How Playing Poker can be Beneficial for Children

I’m already bracing for a slew of, “Teaching kids to gamble will corrupt our youth!” comments; but before you hit send just hear me out.

First of all, I’m not talking about handing 6-year-olds a deck of cards and a stack of money and letting them go at it; when I say children I mean teenagers -after all, there is a lot of math in poker, and I doubt many 7-year-olds are capable of the calculations!

Secondly, there are always some who will become gambling addicts, just like some kids who learn karate can become bullies, but for the most part, the majority will utilize what they are taught for the intended purpose: Self-defense in Karate: Entertainment and competition in poker.

Teaching someone the proper way to play poker is not contributing to gambling; in fact it’s quite the opposite! Learning to play poker -the right way-requires discipline, hard-work, honesty, self-reliance, self-evaluation, mental toughness, and that there are consequences for your actions. Basically, poker will teach you how to handle anything that life throws at you.

Discipline

Hard-Work

Honesty

Self-Reliance

Self-Evaluation

Mental Toughness

Consequences