How silly and wrongheaded a post. First of all, there's nothing wrong with deceit in a poker game. It is the essence of the game. But even if there were, trying to make money from drunks by playing poker against them isn't deceitful. You may find it distasteful, but it has nothing to do with deceit. I am proud of my daughter and her skill at poker. The drunk college students were responsible for their own actions. If they won they'd get to keep the money. If they lost, and regretted it when they sobered up, it was an inexpensive lesson for them to learn about playing drunk. If they find that they can't help but get drunk and lose their money well, then maybe they'll enter a 12 step program all the more quickly to treat their addiction. As to poker being addicting -- I suppose that anything done to excess can be dangerous. But as another posted noted, we must be responsible for our own behavior. Teaching my daughters to play poker is no less responsible than serving them alcohol with dinner while talking about the dangers of overconsumption or drinking and driving. What, should I not instruct them on how to read a stock page or how to invest in the stock market because they might throw all of their money away some day as compulsive day traders? Should I not teach them how to drive a car because they might then speed or drink and drive and have an accident? Better, I think, to instruct them carefully and well about the risks and the proper methods so they may drive and play poker safely and well.
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Rebecca's Dad Weighs In
Date: 2006-05-02 05:00 (UTC)I am proud of my daughter and her skill at poker. The drunk college students were responsible for their own actions. If they won they'd get to keep the money. If they lost, and regretted it when they sobered up, it was an inexpensive lesson for them to learn about playing drunk. If they find that they can't help but get drunk and lose their money well, then maybe they'll enter a 12 step program all the more quickly to treat their addiction.
As to poker being addicting -- I suppose that anything done to excess can be dangerous. But as another posted noted, we must be responsible for our own behavior. Teaching my daughters to play poker is no less responsible than serving them alcohol with dinner while talking about the dangers of overconsumption or drinking and driving. What, should I not instruct them on how to read a stock page or how to invest in the stock market because they might throw all of their money away some day as compulsive day traders? Should I not teach them how to drive a car because they might then speed or drink and drive and have an accident? Better, I think, to instruct them carefully and well about the risks and the proper methods so they may drive and play poker safely and well.