Proposal made by the President of the International Federation of Poker
Anthony Holden, the President of the International Federation of Poker (IFP), wishes this game become an extracurricular activity. ‚Like any other mind sports, poker is a quite viable education tool/ It improves concentration and memory and educates the mind, stated the organization official.
The President of the International Federation of Poker, Anthony Holden, is positive about the fact that poker can help pupils and students, a reason for his proposal to introduce poker as an extracurricular activity.
The British provided the example of the Henry Street Institute in Manhattan, which has had a poker club since 2007. The students who attended the courses of this club have greatly enhanced their mental abilities. Another one would be the George Mason Institute in Virginia. The poker clubs have quickly converted into a much-asked-for, though controversial, extracurricular activity in many school institutions in America. ‚What can be bad about poker is simular to what can mishappen in life. While sitting at the table, you learn to harness your ego and control your emotions. This game can definitely help the students pile up useful knowledge and experiences for their daily life’, explained the President of the International Federation of Poker.
Negative feedback
Disregarding the above motivation, this proposal stirred negative reactions, with Keith Whyte, the Director of the National Board for Gambling Affairs in USA warning in the ‚Wall Street Journal’. ‚Poker can be useful, but there is a need for a certain control and, more than that, it should be played responsibly; otherwise, it can create a sense of addiction in the young people, which is extremely dangerous’, he said.
Who is Anthony Holden
The British Anthony Holden is the first President of the International Federation of Poker, as being elected in this position in 2009. He is the famous author of the books ‚Big Deal’ and ‚Bigger Deal’. He travelled around the world, playing poker. During the years, Anthony Holden confessed that the greatest challenge for the IFP is ‚to fight with the stigma that the governments and the non-playing public opinion place on the poker, looking at it as only gambling and not a mind sport.’
