Can poker be used as a teaching aid?

I think there are more important things than poker to teach in a school, chess maybe.

I love this thread and want to congratulate @nabmom on suggesting the topic for discussion and to CardsChat for using the idea.

I am amazed at the views expressed in the thread and the variety of responses provided by the community.

I think that it is a great idea for the teacher to teach Holdem to the kids....... but I would plead with the teacher to ensure that in doing so they understand the full scheme of the game, and maybe suggest they take the CardsChat Poker Course before doing so?

I would also encourage them not to get fixated with just the mathematical side of poker, which many members have commented on, but extend the teaching to the understanding that playing Holdem (poker) reflects society and life

In life we come up against many different and challenging situations. Poker is no different. Learning how to deal with different life situations based on knowledge of what you are doing, those others involved and the situation in which you find yourself is a valuable lesson. Your approach and response may change depending on your starting position.

Also, the opponents in poker represent the wide spread of people we will encounter in life. There are those who you can read easily, those who you cannot, those who will play a straight hand and those that will bluff the life out of you. Learning how to deal with such situations is essential as a growing person.

While there are many more developmental and societal links to poker, one significant lesson that can be learned from poker is that even though you do everything right, you may still not win. Alternatively, you don’t have to do something perfectly, just make a decision, having assessed the available information (in the right circumstances). There is no wrong or right decision....just the best one at the right time. It could also be that the wrong decision at the right time may get you a win!

For those of you who focussed your concerns on the risk of addiction to gambling, I can tell you, many kids play many addictive games (including card games) way before 7th grade, and don’t go on to be addicted to gambling. That is a totally separate subject, in my humble opinion.

My final thought is that poker is a microcosm of society. Learning poker gives us a head start when trying to deal with society.....and vice versa.

Every school subject shouldn’t just be about that one subject, but should cross boundaries t the overall development of our children and future leaders. Our lives are in their hands and the best education and life experience they get the better I say!

Thanks

Damo

Martin said:

Your 7th grader's math teacher wants to teach the class Hold'em. Would you think this is a good idea?

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Thanks to @nabmom for the topic idea.

Click to expand...

It would be a multifaceted way to teach the children mathematics- financial skills- bankroll management is much like household budgeting
Also not all 7th graders get to learn to compete in a healthy way and this would address that learning experience as well

OK this is one near and dear to my heart.

Let me tell you why. My daughter was home sick at 4 years old and had not started kindergarten. She had fallen asleep next to me and i played a online game. When Mommy called and asked he how she was felling she said :" Mommy daddy had 503,432 chips. I cant repeat here what my wife said but a year later she was given a test at school to see if and how far she could count. The made he stop at 1300 or so and asked how did she learn to couldn't like that as she was past where a 1st grader would need to be by a years end. I used poke to teach my kids math and how to count. My daughter today is working towards her CPA in accounting. I taught both my kids and 2 nieces how to learn math this way. All of them have gone to advance math and have a love of math and number. While I don't know it everyone learning poker in school is the greatest idea, there is a lot of value using it as a teaching tool.

I would be ok if they did use it in school but they also need to show them that gambling and poker is not about winning money and most lose long term.

For sure, most students will learn it to earn money and most will become addicted, I think math would be in the last place for most students, so I am also against teaching this game at school.🙂

Poker can or could be used as a teaching aid not only for it's obvious teaching of math but also as a lesson in problem solving and coping skills.

It wouldn't even be allowed in Germany and the maths teacher would lose his job. Poker is still considered a game of chance here and is therefore only officially permitted from the age of 18. You could get children addicted to it.

Personally, I think poker is a very nice game, but there is something to it, even if there is a lot of over-regulation in Germany. I think 7th grade is still a bit early, but from the age of 16 it's ok in my eyes.

Just not that, children can't control themselves, it's better to take up poker when you're over 30..)))

It would probably be frowned upon if Schools added Holdem to their curriculum, but I used blackjack to teach my Daughter how to recognise numbers and how to add them before she started at the Nursery School.
My Wife had nightmares on my Daughter's teacher asking if any of them could count to Ten, and My Lass shoving her hand up saying "I can count higher than that miss, 8,9,10, Jack, Queen, King" Seriously though she did excel in Maths at school, and she was always top of her class.

I was in my spare time an Adult tutor in Information Technology, which sounds rather grand, but basically I taught Adults the basics in the Windows Programs like Word, Excel, Power Point etc. On one occasion I was asked to run a kids Computer Club after school hours and all I was told was I didn't have to teach them anything' just supervise that they didn't get up to any mischief. On the first night, the Kids turned up expecting me to show them something new and being totally unprepared I was a little worried about how I could do something that would be fun for them.
Thinking quick I asked them if any of them were having trouble in school with Multiplication? "Oh We are not doing Sums are we" they all shouted, I said "No, but how would you like to learn how the computer can do it all for you?"
I got them to open Excel, and showed them how to design a simple table giving you all the answers, which they could Colour and print off to take home, They loved it!

Unbeknown to me one of the little girls Mother was someone I worked with and the next day at work she asked me "What's the Idea, teaching my Daughter how to cheat at School?" With a little smirk on her face. I explained that it wasn't cheating as you can buy Exercise Books with the tables on the back cover from any book store and she burst out laughing, Saying "It's alright," Her Daughter had spent an hour asking her older brothers and sisters Maths questions and checking their answers on her Table she had made.

It’s a great tool! Most players in freerolls have no clue to what pot odds are! Making it really hard to protect your hand! But that’s ok as long as they are having fun!

It's a sensible topic because of the gable factor. If we are talking about using the game rules as math exercises, then I believe it's totally valid... calculating odds and probabilities. Maybe not on 7th grade, though.

It is an interesting idea, for teaching maths, but better for a psychology exercise and study. So it is not so ideal for kids. It would be more interesting for higher grades of education like the university.

Teaching Hold'em in a 7th-grade math class could be beneficial if done properly, as it can introduce valuable mathematical concepts like probability, odds, and decision-making under uncertainty. However, it is important to ensure that the focus is on educational aspects rather than the gambling element. If presented as a math problem-solving exercise, it could be a fun and engaging way to teach statistics, probability, and risk management. The key is framing it in a way that emphasizes strategy, logic, and calculation, rather than money or betting.

Teaching poker to 7th graders as a method to teach math isn’t appropriate. Poker should be left for the home environment, where kids can learn it under parental guidance, not in a classroom. There are more effective and age-appropriate ways to teach math that don’t involve poker. While poker does involve some statistics, it’s a game centered on risk, betting, and decision-making, which may be too advanced for kids at that age. Instead, concepts like fractions, probability, or algebra can be taught using simpler, more educational tools like puzzles or games designed specifically for learning.

I think maybe this is a fun way to teach math and validation theory, poker is a card game... just like any other card game. The only time that can be considered gambling is when you gamble, you can do so with anything you want to place numbers on. I think teaching kids to gamble will probably be criticized but making math more fun to learn is an idea.

Martin said:

Your 7th grader's math teacher wants to teach the class Hold'em. Would you think this is a good idea?

​

Thanks to @nabmom for the topic idea.

Click to expand...

It depends on the reason behind, why would he want to teach them that.

If the reason behind is to show them odds and probabilities and as addition show them dangers of gambling, betting and addictions connected to it I would be for it.

Not in the 7th, but in 11th probably? I remind we started "Stochastic" in maths there and it is a very good example to motivate the young pupils, why learing that could be an advantage..

No, because kids like fun, not boring, and since in one hour you won't cover all the math which could justify introduction poker to them, you'll just end up covering the rules and some pretty basic stuff. Basically, that would encourage them rushing into playing poker anywhere and they won't ever go to the boring math on their own. And if it turns south, they will have a justification of "our math teacher taught/introduced this to us in school". And overall it can have bad consequences long term for certain students, which will be forever blamed on me. Maybe it can work only for a special course, but not for the 7th grade, more like in high school or university and only for students who already attend advanced math classes, so they are gonna be there for math. As far as I know, MIT had such course and Bencb789 even gave a lecture there.

Definitely! How to go bankrupt in a hurry. Or slowly if you're very rich.

No . I don't think it's a good idea to use the game of poker to teach something. there are thousands of other things that can be used

Discussing poker as a learning example for students in schools can be beneficial in several aspects:

1. **Engaging Students**: The game can make learning mathematics more interactive and interesting.
2. **Studying Probability and Strategies**: Students can practice analyzing situations, developing critical thinking skills.
3. **Ethics and Responsibility**: It's important to discuss the ethical aspects of the game and the responsibility for one's actions.
4. **Financial Literacy**: Topics of budget management and investments can be integrated into the learning process.
5. **Situation Modeling**: Role-playing games can help students practice decision-making in a safe environment.

Thus, poker can become not only a tool for studying mathematics but also an important lesson in responsibility and ethics.

probably not, I would only write a book as a memoir

I'm not sure. While poker has strong foundations in math and statistics, there's also the concept of betting and taking risks, which I don't think is a good idea to teach children.

I believe that if the focus is on probabilities, it will be a great class.

No, I don't think it would be a good idea, poker is a much more complex game than what could be taught in a couple of classes in grade school. I also think there are better ways to teach 7th graders about mathematics, statistics and probabilities instead of poker.