The type of game in question is a little different, being known as Match Poker; the modality seeks to be tested in Paris 2024, to reach the 2028 Olympics.
Every poker player imagines what it would be like if this sport of the mind were worth a medal during an official Olympic competition. But few people know that there are already many people doing this through the IFMP (International Match Poker Federation).
At the moment, the IFMP is striving to include the card game in the test event in Paris in 2024 and, of course, they are definitely aiming to reach the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
In order for a sport to be accepted into the Olympics, some minimum requirements must be met; such as the existence of a joint organization and the participation of a large number of people, such as Match Poker.
Match Poker is a strand of Poker that has all the requirements to enter as an official sport in an Olympic competition. Following the structure of Texas Hold’em, the game, even being in person, does not have a physical deck, but electronic devices.
The national teams and teams from each country usually have four players divided into four tables, where each one is in a different position.
Personal and community card distributions are always the same. At the end of each hand players receive points, rather than chips, which are added together to form an overall ranking.
Brazil is one of the 50 Poker Federations in the world that is already affiliated with the IFMP. The country even participated in a world championship in London, in 2012, when a team formed by Alexandre Gomes, André Akkari, Felipe Mojave, Christian Kruel, Thiago Decano, Daniela Zapiello and Caio Pimenta won second place in the competition, losing to Germany by two points.
