[splat]

MY 8 year old Son is infactuated with Numbers and is very good in Math . And he has lots of fun watching me play Poker on line , I only play with Play chips and have never put a Cent into it. Well now he is having a great time playing some texas Hold em on line. am I being a bad father allowing this ?

 

[T0mo]

no. How could that possibly make you a bad father?

 

[splat]

no. How could that possibly make you a bad father?

I'm not sure if this is teaching him how to gamble or not.

 

[HippieKai]

SINNER!!!!!!!

who cares...maybe he will grow up and win you millions in poker games. As long as you teach him the right and wrongs and in and outs and goods and bads about card games, poker becomes no different the go fish.

 

[T0mo]

It's teaching him a card game. He's still only eight, so you have years to make him think/do whatever you want, which in this case seems to be not gambling.

 

[DR. Dirt]

no, you are just showing your kid the ways of a real man!

 

[Ciaran]

SINNER!!!!!!!

who cares...maybe he will grow up and win you millions in poker games. As long as you teach him the right and wrongs and in and outs and goods and bads about card games, poker becomes no different the go fish.

I agree that it is nothing more than a card game like go fish. I also think that you should teach him to be careful playing cards at school. I think that as long as you explain to him what gambling is, and the rights and/or wrongs of it you're cool. With the crazy "zero tolerance" policies that schools have these days your kid could get in trouble for teaching other kids to play cards. Because as we know... playing cards lead to gambling which becomes addictive and is a vice, and vices are illegal, and illegal activity supports the terrorists.

Seriously though, it sounds to me like you and the kid are enjoying some time together.

 

[Jayridesacove]

It's a simple card game.

Just tell him straight up that the game involves gambling, and explain gambling to him.

There's nothing wrong with gambling, unless it's taken too far, which is when human greed comes into play.

You could even go off on a tangent and tell him the origins of playing cards.

Your kid's brain is a super information sponge right now, take advantage of it before puberty starts.

 

[HippieKai]

:Seriously though, it sounds to me like you and the kid are enjoying some time together.

and thats the most important part of all of this

 

[Skookum]

Let him be a kid and play the game, when the issue of gambling comes up, explain to him that some people have problems with it, and that it's better to not gamble period.
There are many parents content to have their kids blowing up other people on the internet with bazooka's and crap, so what are you trippin about....

 

[merrrrjig]

where do you guys play? I play at jetset poker, its way fun, they have tournoments that u can win real money. I would laugh if i got beat by an 8 year old. But thats way cool that he already knows, once he gets into highschool he can make a lot of money off of stupid kids!

 

[flatulant_man]

i wouldn't say so. he likes to play, but he's so young he probably doesn't even realize that there are people are on the other end. to him it's just a fun little time killer.

 

[mack]

I am only sixteen. But allot of kids around here are addicted to gambling really bad. They all play on friday nights and loose buttloads of money. So i would watch out, it is becoming very popular.

Ifs hes good with poker, teach him how to count the cards at blackjack. Then he will actually have a chance of winning some money at the tables.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

bwhahahhaha, thats cool.

my dad taught me to play cards, and to count on blackjack when i was in high school.
he also used to buy me beer when i was 13.. and let me order hard liquor whenever we went out for lunch of dinner...

but he somehow made me learn lessons from that.. now am 22, and I dont drink more than a sixpack a month, and i dont gamble (even when my family owns a casino). and i dont smoke and live a somewhat healthy life.

i think you can teach your kids by letting them try things under your direct view... the first time i got really wasted, it was on a new years party in a hotel when i was 15 and my dad let me order whatever i wanted.. i ended up drinking a crapload of rum and blue long islands that my dad carried me back to my room and oversaw me when i passed out... he made a pretty good lesson from that the next day i was dying from the hangover...

but smoking was always out of question for me, because my dad said smoking is always harmful, no matter how little..... i learn that too, and I dont smoke...

 

[Cash-Money]

They all ... loose buttloads of money

who wins then?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Why online, as opposed to getting out a deck of cards and playing?

 

[RideND]

Ifs hes good with poker, teach him how to count the cards at blackjack. Then he will actually have a chance of winning some money at the tables.

Mack, poker is one of the few games where the house has no advantage so his odds of winning in poker are greater than in blackjack. But that is not on topic so continue on.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Meh, I remember playing cards with my father when I was a young tyke. We played with real money, too (I sat with him when he played with his friends).

 

[Skookum]

bwhahahhaha, thats cool.

my dad taught me to play cards, and to count on blackjack when i was in high school.
he also used to buy me beer when i was 13.. and let me order hard liquor whenever we went out for lunch of dinner...

but he somehow made me learn lessons from that.. now am 22, and I dont drink more than a sixpack a month, and i dont gamble (even when my family owns a casino). and i dont smoke and live a somewhat healthy life.

i think you can teach your kids by letting them try things under your direct view... the first time i got really wasted, it was on a new years party in a hotel when i was 15 and my dad let me order whatever i wanted.. i ended up drinking a crapload of rum and blue long islands that my dad carried me back to my room and oversaw me when i passed out... he made a pretty good lesson from that the next day i was dying from the hangover...

but smoking was always out of question for me, because my dad said smoking is always harmful, no matter how little..... i learn that too, and I dont smoke...

Yah mine was the same way only he ran off with this crack whore we shared one night and i haven't seen him since.

 

[Racer-X]

who asks parenting questions on an online mountain biking community forum?

i just think it's kind of weird....aren't people paid to counsel parents?

 

[gschuette]

Gambling is a sin is the stupidest thing ever. If it is fun and you aren't hurting anyone then I see no problem with it. Gamble away!

 

[C.P.]

MY 8 year old Son is infactuated with Numbers and is very good in Math . And he has lots of fun watching me play Poker on line , I only play with Play chips and have never put a Cent into it. Well now he is having a great time playing some texas Hold em on line. am I being a bad father allowing this ?

No offense Splat - and most folks dont even realize they are doing it until it's pointed out - I've always find it interesting that many parents forget that they may be communicating a "do as I say, not as I do" mixed message...if he enjoys watching you, I say keep it simple - switch and give him a chance to play with you watching. You can teach him about gambling risks as you go...

 

[manziman]

ok, I don't think you're doing anything wrong and here's why:
A. he's 8 and naive. he doesn't know what gambling is and you're just teaching him a card game.
B. you're teaching him math and numbers, so it's a good lesson for him. It's great when you can relate something that your kid likes to their learning.
C. it's just for fun right? have a smile or 2 when you play...

 

[Bullitrider]

I am only sixteen. But allot of kids around here are addicted to gambling really bad. They all play on friday nights and loose buttloads of money. So i would watch out, it is becoming very popular.

Ifs hes good with poker, teach him how to count the cards at blackjack. Then he will actually have a chance of winning some money at the tables.

So do your friends play online and if so where? I could use the money.

 

[Damn True]

The exposure to numbers can only be good for him.
...and I can only imagine that the exposure to probabilites and the type of thinking involved in the game can only increase his ability to think beyond that which is in front of him.
Probably good stuff as long as you emphasise the game and not the gambling.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Online gambling is bad news, plain and simple. I've got a brother-in-law who does it, and shouldn't.

I'd break open a kid-oriented "fun" math book instead of poker, but *you* are his Dad, so use your judgement.

I think one of the insidious things about gambling is that some people have the personality for it to become a *major* problem, and you may not know if your son has that personality until it is too late.

I have one of those personalities, so I avoid gambling like the plague.

-S.S.-