Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

Does anyone else get the feeling that this thread is saying. Hi I play poker for a living but DONT LET YOUR KID TOUCH IT ITS EVIL. Seriously if you can't accept the fact that a kid enjoys the game AND is good at it find a new line of work or a new hobby. It's sounda lot like we sell drugs to babies. Society doesnt accept what we do. And if you can't share your hobbies or explain your job to your kid you shouldn't accept it either. This thread is far more than a childs wellfare thread. I wouldnt wish playing poker for a living on anyone. It's not easy and it isnt accepted unless your a millionare on TV. But if you play for more the recreation start with the basics and go from there.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

That's absurd. Children aren't adults. Some of us may drink, smoke, have sex, etc. Would it be hypocritical for us to tell the OP that his 9 year old shouldn't be doing any of those things?

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously if you can't accept the fact that a kid enjoys the game AND is good at it find a new line of work or a new hobby. ... Society doesnt accept what we do. And if you can't share your hobbies or explain your job to your kid you shouldn't accept it either.

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If I was a bartender, I still wouldn't want my underage child serving liquor in a bar. Even if he could mix a good drink at home. Yet, I wouldn't mind telling my kid about work or explaining to him what I do. (I might not tell him everything that goes on in a bar, but that's no different from any other walk of life.)

If I were an attorney, I would not want my 14 year-old kid going to law school. I would, however, encourage activities that might lay a good foundation for a career in law: debate, logic, public speaking, research, writing, student government, etc. Again, I would be happy to explain to my child what I do for a living and might share some work experiences. But, I wouldn't share everything even if confidentiality wasn't a factor.

Seriously: if OP can't interest his son in other games which involve math and probability, but don't involve the exchange of cash, there is a problem. (This is not to say I would not let my son play any poker, but I'd probably do it with the family and friends at the kitchen table with pennies (or chips) or in a freeroll section online.)

Update
 

Junior played two SNG's this morning. He came in third place in a three table $6, and first place in a $5 two table headsup event. He's now outside riding his bicycle and playing baseball. I sat next to him and didn't help him at all. I just gave him some advice about how he busted out. I think he can probably help my game.

Bruce

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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My 7 year-old likes wine.

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This is like the worst idea ever. Everyone I know who has started drinking young is drinking way too much right now. I'd elaborate but you probably don't want to hear it, so whatever floats your boat.

Re: Update
 

Seriously, think forward about 3 years. He's 12, beating the $11s for about $1500 a month... How much time would spend working on homework if you could've made $20/hr playing poker when you were 12?

Re: Update
 

I too have a 9 year old son who loves to play poker. But I will only allow him to play with play money on sites like Yahoo games or the Hoyle software I bought for him. My son is too aggressive and always wants to try and push the other player off his hand.

I don't think my son is anywhere near ready for a real money game. Besides he is kept pretty busy with soccer, baseball, basketball, piano, guitar, cub scouts and school work.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

"Everyone I know who has started drinking young is drinking way too much right now"

Rubbish.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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Everyone I know who has started drinking young is drinking way too much right now.

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Two things:

1) Your sample size is too small to draw any conclusions; and

2) I wasn't serious, and figured everyone would understand that.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

Dont put 1/2 toward college. He will probably drop out of HS to play full time poker!

Re: Update
 

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Seriously, think forward about 3 years. He's 12, beating the $54s for about $5000 a month... How much time would spend working on homework if you could've made $50/hr playing poker when you were 12?

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Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

Your wife displays the fear of most laypeople. Perhaps there is a shading there of how she feels about your own poker playing.

Personally I see no fault in your son playing but I would see it as a challenge to you to prove to both your wife and perhaps yourself too that there can be a greater good in and through poker(or in fact any other activity you chose. If your son was a chess or piano playing prodigy you would be in the same position{actually probably worse in real terms}but at least you'd have the approval of the masses).

This is an excellent opportunity for you to teach your son about a lot of the basic tenets of life. "Winning" "losing" "maintaining ones equipoise(especially with respect to money)" and the fact that there is more to life than money. This is a great challenge for you and your son and I wish you both the best.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
He put $100 of his own money in the account and
although I don't have the exact stats his account now has around $1100 in it.
[..]
He has a very
good intuitive feel for the game. He understands the value
of starting hands.
[...]
What
does everyone think?


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Sounds like time to move up! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Seriously though make sure he doesn't miss out with the rest and becomes a greedy geek (at best) or a addicted gambler. as far as poker has proved for many people to be a career or a lucrative hobby, remember that the mast majority loses and a lot of people ruin their life with this. At 9 yers old his reality and perception of money could be destroyed by poker.

The game itself is not bad for him IMO but just having a lot of cash and seeing gambling as an innocent act might be a burden for him in the future. Also your wife has to come to terms with it otherwise it is definitly -EV (assuming you like your wife and kid!)

Just my two cents, I don't have a kid so I don't know what I am speaking about!

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Your wife displays the fear of most laypeople. Perhaps there is a shading there of how she feels about your own poker playing.

Personally I see no fault in your son playing but I would see it as a challenge to you to prove to both your wife and perhaps yourself too that there can be a greater good in and through poker(or in fact any other activity you chose. If your son was a chess or piano playing prodigy you would be in the same position{actually probably worse in real terms}but at least you'd have the approval of the masses).

This is an excellent opportunity for you to teach your son about a lot of the basic tenets of life. "Winning" "losing" "maintaining ones equipoise(especially with respect to money)" and the fact that there is more to life than money. This is a great challenge for you and your son and I wish you both the best.

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Nice post. I know I certainly didn't mature in terms of patience and respect until I really got deep into the game at the age of 20.

Re: Update
 

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously, think forward about 3 years. He's 12, beating the $11s for about $1500 a month... How much time would spend working on homework if you could've made $20/hr playing poker when you were 12?

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I'd spend whatever time my parents made me do homework, same as any other kid. It really doesnt matter if a kid is playing poker, playing video games or talking on the phone. You gotta MAKE them do homework and chores.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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Come on! My last paycheck bounced...my children need wine!

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Anybody else get this Simpsons allusion?

Re: Update
 

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[ QUOTE ]
Seriously, think forward about 3 years. He's 12, beating the $54s for about $5000 a month... How much time would spend working on homework if you could've made $50/hr playing poker when you were 12?

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Err.. if you're playing SNG's for three years as a winning player, shouldn't you be easily beating the $215's or higher? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

Set him up with a 2+2 account and let the little man post!

I suggest PrePubeProd for a SN [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

-o and you should have your parenting liscense revoked...at least keep him at the play money tables. Have you seen the college dropout rate of the big winners on this forum? Its obscene. I'd be willing to make a stiff wager that people with serious drug and alcohol problems have a better shot of finishing college than do winning poker player.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Set him up with a 2+2 account and let the little man post!
I suggest PrePubeProd for a SN [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
-o and you should have your parenting liscense revoked...at least keep him at the play money tables. Have you seen the college dropout rate of the big winners on this forum? Its obscene. I'd be willing to make a stiff wager that people with serious drug and alcohol problems have a better shot of finishing college than do winning poker player.

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People with serious drug/alcohol problems can get help & maybe recover; winning 20-year olds can only go broke [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

People give their kids a small amount of real money to invest in the stock market in order to teach them about investing all the time and nobody bats an eye...

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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Make him start showing the math of the game before he can play for the week. Pick a new prob/stat/game theory area to teach him each week and make him pass a test to play that week. When you run out of poker stuff move to calc or some other field. I don't know if that is good advice or not, but certainly there is a lot of great poker stuff that is applicable to all sorts of areas of life that most people never learn.

Also, you should probably make him put most of the winnings he withdraws into a retirement fund (or college fund).

There are certainly some possible downsides to gambling at a young age, but nothing you should not be able to steer him clear of as an active parent, and there is a lot of upside potential, too.

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If he can learn calc at nine or ten years old he should not be playing poker, because he can make a lot more money in other fields.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Come on! My last paycheck bounced...my children need wine!

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Anybody else get this Simpsons allusion?

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its the guy in the booth at Euro Itchy and Scratchy land if i recall correctly.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

What's his SN? We'll teach him what downswings feel like.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

Hi Bruce.
I think that one of the main point is to find out where your son takes his pleasure from poker(it has been written in a previous post by someone else):
is your son interested in taking good decisions, outplaying people, improving math and skills, having a good time sharing a hobby with daddy, or do you feel he just enjoys the thrill and excitement of gambling (ie with money);
well, I won t give any opinion because I don't have any kids,but from what I read, the kid clearly shows an interest in advantage playing, or "getting the best of it" using his head in a strategy game, which I think is pretty good.A good friend of mine , who has two kids, plays sometimes some kind of three way tournament freeze out with them for fun, and I think the idea is great, because there is only the pleasure and the strategy here, no money involved;
well, hope it helped, good luck.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

1. Teach his friends how to play
2. Buy more computers
3. Start an internet poker sweatshop

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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mega drive

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WTF is that?

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

I'm still trying to figure out why you would set up a poker account for your 9 year old son.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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OMG poker is turning into chess!

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Haha, I was just going to make a post about how no one is so concerned with all the little kids who play in chess tournaments with cash entry fees and cash prizes. And chess easily can cause a kid to lose interest in other kid activities.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

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OMG poker is turning into chess!

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Haha, I was just going to make a post about how no one is so concerned with all the little kids who play in chess tournaments with cash entry fees and cash prizes. And chess easily can cause a kid to lose interest in other kid activities.

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Holy thread bump batman!! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Re: Update
 

thats crazy. The kid is 9 years old! I cant imagine my parents letting me gamble on the internet at 9 years old. Shoot Im 19 and they hate me doing it now. I think thats kind of shady as a parent. By the way do you keep a % of his winnings? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Holy thread bump batman!! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

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Oops, I found this thread from an unrelated search and didn't think to check the date. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Update
 

Since you guys bumped it...

What is the main issue with people that disagree? Is it the fact that the kid is playing cards, playing online, or playing with real money?

I learned to play cards at a very early age. My family were all big card players and I learned many different games when I was younger than this. My friends' parents played cards, too, and we all played together.

My friends and I used to play for money all the way through middle and high school and never had any issues. I never had any problems and was a multi sport athlete and had many interests outside cards.

Would you feel differently if the kid were playing in home games with the parent? I'm just wondering if most of you have a problem because he's playing on the internet.

Re: Update
 

I started to write a very critical post, then remembered that we had a $5 Christmas buyin tournament that my 8 year old pwned everyone in (including me), so I guess I can't toss stones from my glass house.

Re: Update
 

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I started to write a very critical post, then remembered that we had a $5 Christmas buyin tournament that my 8 year old pwned everyone in (including me), so I guess I can't toss stones from my glass house.

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That's *awesome*.

Re: What to do with a Child who plays SNG\'s?
 

I have to agree with your wife. IMO, a 9 tear old is not mature enough to deal with the addictive aspect of poker (many adults are not able to). If you read this forum you'll notice that many people spend a lot of time playing not a lot of time socializing. Your son needs to play with other kids, play sports, instruments, take advantage of all of the opportunities he can while he is growing up.

If you still don't agree, I am sure it is ILLEGAL for a minor to gamble, and if you set up the account, you might get screwed. You know what's right and wrong, otherwise you would not have posted this question...