The Daily Collegian

While war, national disasters, economic instability and educational inequality all besmirch our nation's reputation, none of those will bring this country to its knees harder and faster than poker. What started off as a game, usually the focal point to some sort of ritualistic guy's night, has grown to become a national obsession. I cannot think of anything more pathetic.

I think it happened last year. Every night a certain group of individuals would assemble in the Butterfield lounge; they would play games of hold'em every night for hours. I watched my friends become so consumed with the game that it became the only thing they could talk about. So it was the only thing I heard.

Addiction continued in the fall, after a long summer without a fix my poker playing buddies were jonezing for a quickie. With crisp five dollar bills ready to go they embarked on yet another semester of late nights and more tales of epic pocket pairs and bad beats.

Poker is often subject to criticism by those morally opposed to gambling. While morally I see nothing wrong with gambling, I find it an irresponsible waste of time and money, both of which are hard to come by for a typical student. Hours spent posting blinds, bluffing and going all in, are hours away from the books. I also guarantee taking up a part time job in place of poker will provide a more consistent means of income. For every success story of college students making sacks full of money at the poker table, there are 10 stories of students going broke tossing chips into the pot.

I don't know quite when America fell in love with poker, and no one really is to blame. Overnight groups of friends started dealing cards, breaking out cheap plastic chips and having a good time playing a little hold'em. Soon the games got a little more serious, friends became opponents and those cheap plastic chips were upgraded to expensive clay casino style chips. The stakes of the games went up, and all of a sudden everyone and their mother were playing poker.

Soon America got online, and the stakes went up yet again. All of a sudden countless individuals are punching in credit card numbers online to partake in online poker. Now anyone with a couple of bucks and a computer can get online and blow their savings trying to double up at a high stakes table.

"Since its establishment in the late 1990s, poker has become one of the fastest growing segments of the online gaming market, growing from estimated revenues of $92 million in 2002 to $365 million in 2003 and $1,048 million in 2004," stated an article that appeared on PartyGaming.com, "In 2004, online poker generated approximately 13 percent of global online gaming market revenue, an increase of 100 percent from 2003."

The online poker industry has erupted, especially among college students. The allure of being able to go online and make a few quick bucks has led to numerous students burning more cash then the Bush administration.

More than 500 UMass students list poker as an interest on facebook.com, and there are eight groups dedicated to the game. Poker is here, gambling is here and the ramifications are real. Once upon a time gambling only took place in casinos, but now the same opportunities that exist on the floor of the most spectacular casinos are present in a dingy dorm room so long as OIT hasn't shut your Internet off.

Perhaps regulations should exist barring online gambling; after all gambling is illegal. It's logical that these Web sites should have stricter restrictions placed on them; they are making huge sums of money and are left virtually un-scrutinized and unregulated.

Adding to America's love affair with poker is the constant television coverage that tournaments receive. ESPN broadcasts the world series of poker annually, NESN hosted a Boston/New York tournament and just about every other cable network covers poker in some manner. Celebrity poker is becoming popular, leaving me to ponder ... who could possibly care how Jason Alexander plays a straight draw against Joey Fatone?

All of a sudden professional poker players are being treated like actual athletes. They're becoming famous for playing poker; they are sponsored, paid and expected to perform. I can't think of a bigger group of anti-social nerds than that of professional poker players, and anyone who dares to call poker a sport is just as pathetic as the game itself.

Poker is a waste of time; a fad that with time, will pass. And for those college students with serious aspirations to become professional poker players, enjoy your parents basement for the next decade.

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