Is India ready for a Poker Sports League? Come May, the Deltin Royale, which boasts of the country's largest poker room, will play host to India's first Poker Sports League.
By Jay LovingerPage 2
Is poker a sport?
Before I attempt to answer that question, here's another one: What difference does it make?
A couple of times in the past few weeks, Tony Kornheiser of 'Pardon The Interruption' has questioned whether the current poker boom will have legs. Kornheiser obviously believes it will not, based on the notion that people who watch poker on TV cannot expect to see any spectacular physical feats and so will necessarily become bored and stop watching.
In other words, in Kornheiser's opinion, poker is not a sport.
(In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that Kornheiser knows absolutely nothing about poker, doesn't have the slightest interest in whether or not the poker boom will continue, and is 'concerned' about the future of poker only to the extent that it provides a chance to tweak Norman Chad, ESPN's poker color man and a former colleague of Kornheiser at the Washington Post.)
(In the interests of full full disclosure, I should also mention that Kornheiser and I not only worked together at the Washington Post but went to the same school -- Harpur College in bucolic Binghamton, N.Y. -- and that Kornheiser is largely responsible for my journalistic career, such as it is, because he introduced me to the man who gave me my first real editing job. Therefore, under the Fairness In Commentary Act of '99, I am obligated to publicly insult and demean Kornheiser whenever I have the opportunity.)
| Vote: Sport or Not a Sport? |
|---|
| Poker requires agility, strength and stamina -- well, of the mental variety. It's on ESPN. But is it a sport? Click here to vote on poker and nine other activities. |
OK, let's see if, just this once, Kornheiser might be right about something.
When it comes to proving a dubious point, dictionary definitions are often the last refuge of a scoundrel. So, according to 'The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,' here are the first two definitions for 'sport':
1.) An active pastime; diversion; recreation.
2.) A specific diversion, usually involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules; a game.
So far, so good .. except for a teensy bit of a problem with the phrase 'physical exercise.' Now, if one defines 'physical exercise' as something involving:
1.) Strength; or
2.) Speed; or
3.) Coordination; or
4.) Reflexes; or
India Poker Pros
5.) Physical endurance; or
6.) Ability to play through pain; or ..
Okay, poker doesn't require any of those, unless you consider the strength needed to push large piles of chips into the middle of a pot, or maybe the manual dexterity necessary to see your hole cards without letting anybody else at the table get a clean look.
| Ask Jackpot Jay! |
|---|
| Got a poker problem or want more details about Jay's Vegas adventure? Send in your questions and comments. |
Plus, let's be fair: How much more 'physical exercise' is required to play, say, bowling or golf or pool than poker? And nobody would question whether bowling or golf or pool are sports.
Another thing poker has going for it, sports-wise, is that ESPN and the Fox Sports Network both cover it regularly, and magazines like ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated both write about it. (Of course, SI once regularly covered bridge and yachting, too, but it seems unkind to make too much of that.)
In any case, is it really true, as Kornheiser contends, that most people watch sports on TV to see incredible physical feats?
While incredible physical feats are a regular feature of some popular sports -- notably basketball -- there are many popular sports in which incredible physical feats are quite rare, and even those seldom determine the outcome of an event. Just two of many in this category would be baseball and auto racing.
While it is true that baseball has its share of web gems, for example, most of the key moments in a game are noticeable only because of the results. The difference between a swing by Barry Bonds and a swing by, say, Rey Ordonez is perceivable primarily because of the results of those swings -- in Bonds' case, often a home run; in Ordonez's case, almost always, at best, a weak ground ball.
Similarly, what's the difference between a slow curve from Mets' lefty Tom Glavine and a similar pitch from the Yankees' Gabe White? One winds up in the catcher's glove, and the other in outer space; but until those fateful moments, to the naked eye, they look pretty much the same.
In auto racing, everybody goes round and round and round and round, and the only thing that differentiates one guy who goes round and round from another who goes round and round is which one arrives at the finish line first. True, an occasional driver will show an occasional flash of other-worldly reflexes in avoiding a multi-car pileup, but I doubt whether that's why people tune in to watch. In fact, you can make a better case that they tune in to watch, hoping to see multi-car wrecks. In other words, if the vast majority of race-watchers appreciate anything that has to do with incredible physical feats, it is most likely the absence of them.
No, people watch sports for one reason: to see who won, to see who can exhibit the most grace under the most intense pressure, and then to celebrate the winners, often by cashing a bet. (Yes, football fans, I'm talking 'bout you. Be honest now -- would you rather see a week's worth of incredible physical feats, or collect on one meaningful wager from your local bookie?) And the reality is that big-time poker provides just about the most intense pressure the fertile mind of man can create -- not to mention an endless stream of meaningful wagers.
First of all, the money is huge. Greg Raymer, the winner of this year's World Series of Poker, took home $5 million; and to do so, he had to play thousands of hands that took 60-plus hours over six days -- without making a single major mistake.
(In that sense, I suppose, great poker players resemble great coaches more than great athletes -- they have to make constant choices, any one of which could cause the entire enterprise to collapse. Consider, for example, Larry Brown's options at the end of the second game of the NBA Finals: Guard the inbounds pass? Foul Shaq? Foul Looooo-ke Walton? Foul Kobe? Double-team Kobe? Play Kobe straight up? Poker players have to make decisions like that hundreds of times in a tournament -- and there's no third and fourth and fifth and sixth and seventh game if they are wrong.)
Second of all, in poker, if you don't win, not only do you not get paid -- unlike baseball and football and basketball players -- but they take money out of your pocket. (The entry fee for playing in the WSOP, for example, was $10,000, so you can sit there for four or five days and go home with only a huge hole in your bank account to show for it.)
Third of all, in major tournaments, there can be 2,500-plus players trying to be the last man standing -- or sitting -- and they all will do almost anything, including lie viciously and repeatedly (in poker, we call it 'bluffing'), to send you home a broken husk of a man (or woman).
In other words, win and be a champion toting a life-changing roll of bills big enough to choke Shrek, or lose and go home a chump with a giant hole blown through your life savings. As the Clint Eastwood character -- a lone gunfighter, the ur-American sports figure -- tells the Scofield Kid in 'Unforgiven': 'It's a helluva thing, killing a man. You take away everything he's got in life, and everything he'll ever have.'
Now what can be more pressure-filled, more sporting than all that? And does anybody believe the American public will ever tire of watching?
I say, 'No way.' What do you think?
Jay Lovinger, a former managing editor of Life and a founding editor of Page 2, is writing on his poker adventures for ESPN.com and also writing a book for HarperCollins. You can watch the 2004 World Series of Poker starting July 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Jackpot Jay: A poker villain
Lovinger: Leaving Las Vegas
Lovinger: A tough hand
In a country where poker is not generally regarded as a game of skill and players have to bind together to fight for their right to play the game they love, the energy and positivity at a poker event can be uniting. This is the case in India, and professional player and Run It Once coach Dylan Linde got to experience the refreshing energy firsthand when he played in the Poker Sports League last month.
The Indian government still rules poker as gambling, resulting in a stigma associated with the game and its players in the eyes of the broader society. The close-knit Indian poker community is striving to counter misconceptions about poker by pushing it as a 'mindsport,' one that can be played fairly with teams in a friendly and competitive environment.
'It's such a different attitude there,' Linde said. 'The league has such a great atmosphere to it. Everyone was so positive.'
Besides the positive environment, Linde was impressed with the overall attitudes toward the game that differs from much of what he's seen in the States.
'Everyone wanted to learn. People were asking about hands,' Linde said. 'It wasn't uncommon for opponents to ask me about hands they busted in. I've never seen such a positive approach to the game.'
About the Poker Sports League India
The League is set up for 12 regional teams comprised of 10 players each. There's a well-known pro or person that serves as a mentor for each team and poker pros draft a combination of pro Indian players, online qualifiers, and live qualifiers.
Each team also gets to pick two wild cards, which can be any outside talent that will come in to play and help promote poker in India. In this role were players like Linde, Martin Jacobson, and Sofia Lovgren.
'I've never seen such a positive approach to the game.'
Across four full days of play, with a total of $750,000 worth of prize money up for grabs, teams are allotted points that they can spend on putting players into five tournaments a day, which include the Main Event, Tag Team, Pot-Limit Omaha, Heads-Up, and Turbo formats. Tournament results in the preliminary events each day determine points or chips for that day's Main Event.
The Main Event format is like none you've ever seen, consisting of a three-player tag team with players switching out each level. Down to three-handed play, two teammates play together, while all three members of the sub-teams collaborate when it's down to heads-up, a format Linde called 'just wild.'
'People are just shouting. The crowd's just going crazy. You win a hand and people are just cheering like crazy. Our team has songs. It was the craziest British rail for every moment of the tournament.'
Every day, the team that accumulated the most points earned between $15,000 and $20,000, with the first-place overall team splitting close to $300,000 amongst the players, and owners who sponsor the team. Linde pointed out that for many of the participating players, the cash prizes signify very large sums.
Linde's Involvement in the League
When Linde got a Facebook message from Indian poker pro Nikita Luther asking whether he'd be interested in participating in the league, he was intrigued. Before he knew it, he was agreeing to hop on a flight to India to play for a team called the Goan Nuts, instead of Stephen Chidwick who decided last minute to head to Montenegro to chase GPI points.
Originally accepting the post in part because he hadn't yet been to India and saw it as a good opportunity to do so with most of his travel covered, Linde went in with little expectation.
Litecoin gambling NZ is popular among our clients and has definitely come to stay.Litecoin is a peer-to-peer Internet currency that allows instant, near-zero cost payments to anyone, anywhere in the world. Online litecoin payout casino. Litecoin is considered a super fast cryptocurrency - just fast enough to complete all your transactions in record time and let you enjoy your winnings. Withdrawals are fast as well - your payout good as ready once you withdraw on our site.Just like every other cryptocurrency you can play with on Syndicate Casino Online, Litecoin is extremely safe and secure. Instant Accessibility To Your Funds With LTC Casino PaymentLTC Casino Payment on Syndicate Casino Online is made even easier for players.In less than two minutes, you can complete deposit and start playing on Syndicate Casino. As a global payment network that is fully decentralized without any central authorities, it is a wonderful method to choose on Syndicate Casino.If you trade in Litecoin and want to play, Syndicate Casino Online is readilly available for you.
'People are just shouting. You win a hand and people are just cheering like crazy.'
'I figured I'll go out, I'll help promote poker, and I get to see India for free. But it turned out to be a unique and incredible experience. I made a lot of really good friends there - very, very good people.'
Linde never fancied himself a poker celeb, despite a very successful tournament poker career which has seen him accumulate more than $1.78 million in live earnings including winning the WSOP Circuit Hammond Main Event in 2016 for $348,269. During his first foray into India, though, he got a taste of stardom, stemming from the popularity of his training videos on Run It Once.
'I've never had so many fan moments - people asking me to take selfies with them,' Linde told PokerNews. 'It was really interesting. Everybody knew me. It was really flattering but it was a very strange thing for me.'
League Mission
The mission of the league is presented on their website as follows:
Party Poker India
'Poker Sports League aims to sportify the game of poker and test it on a team level. PSL gives a chance to Indian poker players to showcase their skills and get the ultimate shot at glory.'
In the vein of lobbying for a shift in society's view of the strategic game that so many Indians share a love for, around 10 newspaper reporters were present at the event to help represent the game. Another key spokesperson for the league is five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, who explains in the clip below, 'Poker, like chess, is a mindsport.'
Poker Sports League Season 2 is being broadcast on DSport in India from June 12-17 from 8-9 p.m., further broadening the reach of the League and its representation of poker to the outside world. The following trailer gives viewers a sense of what the league is all about, including the emphasis of the mental strategy needed to succeed in the mindsport.
When asked if Linde would be willing to return for the next edition of the Poker Sports League, he didn't hesitate.
'I will 100% go back next year. If they invite me back, I'll be going back. It was too much fun, way too much fun.'
Shift to WSOP
Upon his return from India, Linde spent some time grinding the SCOOP online in Mexico where he shipped his second title before heading back to Vegas to jump into the WSOP. His goal coming into this year's series was to pace himself and not overexert.
'I've definitely had a problem with playing too much and not giving myself enough time to rest and play my best. So I'm hoping to just continue with a nice, steady even pace.'
'I [plan to] take some time off, skip some events, not just look at something and run to it and register as soon as possible.'
Linde plans to keep that steady pace with the help of working in plenty of R&R with his lady and dog, letting us in on his plans:
'I plan to take some time off, skip some events, not just look at something and run to it and register as soon as possible.. Go to the dog park with the dog and my fiance, enjoy the morning, get some sleep.'
The no-limit hold'em specialist has been putting in more hours in mixed games of late, especially with his recent move to Las Vegas, and is working in a good variety of events to his flexible schedule. After the first two weeks of the WSOP, Linde already has three cashes under his belt, three of which came in non-hold'em variants.
Linde's 2018 WSOP Cashes to Date
| Date | Event | Place | Entries | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 9 | Event #22: $1,500 Eight Game Mix | 24th | 481 | $4,844 |
| June 7 | Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed | 11th | 111 | $19,784 |
| June 5 | Event #13: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em | 25th | 1,306 | $9,350 |
| June 3 | Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better Championship | 15th | 169 | $20,948 |
Real Poker India
His new laid-back approach to the WSOP seems to be working out thus far, in terms of both deep runs and general life satisfaction - if his Twitter feed is any indication.
After busting 11th in the 10k dealers choice I snap registered the 8game. Was a little sad after busting in 24th la… https://t.co/obaGnmU29m
— Dylan Linde (@DylanLinde)Online Poker India
Reporting from Mo Nuwwarah contributed to this article.
Everybody needs an account at one of these online poker rooms! They're the biggest, the best, and we get you the best poker bonuses. Check out our online poker section for details on all the online poker rooms around.
(Go ahead, I'll wait here for you.)What definitions did you come up with? https://osreredoo1979.mystrikingly.com/blog/difference-between-gambling-and-risk-taking.
Poker Is Not A Sport
Tags
Dylan LindeIndia PokerRelated Players
Dylan Linde
