Kenny Rogers vocally engraved into the minds of
every gambler the most famous poker playing
advice: “You’ve got to know when to holdem, know
when to foldem.”Freshman Peyton Smith
said he knows when to quit when playing Texas
Holdem poker for money. But with the obvious
craze of Texas Hold ‘Em, other college students
may not share the same ability.
The recent popularity of the fast -paced
game of choice among college students sparks the
disturbing question of whether a younger
generation is being unintentionally molded into
a cohort of gamblers. Smith, sporting
neon-colored shades to mask his “poker face” of
eye movements and to keep the other
Texas Holdem players from
guessing his cards, said his interest in the
game began a year ago when he and his friends
watched Chris Moneymaker, win the World Series
of Poker on ESPN. The unknown Moneymaker, who
earned his initial stake by gambling online,
aided in turning the little known game into a
rage emulated by younger generations.
The World Series of Poker, though it’s
evolved in recent years, has been around since
1970, according to ESPN’s Web site. The prizes
have escalated since then, and the popularity,
fueled by ESPN’s coverage, which includes now a
dramatic television series, has surged. The
value of a new card game is one aspect of Texas
Hold ‘Em, but the influence presented on
gambling is another aspect. With unprecedented
television coverage and the convenience of
friends and the Internet, the gambling aspect of
Texas Holdem generates controversy.
“I’ve lost large amounts and won large
amounts,” Smith said. “The upside is you have a
chance of winning money, which is better than
going to a movie.”
On the Ole Miss campus, the popularity of
Texas Hold ‘Em became evident when it became a
fall intramural special event.
According to Charles Allen, the intramural
intern at the Turner Center, the 87 participants
in the recent Texas Hold ‘Em contest shattered
the previous special event record of nearly 50
participants in bingo. Because of the recent
popularity, the intramural office is holding
both a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament and a regular
dealer’s choice contest. Although promoted as a
simple intramural activity, the use of fake
money in the tournament raises questions about
the influence being subjected to college
students.
John Broussard, an intramural poker player
who lost his stash early, said he does not
believe the use of fake money influences any
player into using real money elsewhere.
“My whole family goes to the casinos. As
long as you know what you’re getting into when
you go in there, it’s an OK thing to do,” he
said.
Broussard, a biochemistry major from
McComb, said the use of real money would draw
more people, but, as stated in section 4-E.9 of
the M-Book, gambling of any form is prohibited
on campus.
Officer Bishop Lewis, a member of the
University Police Department’s Housing
Enhancement Awareness Team, said he has
specifically seen an increase in poker games and
gambling violations this year.
The Mississippi Council on Problem and
Compulsive Gambling listed on their Web site
white, adult males are the majority, 62 percent,
of people reporting their gambling problems,
although the majority of callers also appear to
be slightly older than the average college
student.
Smith, along with the other final-round
participants in the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament,
said a minority of students on campus may have a
gambling problem. To them, it’s just another
cheap form of entertainment.
From on campus to Online
Entertainment leads to convenience and
convenience leads to the Internet.
Online gambling provides an alternative to
individuals whose friends are not available.
More importantly, online gambling provides a
loophole of the gambling age requirement.
In Mississippi, citizens have to be 21
years of age to legally gamble in casinos. With
the introduction and availability of online
gambling, coupled with the rising popularity of
Texas Hold ‘Em among college students, the
gambling age requirement has suddenly dropped to
18.
Senior Casey Boyette admitted depending on
online gambling to earn money. When Boyette lost
his job due to Applebee’s closing, he started
playing online poker to fill the financial void,
garnering $200 per week. According to Boyette,
the biggest problem with online gambling is
“fixed hands,” an aspect that requires the
player to fold a good hand or face the
consequence of losing.
As Smith and the other Texas Hold ‘Em
finalists said, if anyone has a problem at Ole
Miss, they would fall under a small majority.
If students do recognize they have such a
problem, however, the university counseling
center is available to deal with gambling
issues.
Mark Showalter, the director of the
counseling center, said gambling problems, among
students especially, began appearing about the
same time casinos began emerging in nearby
Tunica. While many students have not yet reached
the age of casino gambling, campus card games
and online gambling have filled the void.
Showalter said no students have recently
reported to the counseling center with gambling
problems.
“I don’t think that doesn’t mean students
haven’t had the problem. They just haven’t come
to us asking for that specifically,” Showalter
said.
The counseling center is open Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second
floor of the student health center.
In a technological age where students can
face judicial charges for on-campus gambling but
legally gamble on the Internet, the real problem
exists with debt and addiction.
The lesson, as learned in Roger’s song, is
to know when to fold ‘em so you don’t have to
run.
