As a parent, how amenable would you be to your kid pursuing poker...?

[cfb1739]

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Just wait 20 years where you look back and realize, wow, i've done nothing but stare at a computer monitor with my life.

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How is this different from an office job?

[splashpot]

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Just wait 20 years where you look back and realize, wow, i've done nothing but stare at a computer monitor with my life.

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How is this different from an office job?

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It's different because most office jobs contribute to society in some way. Sure, you might have done nothing but sit in front of a computer, but some people find it satisfying to say they were a part of something worthwhile.

[guids]

I would make sure to hammer home the point that too much free time is not a good thing, but if they were making money and having fun, I would be all for it (just as my parents have been). the problem with poker isnt the risk imo, its the long term psychological effects.

[Pat Southern]

PIMP1111,
I would really recommend finishing high school, if not for the education, I would do it just for the social development/interaction.

As to the original question, had I never played poker for a living if I had a kid who wanted to play professionally I would think he's crazy and tell him he should follow a more traditional career path, but would tell him its his choice to make. I would be really pissed that he's not dropping out of school and I would stress the importance of getting a degree.
Which makes me appreciate my mom's reaction when I told her I was going to go pro in favor of getting a job, since she was completely supportive. I think inside she probably wishes for me to have a more traditional job, but she doesn't let it show.
Obviously knowing what I know now I would definately support him if he wanted to play poker for a living. But I would tell him to finish college, because really you can easily play 15-20 hours a week while still getting an education/maintaining a social life, and a degree is an important thing to fall back on.

[burningyen]

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kids...would probably be virtually tiltless

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[Marlow]

First, let me say that I'm a dad.

One thing that I've realized is that it really isn't about what I want her to do. It's about what she wants. I need to give her the best info I can to help her make sound decisions, but they are all HER decisions. If she wants to play poker, then we have long conversations about why she wants to play, what she sees in it, what she thinks about the impact on her future, etc. And then once she feels like she's got enough info, then she makes the decision. And I'm behind her 100% until I think that she is in a situation in which she's hurting herself or others (degen behavior, addiction, etc).

[El Diablo]

teddy,

If I thought my hypothetical kid(s) were really passionate about poker and about being the best in the world, I'd support them just like I would support them in pursuing music or art or writing or whatever they were passionate about.

On the other hand, if they wanted to do it just as a job that makes a lot of money, I would strongly encourage them to keep it a hobby and pursue their education and other opportunities, because I feel like poker is overall pretty boring and unfulfilling compared to a lot of other careers and I think the upside and upward mobility is very limited.

[Chaostracize]

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...if they wanted to do it just as a job that makes a lot of money, I would strongly encourage them to keep it a hobby and pursue their education and other opportunities, because I feel like poker is overall pretty boring and unfulfilling compared to a lot of other careers and I think the upside and upward mobility is very limited.

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Yup.

Basically I have a few views on poker, in how it affected me.

Pros: With issues of tilt control, it's something I really strive to bring into my every day life. Things don't seem as outrageous when you've played a game where you've essentially flipped coins for 20k pots. This could be very bad for some people, but for me it really centered me. I know that I can make right decisions in my life that won't have an instant impact, and this is a large part of the average person's downfall. They go on a diet, don't recognize instant results, and stop. They attempt to start a business, fail the first time, and never bother trying again. You realize that if something doesn't work one time...that essentially means nothing (but at the time time it spurs you to be introspective and really see if you are doing things correctly, and encourages learning). But then again, not everyone uses poker in the same zen way that I have.

Pro/Con - Will hopefully make you realize that you want something more than sitting in front of a computer all day which is what Ari touched on. For me poker made me realize that, yes, I like money, but, ultimately, it's not the money that will make me happy, it's the process. I'm enjoying the process of being in real estate, and I'm enjoying the process of attempting to start a business...and I'm not exactly rolling in dough at the moment, but my life is so much more enjoyable now than it was when I was bringing in 10k days and spending money on stupid [censored]. It's kind of nice being pumped to spend only 6 bucks on chinese buffet, even if that's not how I'll always be.

Con - You lose sense of all reality. You lose respect for what money means to people, you become egotistic, you get pissed off when people don't want to spend 50 bucks on a meal, and stuff like that. You can push people away easily like that, and especially for people that can't handle swings, it can get even more out of control, and I'm not talking about downswings, I'm talking about upswings and buying ridiculous stuff that, in 20 years, you'll think to yourself...what the hell was wrong with me. Instead of buying an $80k car, I could have bought 2 duplexes and been sitting on $500k in built wealth...but poker doesn't support that lifestyle, it supports the "hells yeah, moniezzz" lifestyle, and when poker goes away, you're still [censored] in the brain.

That's all I have to say about that really. I had a good few months in cards, I acknowledge I had luck and dedication on my side, and now I move on. Being a professional poker player is like trying to ride a wave, and never coming out of the water. There's just so much more out there. Would I have a problem with a kid of mine playing poker? No way. He/She would be doing it for the same reason I did. I love games and I enjoy what money can do for me, but I don't want to be constantly playing a game like my life depended on it...oh wait.

[Victor]

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Just wait 20 years where you look back and realize, wow, i've done nothing but stare at a computer monitor with my life.

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rofl, this happens at 75% of white collar jobs anyway. at least i can choose when and for how long i do it.

if i had some sort of interesting talent and ambition i never woulda started playing poker in the first place. as it was i trained to be a corporate drone (like my miserable father) and was well on that path.

sorry but most ppl arent capable of sustaining an interesting career. your post is grossly smug.

[NhlNut]

It would depend a lot on the temperament and ability of my child. If I thought he/she had gifts to carry them places outside of poker, I would try very hard to convince my child to keep poker a hobby. If the kid was levelheaded, and approached poker with eyes open, I would be supportive.

In any case, I would want my kid to at least make it through college before trying poker as a career. I would be dead set against leaving college to pursue poker.