|
College students join ranks of poker players |
There’s often a full house
at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity — in more ways than one.
At any time, day or night, the University of Georgia fraternity brothers and
their friends are playing poker, putting aside studying for class to instead
learn the tricks of Texas Hold’em and other games.
‘‘If everybody has nothing to do, we’ve had seven- to eight-hour sessions. It’s
so addictive,’’ said Marshall Saul, a sophomore whose room is decorated with a
poster of dogs playing poker.
The popularity of television shows such as Bravo’s ‘‘Celebrity Poker’’ and the
Travel Channel’s ‘‘World Poker Tour’’ have fueled a card-playing craze on
campuses. These days, college students are perfecting their poker faces in
lively games nearly everywhere — in dorm rooms, fraternity and sorority houses,
and campus tournaments.
Buy-in games organized by some colleges and student groups have drawn hundreds,
with prizes ranging from money to televisions.
Some online poker companies are targeting students with tournaments such as the
first College Poker Championships.com, which began free qualifying rounds in
January. Prizes range from $500 to $50,000 scholarships, and student winners
also can donate up to $100,000 to charities of their choice.
The creators of ‘‘World Poker Tour,’’ which kicked off a new season this month,
also say a poker competition between colleges, with scholarship money and other
prizes, is in development.
‘‘We know it’s become a big huge thing,’’ said Steve Lipscomb, CEO of the World
Poker Tour. ‘‘If I were in college, I’d be nuts about it.’’
In Athens, three fraternities and sororities and the Campus Jewish Center
recently sponsored a buy-in student tournament at a bar. The $15 registration
fee was used for cash prizes.
‘‘It is crazy on campus,’’ said Rachel Dorfman, a sophomore who often plays
poker for hours with her Sigma Delta Tau sisters. ‘‘It is absolutely the thing
to do right now.’’
In New York, the turnout at Binghamton University’s free poker tournaments
exceeded expectations, with up to 260 players in a recent one. A last-minute
Valentine’s Day tournament drew 150 players.
‘‘The kids stay in their ... rooms and play anyway,’’ said Eric Zirlinger, who
coordinates the events. ‘‘For them, it’s a chance to play against a whole
different bunch of people.’’
Many of the players new to the game acknowledge that they picked up some of the
rules and intricacies of poker from watching it on TV.
‘‘You mention Texas Hold’em two years ago, people maybe wouldn’t have known what
it was; now it’s part of mainstream culture,’’ Saul said.
Dorfman, who also enjoys playing poker online, said all her friends watch poker
on TV. When it comes to gambling, she typically plays with dime chips, losing a
couple dollars at the most, although she said other games involve higher stakes.
|
|
Back to Texas Holdem Online Poker
|
|