certain, but there is a certain amount of luck (weather its bad or good) . In chess, its all brain power, there is no luck involved.

Poker has nothing to do with sport, and shouldn’t be considered a sport

It shouldn’t be demonised like regular casino games or betting though

i could understand the argument for it

dannystanks said:

I would consider poker a “full” mind sport if luck wasn’t a factor.

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I completely agree. In poker, a lot depends on luck, especially on the river.

In my opinion, no. Poker should not be considered a mind sport in the same sense as chess because chance and hidden information are structural to the game. The random distribution of cards and the inability to see opponents’ holdings mean that outcomes are not primarily determined by decision quality in the short or medium term. Unlike chess, where superior play reliably leads to victory, poker allows weaker players to win through variance despite inferior decisions, weakening the direct link between cognitive mastery and results. Additionally, poker skill can only be demonstrated statistically over very large samples, whereas chess skill is evident in individual games or short matches. The central role of bluffing, emotional manipulation, and financial risk further distinguishes poker from pure cognitive competition. For these reasons, for me, poker is best classified as a skill-based gambling game rather than a mind sport comparable to chess.

Interesting that chess is played one person against another. Poker is played where you can be competing at 1 table or hundreds of tables at once.

poker is a mind sport.

In November 2024, the International Mind Sports Association officially recognized poker as a mind sport, placing it on par with chess.Those who understand it only as physical activity tend to classify poker as a game or entertainment.

Poker is often mistaken for pure gambling, but at its core, it’s a true mind sport much like chess.

Every hand requires logic, probability, psychology, and long-term strategy. Just as a chess player plans several moves ahead, a poker player thinks in ranges, anticipates opponents’ actions, and adapts to changing situations. Luck exists in both games in the short term, but over time, skill always rises to the top.

Reading patterns, managing risk, controlling emotions, and making the best decision with incomplete information that’s not chance, that’s mental discipline.
So the real question isn’t if poker is a mind sport… it’s why it took so long for people to see it that way.