It is a tricky question for many people; when should I teach poker to my kids? SHOULD I teach poker to my kids? Taking a look at many of the background stories of professional poker players, you would see that a great deal of them learned poker at the feet of their parents or grandparents, playing in penny and nickel home games, or watching their dad play in his weekly home game. Still, plenty of the professional poker players out there didn't even pick up a deck of cards until adult hood, so even if you have high hopes for your kid being the next Daniel Negreanu, it isn't written that he needs to learn how to manage short stacks and rebuys when he's a preteen.

Poker is irrevocably linked to such casino staples as blackjack, craps and roulette, games that are, without a doubt, gambling games, and most folks are in agreement that kids shouldn't be gambling. When it comes to poker, however, you are leaving the heavy dependence on chance that marks the other games and adding in a huge element of skill, which causes many people to consider poker outside of the gambling realm.

Even if you don't want your kids playing poker, how do you explain the fact that you are winning money at a game but at the same time telling them not to gamble? The point of view that seems to make the most sense is the "night out" approach.

When you set yourself a limit, especially when playing a tournament, then you already know how much money you are spending up front for entertainment. If you win more, fantastic, but the amount you pay or play with up front is like what you would pay for a night out at the movies, nothing more.

It is generally a good idea to keep kids and gambling separate, but the night out approach makes explaining the difference between what you do and blowing the rent money on the Superbowl a lot easier.