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| The incentive It seemed like a good idea at the time. |
We are not gamblers.
We’re not.
But we taught our kids to play poker.
Maybe I should explain . . .
We have a timeshare condo in Banff, Alberta.
Every year, for one week, that beautiful corner of the world
is ours.
But, sometimes, it rains.
We don’t mind much.
There is still the swimming pool, where our kids spend 6 hours
of the day.
And the cable TV.
A special treat that absorbs another segment.
But for the time usually spent walking/hiking, we have to get creative.
Board games.
Genius.
Cards.
Even better.
So with a deck of cards and a large bag of Smarties, we set
out to teach them poker.
I know. I know.
Hear me out . . .
We had the list from our Rummoli game, so we knew that a
flush beats three-of-a-kind, etc.
We were ready.
I don’t know what type of poker we were playing.
It consisted of dealing five cards and having one chance to
trade some in.
And then betting Smarties.
I should point out, here, that the ‘chips’ kept getting
eaten.
Especially by our five-year-old.
Each hand was dealt.
Cards were traded.
Bets were placed.
Hands were judged.
Smarties were claimed.
Eaten.
And the next hand was dealt.
It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
To make it just that much more fun, the makers of Smarties
had come up with something unique.
Purple Smarties with a tiny pair of sunglasses printed on
one side.
They weren’t worth more.
Or taste any different.
But they were unique.
And therefor valuable.
Throughout the afternoon, my kids learned such phrases as:
‘Your deal.’
‘Cut the cards.’
‘Full house: aces over threes.’
‘Read ‘em and weep!’
‘Who dealt this stuff?’
And the all-important, ‘Ahhhh! I’m out! I’ve got spit!’.
The latter of which was immortalized by said five-year-old
when he walked in the door of his grandmother’s. “Hi, Gramma! We played poker
and I had spit!”
Erm . . . yes . . . poker.
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Even though I am claiming to not have been a party to this corruption of our country's youth by well-meaning but obviously dense adults, you forgot to mention that the game always ended not when one person had accumulated all the "wealth", but rather when the "chips" had all been consumed by the players. This fact seemed to remove the sense of "gambling", replacing it by a motivation of the hungry primeval hunter-gatherer, and ultimately replacing it with a lovely chocolate-induced satisfaction of having won the game . . . .
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Father-Figure
Well said, Anonymous Father Figure. Primeval Hunter/Gatherer Poker. Sounds like a new hit TV program . . .
DeleteUsing Smarties was smart...although I might have gone with M&M's as the colour doesn't come off on your fingers and then on the cards....ooooooh.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder our cards are marked! ;)
DeleteAh, Poker University. Awards degrees in cool wit, strategy, math, dry mouth and bellyache.
ReplyDeleteCool wit - check
DeleteStrategy - check.
Math - check.
Dry mouth - not really . . . yappy mouth - check.
Bellyache - sometimes.
Pain in the neck - check.
I like this story, it was so cute :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Launna!
Deletelol Well you have to know everything in life and why not poker :)
ReplyDeleteExactly! And where better to learn than with your family! ;)
DeleteDiane, I always say, if you're going to play poker, why not do it with your family? ha! I never learned to play poker since I'm not a card playing fan but my son learned to play with his friends. Whenever he tries to explain the rules of the game, I throw up my hands and say, forget it! I'm afraid I'll never learn! :)
ReplyDeleteI love poker. For food. We taught our kids that gambling for potato chips is all right. And, of course, smarties. Okay, I admit it. We're a food-based family!
Delete