my brother actually has a very interesting blog that he has written about this.. would be interested in hearing what others think. Also, below is an article in time magazine about the topic.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...538649,00.html
From the Blog:
ive maintained that poker is good for kids for quite a while now, and every time i say it, people give me that "i am SO glad you dont have kids" look... but now it appears both time magazine and many parents across the country actually agree with me...
and wow what a weird feeling that is.
anyhow, im going to lay out again why i think poker is good for kids, for those who havent heard it already.
Poker sharpens mathematical skills.
there are people who say poker is nothing but math. then there are people who say poker is all reads and situational play, and math doesnt matter at all. theyre both wrong. Math is a part of any winning player's game, even if they arent doing chisombop on the rail, and poker helps develop the ability to perform calculations quickly and while under stress.
Poker sharpens empathy, intuition, and emotional skills.
the other side of the poker coin, opposite math, is emotion... the "people" part of the game. like the zen archer who strives to "be" the target at which he aims, so too must the poker player strive to see a hand from the perspective of his opponents. how does this play look to my opponents? how does it make them feel? are they angry? do they respect me? are they desperate? are they just there for a good time? how would THEY answer these questions about ME? answering these questions requires the ability to connect with other people, to empathize with them. ok, sure, its an especially predatory form of empathy, and probably wouldnt rank really high on a therapists scale of emotional adjustment, but hey... its better than being a completely disconnected individual looking for an opportunity to pump a bunch of hot lead into their school or workplace.
Poker sharpens observation, memory, and situational awareness.
in poker, you must do more than look, you have to see. the players and their tendancies, the cards, the chips, the pot, the type of game, the structure, the stacks, and more... you have to take it all in, capturing even the most minute details. the successful player sees everything, constantly looking for opportunity. more than that, the player must RETAIN what theyve observed. short term memory is critical, especially in "open" games like stud, where being able to remember whether the ace of spades is already out and folded or not can make all the difference. then there is the long term memory, remembering the details of an opponent's play indefinitely so you are forewarned (and armed) should you ever find yourself sitting across the table from them in the future.
Poker sharpens logic and reasoning skills.
while most poker hands are fairly straightforward and boring (contrary to what the heavily-edited televised poker coverage would lead you to believe), the important hands in a session are often like complex puzzles. a successful player has to take everything mentioned above, the math, the players, and the observations, shuffle everything around, run it backwards and forwards, and put all the pieces together in a way that makes sense... then determine what the most correct action to take might be. this is the culmination of poker skill... its where the rubber meets the road, and where a player's deficiencies come to light.
But wait, theres more! poker is certainly a game of skill, and as such, it naturally leads to improving the relevant skills (assuming your kid doesnt want to suck at it forever, anyway). but it is also a game of character.
Poker develops courage.
it has been said that no-limit varieties of poker are long stretches of boredom interspersed with brief moments of utter terror. its true. these moments of terror will test your resolve, and your faith in the above-mentioned skills. eventually, this will lead to a sense of confidence in your abilities and the courage to see things through. this is so important, i put it at the top of the character list. why? because one of the biggest problems with modern western society is that its filled with a bunch of panty-waisted sissies who never seemed to get over the trauma of having their mother's teat popped out of their mouths. im serious. just look around you. pathetic pussies everywhere, whining and crying and carrying on about one damn thing or another, always the victims. theyve never been taught to stand up for themselves. theyre passive-aggressive mommas-boys (and girls) with too much heart and too little spine. poker will develop that vestigal spine in your simpering wuss of a child. that, or they will constantly lose their allowance to their less cowardly friends. then cry like the babies they are.
Poker encourages aggression.
successful poker play is aggressive poker play, period. passive play won't get you anywhere but broke. you've got to be more than assertive, you have to be ruthless. the successful player sniffs out weakness, then just leans on their opponent, never giving them a moment to recover, visiting utter defeat upon them. news flash, folks: there are times in life that REQUIRE the application of force, and the ability to do so when called for and without hesitation is a critical life skill. snap out of it, recognize the basic truth of this, and stop raising such a bunch of little pansies.
Poker requires discretion, discipline, self-control and patience.
some of you may have read the last point and thought "whatwhatwhat??? thats just what we need, aggressive children!" (and as a side note, if that sounds like you, youre probably a (current or future) parent of one of those pussies i mentioned when talking about "courage.") well, fear not. poker also develops discretion. indiscriminate, naked aggression often leads to broke even faster than passive play. the focused, disciplined application of force is the cornerstone of successful play. poker involves an endless succession of risk/reward evaluations, and the successful player learns when and where to apply that force, in the situations most conducive to victory. even more importantly, the successful player develops the discipline and patience to wait for these right moments to occur. it does no good to know you're in a bad situation if you go ahead and get involved anyway, because you're too bored or too angry or too sleepy or just too impatient to wait for a good situation.
Poker enhances adaptability.
a successful player is a flexible player. the dynamics of poker change from session to session, hand to hand, and even card to card within a hand. you must be tuned into these variations, the ebb and flow of the game, and be able to change tactics at a moment's notice if a new piece of information or a shift in the dynamics of the game makes it necessary. this kind of adaptability carries over into day to day life.
Poker develops money management skills.
theres more to the game than the game itself. if you go broke, no more poker for you. your child will quickly learn how to manage their "bankroll" if they want to keep playing. and doing the things kids like to do, like go to movies. or whatever the fuck it is kids do these days.
Poker develops deception.
This is a good thing?? YES. isnt your primary job as a parent to prepare your kid to survive out in the world? face it, being an open book all the time only puts you at a disadvantage in life. just as there are times where the application of force is appropriate and required, so too are there times to deceive. when these moments in crop up, youd best be able to do it effectively, or youll be even worse off! poker will help develop the ability to dissemble convincingly in your child.
Poker develops honesty.
wtf? didnt i just say it develops deception? well, as odd as it may sound, honesty is actually the single most important thing on earth to a poker player if they ever want to become a better player. not honesty with your opponents, but honesty with YOURSELF. you MUST be able to see your flaws, and address them unflinchingly even as you seek to conceal them from your opponents. self-denial is the ruin of a poker player. if your child wants to improve as a player, they must be willing to improve as a person.