National poker craze sweeps into Cache Valley

By Lee Wilson

March 14, 2005 | One does not need to look very hard to find a card game at Utah State, with stakes that vary anywhere from a couple of dollars to no bet limit at all. It seems playing poker is now a social event that is becoming as popular as going to the movies or going to watch the Aggies play.

Poker originated in the 1830s according to Pokerpages.com. It says Jonathan H. Green was the first to make written references to what he then called the "cheating game," which consisted of just 20 cards. It first started being played on Mississippi riverboats. Green changed the name of the game to poker.

Numerous variations of poker have evolved through the years. The variation popular right now is Texas Hold'em, which has become as mainstream as Uno. In Hold'em there are a total of five community cards everyone can see, and then each player has two cards of their own. Between the seven cards, players use the best five to put together combinations of cards in an effort to beat their opponents.

Accessibility to the game has grown in recent years. ESPN hosts the World Series of Poker every year, the Bravo channel has Celebrity Poker Showdown, and access on the Internet has never been easier. Counseling Center representative Grace Riley, from Towson University, in Baltimore, says students are right in the middle of it all.

"College-aged students are the number one bracket in the poker craze," she said. "A 2004 study found college students three times higher to have a gambling issue than the adult population."

Poker products and paraphernalia were avalaible at almost every department store last holiday season and were one of the hottest items, according to managers at both Meir & Frank and Dillards in the Provo Towne Center. Both said they sold out of the 500-peice poker sets this Christmas. There are now various poker sets and tables available, as well as teaching videos, electronic games and with actual casinos only a few hours away, real gambling is always a short road trip away for USU students.

Students here at USU are taking a liking to the game as well. Two of the biggest events put on at USU this year have been a Charity Texas Hold'em Tournament put together by Sigma Phi Epsilon, and the annual Mardi Gras. According to Dave Osmond, programming vice president of Sig Ep, their tournament was a huge success.

"We had over 120 players show up with a buy-in of at least $15 to play some good clean Hold'em, while all the proceeds went to our national charity," said Osmond. "We were very pleased with the turn out."

Osmond said the event raised just over $3,000 for YouthAids and gave students an opportunity to win prizes such as DVD players and poker sets.

Mardi Gras is put on every year by ASUSU. This event brings thousands of students into the Taggart Student Center giving them a chance to play Hold'em as well as Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps. No money is involved in this event. Students are simply given chips as they enter the casino room at the event.

Several poker players on television wear hats or sunglasses to hide their eyes and any emotions that may be given away through facial expressions. When students play, they seem to get into it to the point of dressing up as well. Whether the reason is for strategic purposes or more so for fun is unknown.

Mark Brough, a senior in economics, said he has grown to love the game of poker. "I love the strategy, the mind games, and the general competition," he said. "Plus it's a great time with the boys to relax and unwind."

Students said they play for fun, some for candy, and some for the cold hard cash.

This worries authorities for several reasons. Utah is one of only two states where all forms of gambling are illegal. Growth in popularity for poker has not changed any laws which determine that gambling with money is not allowed. With most games in private locations, it is hard to for these laws to be enforced.

Some, like Dan Boudrero, a junior is political science, say that poker is risky business for college students.

"Poker is OK if used for entertainment and fun, but it seems too easy to get wrapped into it," he said. "College is hard enough without things tempting you to lose what little money we have as students."

Bryan Dewey, a sophomore in biology, said, "People get themselves to believe in the gambler's fallacy, that they can get something for nothing and earn a quick buck."

It is easy to see that not everyone shares the enthusiasm about this growing craze. As well as having thousands of gambling sites, the Internet has several sites available to help those who have become addicted to this pastime. One such site is gamblersanonymous.org which tries to help gamblers who feel they have become at all addicted. The site gives a 20 question quiz to assess if someone migh be addicted. A few of the questions include:

-Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
-Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
-After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?

The site says if seven of the 20 questions are answered with a "yes," there is a good chance that person is addicted and may need help.

It is undesputable that poker is becoming more popular, but at the same time, some say it is becoming a bigger problem as well. It is recommended to have fun with these kind of games but to watch yourself and never go beyond your limits.

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