TEXAS HOLDEM ONLINE POKER

A bunch of bald, beer-bellied old men sit around a green felt table in some dimly lit, smoke-filled room, chomping on cigars. Now and then, one moves forward to turn over a card or push a plastic chip to the middle of the table. There’s little talk, but a lot of studying to see if they can catch their opponents’ hands reflected in their faces.

Or, sharp young card sharks in fancy suits swagger up to tables in flashy casinos, ready to bet big bucks on the outcome of a game.

For many, these are the kinds of images that still come to mind when someone starts talking about poker. But thanks to televised rounds of the World Series of Poker on ESPN and the Bravo channel’s idea to have celebrities play the game to benefit their favorite charities, poker’s appeal is spreading beyond traditional circles.

Bored high school kids play for quarters in their friends’ basements. Twenty- and 30-somethings gather in the office after work on Friday nights to see who has the best strategy. Churches and nonprofit groups inquire about holding Texas Hold ’Em fund-raising tournaments.

If you still can’t find someone to compete against, there’s a host of ready opponents online. There’s even a Web site dedicated to pushing for poker to be included in the Olympics (www.pokerinathens.org/main.php — in case you’re curious).

Ed Sneeringer, owner of Rita’s Italian Ice on East Market Street in Springettsbury Township, plays a few different varieties of poker, mostly with family members or buddies who call him up for a game now and then.

Last fall, when he closed his business for the season, Sneeringer had some time on his hands and decided to check out the world of online poker at www.thegamingclub.com.

At first he played for fun. Then he created an account, began betting and lost $200. Still, he kept at it.

“You’ve got to learn by your mistakes,” he said. “The saying is the same as in horse racing: ‘You win a few, you lose a lot.’ ”

Not long ago, he played in an online Texas Hold ’Em tournament against 20 others and came in second, winning $75.

Sneeringer said playing online is more difficult than in person because you don’t have the advantage of seeing someone’s poker face or reading the other players.

“If someone has a good hand, they might throw their cards down on the table really quick, or they might sit back in their chair or do something else that gives it away,” he said. “You have to watch the cards and the person, too . . . online you can’t see anybody.”

John McCutcheon of Newberry Township said he still has trouble figuring out some of the guys he often plays against in person. But others are easy reads.

“You just have to look at people and watch people,” he said. “One guy I play with always plays with one chip when he has nothing. Another will (fiddle) with his whole pile. Everybody plays different.”

McCutcheon learned standard poker years ago but mostly plays Texas HoldEm these days because of its popularity. He thinks the appeal of the game is its accessibility.

"Anybody can do it. You don't have to be a rocket scientist," he said. "You just have to understand the concept of cards ... and a little luck doesn't hurt either."

Andy McCoy, a 16-year-old junior at Susquehannock High School, started playing the game with friends after watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN. But when these guys get together, things tend to get a little goofy. Some come sporting silly visors or hats plopped on sideways or backward. Others wear sunglasses to keep competitors from glimpsing a good hand in their eyes. A few kids wear the same T-shirt every time they play — for good luck.

McCoy said his parents don't have a problem with the game since each player can only lose a maximum of $5 or $10. "I think they'd much rather have a bunch of kids in the house, knowing what they're doing and knowing we're not going to lose too much," he said. "They know we have a lot of fun doing it."

Fay Troutman, chief deputy treasurer for York County, said despite the game's popularity, Texas HoldEm — or any other kind of betting game — is still illegal in Pennsylvania. A few months ago, her office was flooded with calls from church groups and nonprofit organizations wanting to secure licenses to hold poker night fund-raisers.

While such groups can apply for bingo or small-games-of-chance licenses, poker doesn't fall under either. Troutman said a poker night probably would be a popular fund-raiser, but it's one she can't permit.

"These groups, they see it on TV and hear that their sister organizations throughout the United States are doing this kind of thing," she said. "But what people don't understand is that, in the state of Pennsylvania, gambling is illegal."

York County District Attorney Stan Rebert says he hasn't heard of any illegal poker games going on in the area. As for those who get together with a bunch of buddies to bet a few bucks on a game, Rebert says that's not something he would worry about. "Casual gambling ... that is not illegal," he said. "It's kind

of a fine line."