Minors at home games?

[roxtar]

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Being 17 years old I am a minor, I play a homegame tourny every week where we play 3 tournaments where I finish 1st or 2nd about every game unless I catch some real bad beats. IMO I dont think you should discriminate just because someones not old enough to legally have a beer or whatnot you could miss playing with some very good players.


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I can find plenty of adults to play with that are very good. It's not a matter of discrimination in the sense that I might have something against 11 year olds in general, I've got 2 kids of my own that I love with all my heart... That doesn't mean that I want to play poker with them.
I just don't like the idea of playing poker with an 11 year old for a number of reasons. Several posts above have perfectly captured part of the problem that I had with the kid playing, that the kid would be a sore loser and from what I've heard from people that were at the game that's exactly what happened. Apparently the boy didn't throw a fit of any kind after he busted out but just sat in the corner on the verge of tears for the rest of the night because that was his last $10 and dad wasn't at all sympathetic towards him and wasn't going to give him anymore money (kudos for dad for trying to teach the boy a lesson about gambling: scared money loses). Well, the host of the game won the tourney and felt so bad for the kid that he gave him his buy in back out of his winings, not exactly fair to the rest of the field I think. I don't think much good can come from <18 year olds playing with adults

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I can find plenty of adults to play with that are not very good. It's not a matter of discrimination in the sense that I might have something against 11 year olds in general as I know many with better math skills than some in my home game.

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FYP [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

But in some seriousness, if losing his allowance inspires the kid to focus on math and science in middle school I think there's definitely some benefit. I also like the behavior of the Dad in this situation. I would be pissed at the host for soft-parenting someone else's child and teaching a really bad lesson about sulking.

I guess the only reason I would leave the game was if I felt I couldn't play aggressively against an 11 year old. Of course, I'm not a parent so I think I may have an easier time treating a kid just like any other dead money in the tournament. If you think this player will alter your playing style then you're perfectly justified in sitting out.

The other consideration is that you've broadcast to the group that you're probably more serious about the game than they are and that the composition of the game may cause you to tilt. If some guy brings his newbie girlfriend to play, would you also worry about hurt feelings and soften up your game?

[CaptSensible]

Well put. The 12 year old I referred to in my post was near tears when he lost his 10 dollar buy in. His mother fronted it from his allowance and he had no allowance for a week. I''m all for that. There's a big difference between 17 and 12. I would have no problem playing with a 17 year old. In my post I stated that the player needs to be at the age where they can emotionally handle the ups and downs of the game. 16 or 17 seems like a reasonable age to me depending on the maturity of the player.
BTW, This is an interesting post

[666]

No one under the age of 18 has been playing long enough to be good.

[wonkadaddy]

i'd suggest letting the kids come in for a little while.

i used to sit in on my dad's home games when i was 4. i loved it. it was obviously more of a novelty than anything, but it gave me a huge sense of pride to be allowed in on "dad's poker game." and i believe that in some way it encouraged me to keep playing games and developing math and logic skills.

i wasn't, however, allowed to ALWAYS play. i'd occasionally come in for a few hours. that way everyone could laugh up losing to the little kid AND still have their "guys time" after. playing games w/my dad were some of my best childhood memories and i would encourage other fathers to bring their kids to the occasional poker nite

Of course not. Since his ten dollars is as good as everyone elses, you have the right to not play either. Personally, I too believe that that is a little young to start gambling. For fun its alright, but other than that, it can wait. Plus, how great can you feel either taking a 11 year old's money, or losing to one?

[Twitch1977]

I wouldn't play with an 11 year old at the table.

I wouldn't play with a 15 year old at the table.

And I'm not sure if I'd play with a 17 year old at the table.

For me it's just a question of maturity and I find the majority (not all!) of teenagers are lacking. If I'm going to play in a home game I want the players there to be able to behave like grown ups and if that means tossing out the occasional 20 or 30 year old that acts like a child then so be it. And in the case of an 11 year old I just can't see how they'd have enough of a grasp of the game to be able to keep the game running smoothly, although I may be underestimating what an 11 year old can do.

Anyone under the age of 20 or so would really have to prove themselves to me before they'd get a seat in my game.

T

[RedRum]

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I wouldn't play with an 11 year old at the table.

I wouldn't play with a 15 year old at the table.

And I'm not sure if I'd play with a 17 year old at the table.

For me it's just a question of maturity and I find the majority (not all!) of teenagers are lacking. If I'm going to play in a home game I want the players there to be able to behave like grown ups and if that means tossing out the occasional 20 or 30 year old that acts like a child then so be it. And in the case of an 11 year old I just can't see how they'd have enough of a grasp of the game to be able to keep the game running smoothly, although I may be underestimating what an 11 year old can do.

Anyone under the age of 20 or so would really have to prove themselves to me before they'd get a seat in my game.

T

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/agree

[Snoogins47]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't play with an 11 year old at the table.

I wouldn't play with a 15 year old at the table.

And I'm not sure if I'd play with a 17 year old at the table.

For me it's just a question of maturity and I find the majority (not all!) of teenagers are lacking. If I'm going to play in a home game I want the players there to be able to behave like grown ups and if that means tossing out the occasional 20 or 30 year old that acts like a child then so be it. And in the case of an 11 year old I just can't see how they'd have enough of a grasp of the game to be able to keep the game running smoothly, although I may be underestimating what an 11 year old can do.

Anyone under the age of 20 or so would really have to prove themselves to me before they'd get a seat in my game.

T

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I'm 20, and have been playing for... basically forever and I'll be the first to admit that your average teenager is basically, a fuckwit or a hothead, when it comes to poker. The problem is, I haven't seen a trend of diminishing ass-hattery based on the player getting older.

If it's really just a matter of the mechanics of the game, I don't think you have to assume that's automatically a factor. I played 5-draw with my grandma for years when I was in the single digits, and used to win a good chunk of money whenever our family had a card-night and played penny-nickel-dime [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I think you're giving about the right amount of credit to teens, I just think you're overestimating the maturity level of the adult-folks.

[kodonnell]

A friend of mine brought his son (16) to one of my tournaments. He busted out second to last, was a good sport, had a great time, and wants to return. He fit in pretty well, so he is invited back. However, we haven't seen him for a while.

I played poker with my dad and his friends a few times in my early teens and remember having a lot of fun and lifelong memories to go with it.

I really think it should have more to do with maturity than age. I don't really want to see a 40 year old crying in the corner either after taking his money (Mike Matasow is not invited to my home game). Look more at maturity than age.

It really has to do with everyones comfort level. If the 11 year old is a bad player, he will figure it out pretty quick and not return. If you are not worried about police, I say, let him play. He probably won't be back as loosing is not much fun. If he is a good player and returns, discuss it with your group and go from there.