Deuces, flushes, and aces full have become common vocabulary words for those caught up in the Texas Hold'em craze, and it has stuck around too long to be called a mere fad. Though the allure of winning a big jackpot is what keeps students playing, a healthy dose of advertising might be helping make it an addiction.
While it's no big surprise that poker tournaments, and gambling in general, have recently become more popular among young adults, the prevalence of ads and products related to the market is still growing exponentially. Texas Hold'em paraphernalia is everywhere: from chip sets and books on strategy in Barnes and Noble, to tournaments for the celebrities on cable television.
Gambling however, often a recreational activity, has the potential to become a negative fixation when too much money and time is involved. Students, influenced by advertisements and the allure of gambling can potentially spend so much time and money on gambling that it takes away from their ability to do well in school.
Adam Schwick, a junior anthropology major, frequently gets together with his friends for poker nights.
"If you're talking about poker, I have cut myself down to about once or twice a week, but my friends play three or four times a week," said Schwick. "If they could though they would play all the time. Once in a while we bet on sports also."
As far as the increase in advertisement for gambling goes, Schwick said that their regularity frequently influences him and his peers to play.
"Considering one in ten of every commercial I see on TV now is for a gambling Web site for Texas Hold'em, I'd say it has an effect," he said.
In addition, Schwick noted that the casino's that are being built here in Buffalo will make it easier for students to access gambling.
"It's going to be a big draw toward those students who enjoy a little gambling,' he said.
Michael Berkey a junior undecided major, had much stronger and negative feelings on the issue of the casinos.
"People would gamble their book money if they had the chance. Those casinos could potentially screw up a lot of peoples lives," said Berkey.
Although the new casinos being developed in Buffalo have the potential to draw in na??ve students, the casinos in Canada have always been within reach, close by, and with a legal gambling age of 19.
Of course, while Texas Hold'em is definitely popular among college students, it is not the only thing that people at UB are gambling on. According to the Coalition Against Gambling in New York, 7.4 million Americans gambled online in 2005, and online gambling sites made a profit of $7.5 million.
Fantasy football, an Internet game in which football fans draft their own teams and compete against the teams of other participants, has become a favorite for a lot of crazed sports fans.
"You 'draft' real players in the NFL to be on your team," said Ronald David Hence, a freshman undecided major.
Hence said that fantasy football could potentially prevent a person from being as successful in school as they could be, because of the game can be so time consuming.
"Someone might think about it all day effecting what they do and how they do it; just forget about everything that's actually important and only focus on how they can make their team better than the rest," said Hence.
He also explained that in classes where students are able to use the computer and go on the internet to do in class assignments, many are inclined to check their Fantasy Football scores instead of do the work they were assigned, clearly letting gambling get in the way with their success. Hence knows that a lot of people are hooked on the game, and admits it.
"I'd usually check as soon as I got back from class, too," he said.
Although Fantasy Football can be played without betting any money, many people prefer to take their chances.
"You can play without betting money, but it's not as much fun that way," said John DeMartino, a junior undecided major.
There is something more alluring to a game when there is gambling involved: the chance of winning money, of course.
"I don't gamble because you could get addicted and when you do get addicted you spend more money than you have," said Herby Joseph, a freshman architecture major.
Joseph bets on sports games with friends sometimes but doesn't gamble frequently or on games like Texas Hold'em.
"Why? Because you have more of a chance of losing," said Joseph. "Gambling is tricky money."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
