Poker is not a sport

At least it is not a sport according to Llyod Garver of CBS Sportsline.com.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/columns/story/8774629/rss

Do I think Poker is a sport? No, I don't but that doesn't mean it doesn't qualify for Gary's list of things that make it a sport. I will quickly summarize:

Getting in shape: A participant in a sport should get in better physical shape by practicing and playing the sport. Again, we see that poker doesn't qualify. If you can actually gain weight while playing -- and get mustard stains on your shirt -- that thing you're doing is not a sport.

You have to be in excellent mental shape to play poker at the highest levels. While I know this is not what he was referring to, I think it still qualifies. For rebuttal purposes only, see David Wells and Sydney Ponson as examples of mainstream athletes who do not qualify as being "in-shape".

Competition: In a sport, you must compete against someone who has a very good chance at beating you using the same skills you have. Here we see that bullfighting is not a sport. And -- go ahead, start your e-mails -- hunting is a dubious sport at best. When a hunter has a good chance of being shot by a duck, then it will be a sport.

What could be more competitive than a group of ten people sitting at a table trying to take each others money?

Young and old: If an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old have an equal chance of beating each other, it's not a sport. So shuffleboard is not a sport.

I have not seen very many 8 year olds on the WSOP or WPT circuit. Doyle Brunson rules so he doesn't count.

Makeup: Anything that requires a great deal of makeup is probably not a sport. This is just one of the rules that disqualifies synchronized swimming.

Annie Duke - No makeup there (j/k). According to this article tennis, golf, volleyball, gymnastics, etc are not sports...

Computers: Anything your computer can do better than you is not a sport. Thus, that annual spelling bee should not be considered a sport. Video and computer games are not sports. Here's where the "you shouldn't be able to spill nachos on your pants while you're playing a sport" rule comes into play.

There are probably a computer "bot" could possibly beat me, but not a higher caliber player. The AI needed to play Hold 'em against a pro successfully does not exist.

It's personal: There are some things that just feel like sports to me, and others that don't. Check out these examples, answer some of these questions, and feel free to add your own:
Fishing is a sport, even though you can get drunk while you're doing it. Similarly, bowling is a sport. But is lawn bowling?

See "Competition" above.

Do I think Poker is a sport? No. But according to Mr. Llyod's short list, it does seem to qualify :)...