# How to Play Poker with Adults and Children?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-play-poker-with-adults-and-children/756972>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 9, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-play-poker-with-adults-and-children/756972 "2016-06-09T21:57:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-play-poker-with-adults-and-children/756972/41 "2016-06-13T19:40:08Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Well, just about everything is more enjoyable than Monopoly… after the first hour.
> 
> No, what I mean is that poker involves elements that require players to make a choice between judgment and valuta. If there’s no real money involved, there’s not much need for fine judgment either. Yes, you can play, but as I said, it won’t be poker if you can just shove 20 plastic chips in on your weak hand, no blood, no pain, who cares.
> 
> Other games can make a plastic chip or a counting peg or just points on a tally sting, but poker loses its key element if there’s no way to bluff and/or force a player to make a finely shaded decision. So it’s all-hands showdown, and guess what, Ralphy’s two pair win against everyone else’s crap. Whee.

This is only true if you’re allowed to get more chips when you run out. Otherwise, if you shove all your plastic chips in on a weak hand and lose, then you’re done. You’re out of the game and you either go home or sit and twiddle your thumbs while everyone else has fun for the rest of the evening. So you still have to make finely shaded decisions to stay in the game.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-play-poker-with-adults-and-children/756972/42 "2016-06-13T20:48:56Z")

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> [@Doug\_K](#):
>
> This is only true if you’re allowed to get more chips when you run out. Otherwise, if you shove all your plastic chips in on a weak hand and lose, then you’re done. You’re out of the game and you either go home or sit and twiddle your thumbs while everyone else has fun for the rest of the evening. So you still have to make finely shaded decisions to stay in the game.

If it works for you, I won’t argue. Every non-cash poker game I’ve ever played turned into Looney Tunes when players bet ridiculously on weak hands. It’s like trying to box without actually landing a punch.

It can be fun. But if you can’t bluff someone for the cost of a few chips, it’s not poker. IMVHO. But then, I don’t think it’s poker if you don’t hold all of your own cards. 🙂

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