The Oxford English Dictionary defines “sport” as:

“An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.”

Poker is regularly covered by major sports networks like ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC, it seems sports editors have declared that poker is a sport.

According to Oxford, poker must follow three requirements to be a proper sport: competition, skill and physical exertion.

1. Poker players compete against each other rather than the house. This puts poker into its own class of casino games. Rather than gambling against their customers, casinos charge poker players a fee for using their services such as setting up poker tables, dealers, floor person, etc. The same goes when playing poker online. This aspect of poker clearly distinguishes it as a competitive activity.

2. Poker is a game of skill. Basic strategy in poker involves getting your money into the pot when you have the best of it. That means you only bet or call when you have a better chance of winning than your opponent. Players with an understanding of basic odds and probabilities have an advantage over the casual gambler. The good poker player can manipulate pot odds so that they are a huge statistical favorite over their opponents.

3. Poker requires heavy physical exertion. Not really, that last statement is a bit of a stretch. Players may be sitting all day, but stamina plays a significant role in a long tournament’s outcome. Even if you’re not playing for 15 hours a day, it’s easy to become restless, tired and distracted after just an hour of intense focus. Better stamina leads to better decisions during your playing sessions.

While poker will probably never make it to the Olympics, it does provide the same challenges and joy that other sports provide. Poker even has its own World Series.