Should we teach poker to our kids?

nabmom · Aug 1, 2014

I was reading the Introductions and we have a new member, Vapor, who mentioned that he works in education (as a sysadmin). The thread reminded me of an article I read long ago about the benefits of teaching poker to kids. My daughter was in a special needs school and they played cards with the kids to help them improve their social skills (making eye contact, taking turns, etc.).

I couldn't find that article (although it is probably somewhere on my Facebook page) but I did find this one, the title matching this thread title:
http://www.pokerology.com/articles/should-we-teach-poker-to-our-kids/

For the record, I think poker is a great game to teach to kids. The above article pretty much lists the reasons and I agree.

skiptomyloot · Aug 1, 2014

i think a poker player wouldn't mind teaching a kid poker . But for someone who doesn't play poker, they might see it in a different perspective. I personally think that poker should be available as a course in college. There is so much more beyond the gamble. I believe students can benefit alot on just studying the mental side of it alone.

BearPlay · Aug 1, 2014

Great read, Debbie! I was always grateful to my 5th grade math teacher for teaching us bridge, for many of the same reasons. We'd spend the first half hour doing our math exercises, and then we'd go to the back of the room when finished to play bridge, learn how to bid, score points, etc.

In a lot of ways, I thank Mrs. Adams for those beginning blocks, which were the foundation for my learning poker in later years as well.

Paws uP!

punctual · Aug 1, 2014

I think poker and chess should both be taught maybe even as a subject in grade school (call it games class?).

I think it would behoove anyone throughout his or her life to plan like a chessplayer and to always be ready to switch gears like a poker player.

newbie in training · Aug 1, 2014

id think yes because it helps us in life or atleast me lol but i dont think every parent is gonna eant their kids learning how to play such a great game as poker

Cooking · Aug 1, 2014

I would teach poker to my kids, but I wouldn't let they bet real money until they had enough age for it.

WEC · Aug 1, 2014

Sure, I would teach your kids to play poker, as well as chess, Monopoly, Uno, Spades, Pictionary and many other games.

My childhood was full of family game-playing of all types and I think it makes for a fulfilling, happy environment and leads to positive experiences and mental growth.

sergios · Aug 2, 2014

poker as a game is very complete. avilidad mind control strategy. power to define situations instantly! but I would like my children to learn these avilidades in their respective subjects in school. respeptiva would teach them to their children if the likes that game.

S3mper · Aug 2, 2014

punctual said:
I think poker and chess should both be taught maybe even as a subject in grade school (call it games class?).

I think it would behoove anyone throughout his or her life to plan like a chessplayer and to always be ready to switch gears like a poker player.

We played chess in 6th grade and even had a ladder, it was social studies class and we were learning about the Egyptians.

I of course won out of both classes and stayed at the top of the ladder the entire time.. It twas easy

Blu2323 · Aug 2, 2014

Most people that do not play poker would look at teaching kids the game would be something of a taboo... almost like you would be giving them the rope to become a compulsive gambler or something like that. But I think if done right it could be a great learning tool for many reasons and I really don't see a issue with doing so.

punctual · Aug 2, 2014

S3mper said:
We played chess in 6th grade and even had a ladder, it was social studies class and we were learning about the Egyptians.

I of course won out of both classes and stayed at the top of the ladder the entire time.. It twas easy

awesome. The only game I remember ever playing in 6th grade was Heads up 7-up....lol...I really wish I had been introduced to chess and poker at an earlier age.

S3mper · Aug 2, 2014

punctual said:
awesome. The only game I remember ever playing in 6th grade was Heads up 7-up....lol...I really wish I had been introduced to chess and poker at an earlier age.

We actually were taught it in 3rd grade when we would have indoor recess we would play, I learned by watching the other kids play it and quickly became the best, I just liked the game.. Our art teacher held a chess tournament as well when we were in 3rd grade.

Who wants to play chess?

lol

shawkid · Aug 2, 2014

My father taught me to play poker as a kid. My son is 7 years old and he likes to sit and watch me sometimes when I play online. I see absolutely nothing wrong with teaching a kid how to play poker.

punctual · Aug 2, 2014

Blu2323 said:
Most people that do not play poker would look at teaching kids the game would be something of a taboo... almost like you would be giving them the rope to become a compulsive gambler or something like that. But I think if done right it could be a great learning tool for many reasons and I really don't see a issue with doing so.

Well if it was taught as a class they could have their kids opt out (like many parents do for sex ed).

I would have no problem whatsoever with home-ec class (you know that class where they teach you how to cook and etc..) being replaced with a chess/poker games class.

PapaC · Aug 2, 2014

Funny I should find your post. Just last night my grandson was watching me play poker and I was telling him what I was doing. Why I folded hands, why I called, why I raised etc. And he seemed real interested in the game. Think I am going to spend some time teaching him the game. Hope I don't teach him to play as much as I do though. Poker is a great game,and fun, but there is a lot more to life than poker. I play a lot because I have nothing else to do most of the time

BadB420 · Aug 2, 2014

I think teaching kids poker is a great idea for the learning process! If hold em was a game of pure luck than maybe you could disagree here but we all know its a game won mainly by skill!

The amount of math in poker can be very useful if teaching it to kids! With percentages and fractions and being able to convert them I think its a very use full way of learning math!

I struggled with fractions and percentages in school, I generally knew how to do them but wasn't very good at it.. only until I took up poker did I really get the hang of it and now that stuff is easy!

Best of luck to all on and off the felts!

trekmaster · Aug 2, 2014

I was taught poker at 11 years old and have taught my 4 children to play as well.I think it is a great social game and allows them to have a common ground for meeting and interacting with people all around the world.

sryImPro · Aug 2, 2014

Seriously guys, it could be very very controversial...Some of you mentioned something like imroving social skills, something like brain trening and i would dissagree right away. Why? Simply because of poker's "side affects". Whether some of you wants to admit it or not, poker is a strongly addictive game, not significly less than any other gambling game and it could easily go wrong, from fun and amusement to a person with a gambling problems. I just want to say that some people are prone to addiction much more that other people, whether because of their genetic dispositions, whether because of their psychological structure...So if your kid is prone to this kind of addictions, you are doing it all wrong sir. I don't want to sound cruelly and to be missunderstood but we are talking about kids here, to me, "Should we teach poker to our kids?" sounds pretty much like "Should we teach our kids to drink alcohol?" If you care about your children healthy deveopment or so why you just don't teach them playing chess?
Thank you for bringing up this question

S3mper · Aug 2, 2014

Drinking alcohol is way different then teaching kids poker.. The two aren't even comparable - You can become addicted to anything watching TV, Playing video games, or what ever...

In fact studies show that watching TV over stimulates the brain which is bad for peoples whose brains haven't fully developed (children)

Yes some people just have addictive personalities where they can't do anything in moderation but that small % isn't enough to say OMG don't teach your children poker..

Besides teaching your kid poker and teaching them gambling are two different things...

Actually when I was a kid we would play Yu-Gi-Oh ( A card game based on a Japanese TV Show) and we would "play for keeps" which meant whoever won got to keep another players yu-gi-oh card...

rhombus · Aug 2, 2014

as long as money doesnt get involved then I'd say its fine to teach kids poker and other card games.

There seems to be a lot of parallels with poker and real life and lots more to learn from the game like maths, behaviour, psychology etc

sryImPro · Aug 2, 2014

S3mper said:
Drinking alcohol is way different then teaching kids poker.. The two aren't even comparable - You can become addicted to anything watching TV, Playing video games, or what ever...

In fact studies show that watching TV over stimulates the brain which is bad for peoples whose brains haven't fully developed (children)

Yes some people just have addictive personalities where they can't do anything in moderation but that small % isn't enough to say OMG don't teach your children poker..

Besides teaching your kid poker and teaching them gambling are two different things...

Actually when I was a kid we would play Yu-Gi-Oh ( A card game based on a Japanese TV Show) and we would "play for keeps" which meant whoever won got to keep another players yu-gi-oh card...

I thought you were gonna say, if you are a gambler you are gonna play chess and still gamble

...Well, the impacts of media on kids are very strong and i'm familiar with that, but, there's always BUT right

But, studies also show that children's behaviour depends a lot of whether adults, especially parents support specific bahaviour or not. I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong in playing poker, as long as it's not an addiction. Children are labile and i wouldn't give them a model of behaviour in future as the strongest authority, since i don't know anything about their addictions in specific moment. So, i, pesonally, would skip that step as a parent, i wouldn't gamble with that

cotta777 · Aug 2, 2014

definitely a no!
They will think it's normal to play the game and the amount of lives this will ruin is off the scale.
Should we teach them all to be pro athletes as well?

What are we all missing here? how much productive time are we all here wasting to poker
Are we winning?
Really are we winning most here can't say they are making a living and if you play for fun part time I respect that. but most have a dream of being pro

I think we should teach kids business and sales, like how to promote yourself and
how important it is to sell yourself when going for a job I like the personal development part of poker because you can apply that to any form of business or life.
since after all poker is a business like any other - it's just alot harder and time consuming.

if you put in the hours needed to be great at poker, into a business or life project. your gauranteed a positive outcome. Poker doesn't offer that.
Your much more likely to waste hours and hours of your life breaking even.

To many kids get obsessed watch it on tv and get this idea into their heads that they will be pro.
unlike other ocupations there is no one there to tell you your not good enough = you realise that basically when your life has passed you by

wanderingthehall · Aug 3, 2014

To me, poker can be just another game. If you have a kid that wants to learn, so ahead and teach them!! If you're just trying to force it on them because it's what you love, leave the kid alone. Maybe that early learning experience will let them be the next Phil Ivey, but that decision is ultimately up to the kid and the adult they will eventually become.

S3mper · Aug 3, 2014

cotta777 said:
definitely a no!
They will think it's normal to play the game and the amount of lives this will ruin is off the scale.
Should we teach them all to be pro athletes as well?

What are we all missing here? how much productive time are we all here wasting to poker
Are we winning?
Really are we winning most here can't say they are making a living and if you play for fun part time I respect that. but most have a dream of being pro

I think we should teach kids business and sales, like how to promote yourself and
how important it is to sell yourself when going for a job I like the personal development part of poker because you can apply that to any form of business or life.
since after all poker is a business like any other - it's just alot harder and time consuming.

if you put in the hours needed to be great at poker, into a business or life project. your gauranteed a positive outcome. Poker doesn't offer that.
Your much more likely to waste hours and hours of your life breaking even.

To many kids get obsessed watch it on tv and get this idea into their heads that they will be pro.
unlike other ocupations there is no one there to tell you your not good enough = you realise that basically when your life has passed you by

Teaching kids how to play poker is not the same as them wanting to be pro..

Should we not teach our kdis how to play basketball cause one day they may want to be in the NBA? or the NCAA

EvertonGirl · Aug 3, 2014

Yea I am all for it, I wish someone had taught me poker from an early age, my luck was immense when I was a kid, I was always winning on the fruit machines

We played a lot of card games for money with my aunties, only coppers like but it was fun. I would of raked it in playing poker as a kid. Sigh, now I am missing my aunties.

Should we teach poker to our kids?

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