Posted by The Captain | Filed under Bloggers Corner
While having a “professional” conversation over drinks, my colleagues and I got into the debate about whether poker is a game or a sport. As you might imagine, there were some disagreements on the subject. Of course, the argument was based on what constituted a sport versus what constituted a game. I’ll not bother with the finer points – our arguments made about as much sense as the UIGEA. However, I did manage to articulate a few thoughts on the subject in a semi-lucid fashion. Amazingly, I remember bits and pieces of this.
As we examined several agreed-upon “sports,” we actually identified a couple of them that could be both. One of these happened to be golf. I’m of the firm opinion that golf is an activity that can go either way. Poker, on the other hand, is clearly a game. Yes, my friends, I’d be glad to elaborate on this.
If you’re at the top of any “activity” and demonstrate skill and athleticism well beyond that of the average participant, you’re a professional and recognized accordingly. The obvious golf example is Tiger Woods. The man is at the top of the game – when he plays golf, it’s a sport. When Erick Lindgren went out went out in 100+ degree heat, carried his own clubs, and shot under 100 for four consecutive rounds on a tough course, that was golf as an extreme sport.
That said, if you cruise around in a cart, slugging beers, and whacking the dimpled spherical tormentor about the greens, it’s an activity. Don’t get me wrong (like almost anything with beer) it’s a fun activity – but it’s not really a sport at that level. To go one step further, if you’re Big Donkey lying on the couch in your briefs watching golf on TV…well, I’ll let that one go.
Poker is another animal altogether. To be at the top of the game, you’ve got to demonstrate mastery of a lot of concepts and be able to employ everything correctly in a matter of seconds. And you’ve got to be able to do that consistently for hours – if not days – on end to be at the high end of the game. This clearly requires mental and emotional stamina. However, it doesn’t require a level of physical athleticism comparable to that of a professional athlete.
That’s not to say that poker pros aren’t athletic. Guys like Scott Clements clearly work out – hell, he probably has to exercise just to maintain his skull-piercing stare. In any case, a lot of the pros are fit, and that’s obviously good for their game – but it’s not imperative for successful play. I asked Chris Ferguson about this, and he assured me that was the case: “Yeah, I train – I lie on the couch and watch TV.” There you have it. What other proof do you need?
While my esteemed colleagues aren’t sure what to make of it*, I’ve got some thoughts on making poker a sport – an extreme sport at that. I’m of the firm opinion that there should be new multi-disciplined mixed games added to the bigger tournaments. Specifically, I’d love to see H.U.H.M.M.A.: alternating rounds of heads-up Hold ‘em and Mixed Martial Arts.
How cool would that be? Picture it: ten minutes at the table followed by ten minutes in the Octagon. If you lose your stack, you’re done. If you get knocked out, you’re done. I clearly see heads-up matches already, like Mike “Quick” Swick versus Michael Craig. This could be absolutely epic: Craig hits his gut-shot on the river and cripples Swick at the table. In round two, Swick lands a gut-shot Muay Thai style and just cripples Craig. If you followed that up with Clonie vs. Beth, it would be a ticket that would draw coverage like no other event. This, my friends, would unquestionably propel poker into the realm of true sport.
The Ultimate H.U.H.M.M.A. Series: I’m going to add this to my list of suggested promos for Full Tilt Poker. Hold your breath my friends, it might happen. Then again, you’re more likely to suffocate. Either way, who wouldn’t love The Ultimate H.U.H.M.M.A.?
Alright then – have a fine weekend.
The Captain
*To be fair, this is a perfectly standard reaction to most of my ideas. More often than not, my colleagues’ responses are usually that of mild amusement, shock, and abject horror.
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