Poker, one of the most popular card games in the world, has been recognized by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) as a mind sport. Here’s what that means and why it’s important.
Over the years, the World Poker Federation has worked tirelessly with players, professionals, federations, and global leaders to strengthen poker’s position as a mind sport alongside other mind sports like chess and esports. Poker’s recent recognition as a mind sport validates expert opinion that it is a game of strategy, skill, and intellect.
This official recognition may lead to more career opportunities and international validation for poker players. Meanwhile, the poker industry can continue to grow and innovate, using new technologies to improve offerings and expand opportunities for partnerships and sponsorships. Still, despite the IMSA’s official recognition, many still believe that poker shouldn’t be classified as a sport.
In this post, we’ll examine poker’s current popularity and the different skills needed to excel at the game, making it a mind sport.
The Popularity of Poker
The poker industry has grown rapidly in the past decade or so. The increase in technological developments has also helped improve the game for players worldwide. For example, increasing online systems and mobile offerings have helped the proliferation of online poker. According to Business Research Insights, the global online poker platform industry was valued at approximately $107.74 billion in 2024, with researchers projecting further growth to reach $238.84 billion by 2033.
Photo courtesy Entrepreneur
This market growth is associated with the increasing use of technologies like AI and machine learning, as well as virtual and augmented reality. Another factor related to the rise of online poker was the boom in the early 2000s. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker made history by becoming the first person to win the WSOP Main Event after qualifying via an online poker site. Since then, this moment has been called the “Moneymaker effect.”
In 2021, Moneymaker signed with ACR Poker, also known as Americas Cardroom, joining the online poker site’s team of ACR Pros. ACR Poker provides a casual and competitive arena for online poker enthusiasts, helping solidify poker as a mind sport requiring skill and practice. Through the years, Moneymaker has worked alongside the site to provide casual and high-stakes online poker tournaments for players worldwide. This includes the site’s Venom tournaments, which include the $10 Million GTD No Limit Hold’em event.
Moneymaker has been vocal about the hard work it took to improve his skillset over the last two decades: talking to professional players, training with coaches, and studying the game as he transitioned from online poker to live games. Considering his journey of growth and improvement, we can see how poker is a mind sport that requires time and effort to cultivate.
Poker and Skill
While poker may seem easy to pick up, it can be challenging to be good at immediately. This separates higher-level poker professionals from people who enjoy poker on game nights. Over the years, researchers and industry experts continue to debate: Is poker a game of skill?
Based on an International Review of Law and Economics study, researchers liken the trajectory of the poker industry to esports. Previous studies have found that high-level poker players’ yearly rankings persist over the years, creating similar patterns in golf players, a game many deem skill-based.
Photo courtesy Poker.org
Researchers also argue that, in many other industries and sports, skilled decision-making is typically made under uncertain conditions, making it virtually impossible for players to “control” the majority of outcomes. The question is whether or not differences in poker skills can be detected across players. Findings suggest that it takes the average novice player at least seven months of full-time training to acquire the basic skills demonstrated by the most experienced players. This supports the idea that skill dominance is present in poker and other similar activities, like sports betting or stock trading.
As mentioned, another potential supporting factor for poker as a skill-based mind sport is that most skilled players stay at the top, separating them from lower-tiered beginners or casual players. In a previous post, we highlighted the Godfather of Poker, Doyle Brunson, who is one of the few players able to win back-to-back WSOP Main Events. To date, only Brunson, Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, and Johnny Chan have the honor of consecutive WSOP wins — an argument strongly supporting the idea that the best poker players tend to stay consistently at the top and ahead of the rest.
Cognitive Benefits of Poker
Finally, recognizing that poker is a mind sport means acknowledging the cognitive benefits of playing the card game. Mind sports like backgammon, crosswords, Scrabble, and chess are associated with improving players’ problem-solving, strategic thinking, memory, and pattern recognition. Poker is no exception to this, whether or not you’re playing for money.
Poker as a mind sport (from Medium)
A study posted by the National Library of Medicine found that previous research has shown a positive association between the self-reported quality of social competencies and poker performance. These include conflict resolution, problem-solving, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Some studies have highlighted that higher social cognition abilities may be a marker of good poker skills.
Meanwhile, studies have also shown that poker can be an effective tool to enhance focus and concentration, allowing players to make decisions more quickly in uncertain situations and environments.
By acknowledging these cognitive benefits of playing poker, players, companies, and industry experts hope to strengthen poker’s position as a mind sport similar to chess and esports. In an increasingly digital age where sports don’t have to be physically demanding, poker as a mind sport can help further legitimize the game worldwide and keep bad actors away.
