Teaching your child to play poker

debriz

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What is the right age to teach your child to play poker?
 
Iryna Stryzheuskaya

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What for? If he wants, he will learn himself.
 
vinnie

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There is no age that is too young, assuming they have knowledge of numbers, counting, can play turn based games, and can understand which hands beat what.

Well, I guess there are ages which are too young, but I have taught kids as young as 4. With almost all kids, no matter their age, I start with 5-card stud. Usually fixed limit, although we sometimes move to PL or NL when they understand those formats and want to go back and play 5-card stud again.

5-card stud is a perfect teaching game. It is great for teaching the rules of basic play: people act in turn, moving to the left, choices are check or bet when no one else has put money in, or fold, call, or raise when someone has, you use the information you do know to make guesses about what you don't know (which is only one card per player), you can make a bet to make people think you are stronger than you are (bluffing), and how to compare 5 card hands when there is a showdown. There are limited decisions (compared to other forms) and hand-reading is trivial because you only have 5 cards and can't exchange any.

Then I teach them draw and eventually 7 card stud games. Shared card games (hold'em and omaha) as the last formats I teach kids. But, I almost always start with 5 card stud, to get the basics down first.
 
Teodora Agardi

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I started to play when I was 7.My daughter started to play when she was 8 years old.She asked me to teach her every time when I was playing with my friends, and she is quiet good.It's fun to play with kids
 
eberetta1

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I have three yr old grandkids that when I am too tired to hold my computer, they tell me the cards I have and i say whether for them to hit fold or raise for me while they hold my comp. It gives them a chance to learn colors numbers and shapes. I also give them a share of any funds I win. This works esp well with a 4th grade grandson as he loves the benjamins.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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I started playing with my kids at 4. Was a fun way for them to learn numbers as well as spend some time with them.
 
BlackJesus

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Preferably none.
First of all, the parent must be an example a child must want to aspire to. If you are not playing like a monster and make a living out of poker, better do not teach him poker as some kind of example or road that the child shall take.

The child should not be as parents, do the same things that parents do. The child shall choose his own way. If it just so happens that he gets attracted to poker on his own, so be it.
 
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MstrBlast3r

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Preferably none.
First of all, the parent must be an example a child must want to aspire to. If you are not playing like a monster and make a living out of poker, better do not teach him poker as some kind of example or road that the child shall take.

The child should not be as parents, do the same things that parents do. The child shall choose his own way. If it just so happens that he gets attracted to poker on his own, so be it.

If you follow this line of thinking your children will never learn anything. You need to introduce things to children and allow them to decide what they like or do not like.

Just my thoughts on the matter I guess.
 
CullinanPoker

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As soon as he has cash to burn lol
 
BionicApe

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Actually, I'm convinced betting acts a lot like a language, so if I had kids I would want to encourage them to play early, preferably while learning a second tongue. But being neither a parent, educator or psychologist I have approximately zero credibility.

Innate ability certainly plays a huge role and if my child had other talents I would encourage them to do just about anything with their time than sit at a computer playing poker. At the same time, I would probably also be a fairly permissive parent, inclined to let my child pursue their own interests and not inclined to restrict their intellectual growth. If my child were to ask I would teach them everything I know about the game.

Despite the amazing access to information that computers could have provided me as a kid, I'm deeply grateful that I grew up in a world where PCs were scarce. I got to play outside, a lot. Best time of my life in many ways, one has to exercise a fair amount of myopia, but any way you look at it, the playing in the dirt bit was awesome.

Blue skies that could barely contain the sun, fluttering leaves, the smell of green, green grass and the distant sound of a single engine plane paint my childhood memories.
 
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kidkvno1

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No!! The child, should be of age to play poker, with real money. Why teach him poker, when his class mates won't be learning it to, he has none to play with.
 
BionicApe

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Oh, and you can be damn sure I would mute every single salty ork at the table. I can't think of many things more tilting than some jerk calling my kid a donk. Ya, supervision, and stuff.
 
skoldpadda

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I'm not sure what the right age is, but I started teaching my nearly 14-year-old 5 card draw and Archie over the winter break from her school.
 
Martin Carreira

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I do not think there is a specific age. Once the child is interested in the game I think it's a good time to teach and show him that he should not spend all his dad's money hahaha
 
terryk

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I started to teach my 2 sons around 9-10 years old,,first starting without money,then introducing candy,then pennies.You must teach you children to fish,,,to do things properly,,,in every aspect of life.Their both in their 20`s now and we play with quarters,,,some of my favorite moments have been at the table with my sons,,,we share laughs,food,drinks,,,our lives. :dancing2:
 
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FreeDom1998

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My opinion on this issue:
1.) If the child himself wants to learn how to play poker, then I think he can be taught at any age of 7+ years.
2.) If the child has not expressed a desire, and this was your idea, to teach the child to play poker, then I think that this is not a very good idea, the child should not follow in the footsteps of the parents - the child should have his own interests, so be better ... if not for you, then for him exactly.
3.) It all depends on what purpose you want to teach your child to play poker :)
 
tihomir_kula

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Very very bad mistake.I dont want to feel responsible whole my life.
 
rfbh54

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I think it's better not to teach children to play poker, then they will play it for money and become addicted to gambling.
 
Oliver Wayne

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Your question sounds like: "When to teach children to smoke?"Children should not be gambling!
 
Edison A

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I would not teach you to play poker for my children
 
nera75

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from an early age the child is better to learn to play chess and only then if he likes poker, it will be much easier for him to understand the structure of the game, and the thinking will be right, logic, mathematics, everything for the future good player
 
shinedown.45

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Why do most think that teaching a child to play poker is wrong.Is it wrong to teach a child to play monopoly? Don't you think it's wrong to teach your child how to gamble on real estate investments?
What about the board game Risk, god forbid if we should teach our children about global domination.
I could go on and find a stupid reason for many kids games as lame as the argument over teaching children poker, take your head out of your ass, it's a card game.
 
Chito

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Would love to teach my niece the game but she has no interest. Very interesting to see the variance in the replies on here. Never thought of teaching someone poker to equivalent of teaching them to smoke....
 
shinedown.45

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Would love to teach my niece the game but she has no interest. Very interesting to see the variance in the replies on here. Never thought of teaching someone poker to equivalent of teaching them to smoke....
I know, ridiculous.
 
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If my child ever sees me playing poker online and wants me to teach them, then whatever age they're at is when I'll do so.My father taught me poker when I was only 6. Probably no younger than 4 would I allow my child to play though.
 
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