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The online (from dictionary.com) definition I found for the word sport' reads "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature."

By this definition, professional poker IS a sport.

Let's look at this rapidly growing phenomenon calling tournament poker and determine whether what's now the most popular and frequently televised card game (re-runs of Card Sharks on GSN do not count) can effectively be considered a sport.

By the above definition, although not fundamentally athletic by nature, poker, particularly in the long-running tournament structures, does require some sort of physical endurance. The lengthier professional poker tournaments will last up to twelve hours a day for days at a time. They are laborious and drain their participants both physically and mentally. Although Greg Raymer's rotundity rivals Weis's waistline, many poker pros have harped on the importance of being in good shape for the more lengthy multi-table tournaments.

Poker also requires a great amount of skill. Whoever first claimed no-limit Texas hold em takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master was right on the money. Only the consistently skillful players, the likes of Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and Allen Cunningham to name only a few, are able to thrive. The rest are eaten for lunch.

And poker is undoubtedly and inherently competitive by nature. For any of you who have played in a high-stakes poker game, or even a smaller on-line tournament, the very nature of the game is cutthroat. It's a last person standing, no holds-barred competition to the end. It is one man for himself in a winner-take all atmosphere, with huge stakes on the line on the professional level. Let's look at some other factors that further prove that poker can be considered a sport:

ESPN coverage. ESPN doesn't televise Martha Stewart cooking shows programs. The network shows sports and competitve events, that's it. The ultimate Sports Network, as well as FSN, broadcast high profile poker tournaments more and more. In fact, during the World Series of Poker (hello. it's called the World Series), it's difficult for a viewer to NOT find poker on one of ESPN's many channels. ESPN.com even has its own poker link and features tournament style play tournaments on its website.

Competition. As stated earlier, poker is extremely competitive. Top professionals contend for huge purses. The most recent main event Poker champion, Jamie Gold, earned over ten million dollars for finishing in first place.

Seasonal Rankings and Money Winnings. Poker, like baseball, football, and basketball, has a season. And like tennis, golf and NASCAR, poker has points standings and money rankings.

Now I'm not saying you can break a sweat playing poker. But by its very nature, poker is competitive, aggressive and demanding. The game requires skill, training and mental toughness to be able to contend on the highest levels.

Therefore, professional poker, in my mind, is a sport

Learn more about this author, Chris Humpherys.
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