So I went home to my parents place for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend (Canada) and I taught my little cousin (SHE is 17) how to play poker. She went from not even knowing hand rankings (This is 1 pair, 2 pair, 3 of a kind...) to watching me play, watching WSOP and finally 2 Months 2 Millions (most recent episode actually gave her a real good sense of the swings that happen and the stakes some people play at). Then we got right into bankroll management (Key foundation point to make I think) I was amazed by how quickly she learned and how interested she was (at first glance you'd think she just cares about boys and clothes).
And then....
Before she even has the chance to say "Hey Mom, Angela taught me how to play poker", my Mom was standing in the doorway to the computer room with her Mom. My Mom: "So you teaching Molly how to play poker?" Her Mom: "Ewww I don't know if I like that". So we shhooooed them out of the room and continued. Then later on before they left for the evening her Mom says something like "Oh Molly's too interested in clothes and boys to get into poker"
Basically, my cousin had just barely decided for herself she was interested and wanted to learn more and her Mom had already found out and decided it wasn't a good idea (when she obviously knows NOTHING about it)
I am sooooo frustrated by people who know absolutely nothing about the game making judgments about it and the players and deciding it's nothing but something for degenerate gamblers. I'm sure the poor girl got lectured the whole way home.
Meanwhile, if she really stays interested in it, I'm going to continue to teach her and she can be my sample student to see if I make a good teacher. So far, so good.
The only problem is I don't live very close and don't see her very often but thanks to the internet we can chat, and I will keep helping her if she wants it.
