Poker as a Teaching Tool
For many years, people did not consider poker an honourable game. Far from enjoying celebrity status as they do today, many poker players were embarrassed to tell their friends and family about their chosen profession.
Today people recognize that it is a great game, a popular way to enjoy competition and a fun form of entertainment, and that you need a solid poker strategy to be successful in the long run. It can also be a great teaching tool.
Poker and Math
Poker is an ideal way to teach practical applications of math. Calculating poker odds is all about using mathematical functions such as ratios and percentages, which in turn requires mastery of basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Poker and History
Poker has a rich tradition, from the game played on riverboats in the American south in the 19th century to the Internet phenomenon that poker has become today. The evolution of poker and how historical events and advances have affected it is a great way to teach history.
Poker and Science
Modern poker would not be as popular as it is today without scientific advances in technology, such as the hole card camera and the Internet. Poker is a great way to show the value of understanding science and creating new technology.
Poker and General Cognition
Poker emphasizes memory, in that players must remember previously exposed cards, betting patterns and observable behaviour of their opponents. It requires psychology in understanding how people can elicit certain responses and how you can elicit certain responses from them.
It requires critical thinking skills, an ability to analyse new data and use it to formulate the best plan. Poker players learn how to work for a goal and how to integrate their experience to improve results.
Using poker as a teaching tool does not have to involve gambling. Poker principles can be taught in the classroom with tokens of no monetary value for the same learning effect.
Furthermore, even though the essence of poker is in the betting of money, thanks to the popularity of tournament poker, kids and adults alike can have a great time playing poker with the purpose of being the last person standing and not worrying about money at all.