Is poker really a sport?

I think before you can answer this question you have to define 'sport.' If you are defining sport as a skill based athletic competition, then no I do not believe poker is a sport. However if you are just defining sport as a skill based competition then I think that yes poker would be considered a sport. It is a competition and it does involve skill. Yes there is luck involved too, but there is some luck involved in all sports. There is such thing as being good or bad at poker, especially games like Texas Hold Em that have a lot riding on the betting aspect.

I won't call poker as a sport either. I like to play poker and I think there is alot of math, luck and skills into it. Let's say if you have bet people off a winning hand while you only have a bottom pair, it is skills. Besides, it is important to read people as well, when you sense that the player is scared, you can bluff him off the hand.

I don't know if I would call it a sport, it is not really a sport unless you get up and possibly break a sweat. As for is there skill involved there certainly is. I play poker on a regular basis with friends and have been in a couple of tournaments. Poker is about 60% luck and 40% skill. Of course if you get good cards you are going to have an advantage. The skill really comes in when perhaps the cards are not so great or they are just OK, knowing how to read those you are playing against is really helpful, and knowing how and when to bet, and knowing when to fold is also very important. Someone who is very good does not have to have the best cards to win, he just has to convince the other person that his hand is better and get that person to fold.

Poker is more than bluffing your way to the top, there's a lot of skill and math and human behavior into it and i believe its a sport of skill. There are even rumours, because of the popularity that the game is aquiring every day, that poker is going to become very soon an olympic sport. Luck is present i won't say its not, but skill and know how is everything, there'e a very famous professional poker player that played a hole tournament without even seing is cards in Texas Holdem. He played only based on is table position and the reactions of the opponents. Its very easy to find searching on youtube.