Another "Kids are Gambling, Oh No!" Article

[TomCollins]

yahoo news (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041129/ap_on_re_us/poker_playing_teens_5)

[ QUOTE ]
"It's fun. It's exciting. It's glamorized on TV and in the media in a way that other addictions are not," says Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. "There's the impression that through skill you can beat the odds. But randomness is always going to have a bigger factor in determining the outcome than your skill. And unfortunately, that's not the message these kids get."

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently, I am the luckiest person in the world since I've managed to win at poker.

I need to find these kids in West Lake. They should have plenty of money to step up the stakes for my home game.

[toots]

The obvious point that the person misses is that beating the odds is no more a factor at winning at poker is than being able to outrun wolves is to survive.

I mean, you don't have to be able to outrun the wolves. You just have to outrun the next guy.

[ElSapo]

There's something about seeing it written Texas Hold'em or Texas Hold'Em Poker, or some other capitalized variant, that just rubs me wrong.

[Jay36489]

this is on CNN.com too.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/11/29/poker.playing.teens.ap/index.html

That quote is hilarious. Hopefully these kids dont get that message, and continue to play becuase it is a skill game or for the resaons Eli does...

[ QUOTE ]
"You're paying for entertainment," says Eli Goldfarb, a freshman at Columbia University in New York. "The long and the short of it is, I have fun playing poker, and when I play well, I can buy more burritos.

"What's not to like?"

[/ QUOTE ]

mmm burritos...

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
There's something about seeing it written Texas Hold'em or Texas Hold'Em Poker, or some other capitalized variant, that just rubs me wrong.

[/ QUOTE ] Huh? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[AceHigh]

There was a similiar article in the New York Times a month ago.

At least in that article some of the parents started to like poker when the noticed a correlation between SAT scores and which kids where making the final tables of there tournaments.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I read the entire article and it's actually pretty fair and balanced. You've taken one quote by a person who, by definition, will take an over-the-top "gambling is evil" stance out of context.

A couple of quotes from parents who have no problem with their kids playing poker, even one who's a school administrator.