IMO chess is better for kids. And I say this as someone who played competitively as a kid, later who made a living playing poker for a year or so (then decided the lifestyle and stress wasn't for me).
Poker is 100% connected to the money part. It also punishes good play and rewards bad play way too often. A kid who grows up playing poker will just grow up cynical and probably become a gambler. There's other games with imperfect information and random elements that are more fun and less gamble-y.
And chess is great because it's a game of perfect information that rewards good play but has enough combinations to still be interesting, at least until you get to a level where everyone is simply drilling opening combinations and training with AI assistance...
Also, we're in an age where video games are mainstream: tons of them are in the educational but fun category and can teach kids stuff...
Sorry it's been a few days. But most turn based strategy games fall into this category. The whole Civ series for example. Card games like Pokemon or Hearthstone. RPG games, while slightly less 'strategic' still offer decision-making, imperfect information and random elements. Squad based shooters (the randomness being provided by the players themselves). MOBAs And so on. Games are games and you can find enlightening elements in most.
Poker is 100% connected to the money part. It also punishes good play and rewards bad play way too often. A kid who grows up playing poker will just grow up cynical and probably become a gambler. There's other games with imperfect information and random elements that are more fun and less gamble-y.
And chess is great because it's a game of perfect information that rewards good play but has enough combinations to still be interesting, at least until you get to a level where everyone is simply drilling opening combinations and training with AI assistance...
Also, we're in an age where video games are mainstream: tons of them are in the educational but fun category and can teach kids stuff...