Poker Ruled a Game of Skill By IOC

Poker has just passed another milestone in proving that it is not just a gambling game. The International Mind Sports Association has just announced that they intend to accept the International Federation of Poker as a member at their next meeting. This is huge for poker because if the IOC accepts poker then the International Olympic Committee with automatically accepts poker on this list of skill games. Other games that have already been accepted are chess, bridge, checkers, and go.

This is an amazing accomplishment in the fight to bring some legitimacy to poker. Chess has long had the notoriety of being a skillful game that has gained the respect of many all over the world. While poker has risen substantially over the last several years in popularity, the game continues to face legal and social persecution. With poker being hailed on the game level as other skill games there is a chance that the face of poker will change in the near future.

“Poker is not like other casino games. It’s a social game where people are playing against each other, not the house, and a game where skill plays a bigger role than luck. There are 120 to 150 million poker players in the world and we deserve this recognition,” says IFP president Anthony Holden.

Although poker will probably never be seen at the Olympic Games, the decision has other implications. As many courts are evaluating poker as a gambling or skill based game, the IOC’s recognition might be used to further prove the case that poker is widely accepted as a skill based game.

Go to: PokerBlog.com – The Professional Poker Blog