I don’t think of it as gambling, although it does involve taking calculated risks. I consider it a game, which is probably a better label than sport.
How you concieve this game, as sport, as gambling, Both,.. ???
To you(thetzarofpoker) it is definitely Gambling because you need Luck to get good result.
As for me, it is exactly the same reason i had to convince my ex-wife(when we were still together back then) and my parents when i decided to go full-time and transit into pro.
I sat down with my parents and ex-wife with a deck of card and asked them to play 4 hours with me. Whatever amount they manage to win, i'll cash out to them but if i won, they don't have to pay me. As handicap, i will look into my hold card ONLY on the Turn which means i was playing blind until the Turn card was dealt.
During this session my father busted once, mum 4 times and ex-wife got frustrated(tilted) and stop in the middle of the session.
I demonstrated to them that i am capable of wining despite they are 3 vs me, against the odds of handicapping them and my ability to maximize to win most chips with a good hand. Of course, main reason i won is because i read all their tells which is something they never understand.
Their mentality is "Poker is gambling and it's all about Luck and more bankroll in order to win".
After this session, my parents has been supportive with me playing fulltime.
My ex-wife...she left.
At least for me, Poker is not Gambling, it's a job or Profession which i enjoy doing.
And no, Poker is not a Sport, it's more like a Chess game or Backgammon.
Neither. It's not a sport. It's a game. Chess is not a sport, solving mathematical equations or crosswords is not a sport, etc. Poker is a game of skill that involves chance and probabilities and percentages. It is only gambling when you play for real money, but you don't have to play for money, so technically it's not gambling.
Plus, gambling implies that you have no control over the outcome. Betting on sports, roulette, pulling a slots handle, etc. are gambling. This is not a complete answer, but just a few points.
It's not a sport. I don't understand why people keep trying to get it recognized as one. I have never sweated at the poker table because of physically exhaustion. My legs and lungs have never burned because I have run so much. We sit. It's not a sport. That doesn't make it any less of a great game. The game is good on its own. It doesn't have to be a sport. I have played sports which I'm sure 90% of us have. There is a big difference. But the reality that it's not a sport should not take away from what poker is. It doesn't have to be a sport. And it's not.
So chess is not a sport? Because for me it is not a game. And don't perspire playing itIt's not a sport. I don't understand why people keep trying to get it recognized as one. I have never sweated at the poker table because of physically exhaustion. My legs and lungs have never burned because I have run so much. We sit. It's not a sport. That doesn't make it any less of a great game. The game is good on its own. It doesn't have to be a sport. I have played sports which I'm sure 90% of us have. There is a big difference. But the reality that it's not a sport should not take away from what poker is. It doesn't have to be a sport. And it's not.
I guess I have to point out the obvious. According to the Oxford English Dictionary:
sport
/spɔːt/
noun
1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
"team sports such as soccer and rugby"
So chess is not a sport? Because for me it is not a game. And don't perspire playing it