Sports poker: what is it

Sports poker is a card game in which players compete in the ability to calculate different probabilities, the chances of a winning combination and evaluate the opponent’s tactics.

The rules depend on the type of game (Texas Hold’em, pre-flop poker, flop poker, etc.), as well as on the specific tournament. For example, in some tournaments it is allowed to add chips if the player has lost the entire stack.

The difference between regular and sports poker

In sports poker, the main thing is not earned chips or money, but a place in the standings. Participants do not play for real money. In sports poker, you first need to get into the prize zone and try to climb as high as possible in the table. That is why it is called sports, because there is rivalry in it. The best players receive prize money as a reward for winning. The amount of the prize fund is usually set in advance.

History of sports poker

Poker as a game began in 1872 when Robert Shenk, the US ambassador to Great Britain, wrote the official set of rules.

The first professional tournaments began to be held in 1970. It is from this time that the emergence of sports poker is counted. The first competition lasted for 7 days, and only 6 people took part in it. The tournament became very popular among the spectators, so its founder Jack Binion decided to make the competition regular and called it the WSOP (World Series of Poker).

The main organization in the world is the World Federation of Poker (World Poker Federation). There are also 3 main organizations: Poker Tournament Directors Association (Association of Poker Tournament Directors), European Poker Sports Association (European Sports Poker Association) and Ladies Poker Association (Women’s Poker Association).

In addition to these global organizations, in countries where poker is recognized as an official sport, there are local federations.