Talkin' About Poker - Useful for Poker Parents

Loren Ackerman thought it was cute when her eleven year old son played poker, using baseball cards as the winning prize pool. She wasn't too concerned when he kept up his poker interest through High School, as he kept his grades high. Mrs. Ackerman's mindset changed, though, when the credit card companies started calling when her son was away at college. Her son happens to be Chris Ackerman, who many poker fans recognize from his WPT final table appearance at the Foxwoods in 2003. While Chris continues to meet successes as a young professional poker player, his mother recognizes the need for parents and kids to have meaningful discussions on the game to avoid the pitfalls that Chris endured in his path toward poker greatness.

Loren, a teacher of gifted education by trade, penned Talkin' About Poker: Straight Talk for Parents and their Players in order to aide in the vital link between concerned parents and young, hopeful poker players. "Initially, we thought our son was headed down a path of destruction, and we simply didn't know what to do and I was terrified," she said. "It was my fear of him becoming addicted that led me to learn everything there is to know about poker, so I could communicate with my son intelligently and in a way he would not find threatening." Over the next few years Loren and her family learned about Texas Hold 'Em, experienced the ebbs and flows of the finances of the game, and rode the roller-coaster of emotions as her son went deeper into the game. Loren journaled her experiences, spoke with experts, and researched the poker phenomena and compiled her insights into this interesting new book.

Chris Ackerman has co-authored the book, providing his insights and viewpoints as a budding player. He commented, "The atmosphere can be dangerous if you get out of control and make poor decisions. Not everyone who plays poker will become addicted, and I probably wouldn't have either, but there is no guarantee. It's important to recognize your value of the dollar and not get carried away with games beyond your financial means." He added, "This can be difficult for some people, especially if they are young. As a professional poker player now, I can look back on my mistakes and be thankful that they weren't destructive, just careless and impulsive. Communicating with my parents was an important part of the process, and I appreciate their openness to listen and help, when it was necessary."

The book effectively reaches out to parents, and to the young players they care about. At a manageable 122 pages, it is a quick but powerful read. The Ackerman's combine to relate ideas on how poker is played online and in live casinos, when to worry about your kid playing poker, and essential techniques for parenting a young player. There is little doubt that thousands of confused and concerned parents will turn to this book as a definitive guide to help them parent a poker player.

Talkin' About Poker: Straight Talk for Parents and their Players is available at amazon.com for $14.95.