Playing poker could become a norm in after-school clubs if a professor from Harvard University gets his way.
The idea comes from Charles Nesson who believes that poker can teach things such as self-respect and an understanding of important business skills and can even help in bringing global peace!
Initiatives have already begun in parts of the US and Jamaica with Professor Nesson planning to deliver his strategy when addressing a conference on virtual worlds and cyberspace in Singapore next month. His aim is to set up global poker strategic thinking societies throughout the world and have them based at some of the most important universities.
The societies will help schools to run poker workshops, sponsor university poker events as well providing a curriculum for the activity for those universities wanting to participate.
Nesson believes that playing poker encourages people to think for themselves, a key component in individuality and helps individuals learn how to manage resources.
The professor also claims business decision making can be learned from such factors as not making the first offer, an important skill learnt in poker. He also believes problem teenagers could learn such things as composure, patience, respect of enemies and understanding other people’s point of view.
Poker could also teach a person to lose well and even just how to lose, while managing a short stack could help in people’s personal financial decision making.
He goes further by suggesting that law students could appreciate the ‘importance of evidence’ while international decision making could be helped by knowing how to bluff.
“As far as I’m concerned, it would be a better world if we all played poker,” Professor Nesson said.
It is certainly an interesting idea and I do believe there is some merit in what he is saying. Poker can teach valuable life skills such as respect and an understanding of human nature. It is no coincidence that some of the best poker players have a great knowledge of what makes people tick - many of the top players have studied psychology - and understanding other people is one of the most important life lessons anyone can learn.
Whether there will be after-school poker clubs in schools remains to be seen. I know many teachers who play poker in their spare time but I can hear backlash from the media if any educational establishment decided to go down this route.
