Poker games attract full house

Poker great Doyle Brunson once referred to Texas Hold ' Em as the Cadillac of all poker games. It ' s been said to be a game that takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master.

The rules are simple enough: Everyone is dealt two cards face down. There ' s a round of betting. Next, the dealer flips over three face-up community cards. Another round of betting occurs. The dealer then flips over a " Turn " community card. The players bet again.

Finally the dealer flips over the final " River " community card followed by a final round of betting. The player with the best five-card poker hand made from their two face-down cards and the five community cards takes the winnings, or the " pot. "

The simple learning curve of the game, combined with the intrigue of winning big money, has pushed Hold ' Em poker into the category of a culture phenomenon.

There are poker tournaments shown daily on television. Tilt, ESPN ' s new hit show, is based around the life of three Texas Hold ' Em players. The movie Rounders was a hit based on the world of underground poker.

Restaurants across the nation offer " poker nights " as an attraction. There are over two dozen poker " rooms " online, where you can compete for real or play money against anyone in the world. There ' s even a commission running to make poker an official Olympic sport.

Interest in Hold ' Em poker soared around college campuses largely thanks to the popular ESPN TV series, the World Series of Poker. On the show, viewers get a hidden peek at the professional players ' two face-down cards and see how the real card sharks play the game in real tournaments.

" It ' s because of the World Series of Poker that I ' m addicted to the game, " said Tyler Davis, a first-year Management major. " I just thought if those ugly men on TV could win, why couldn ' t I? "

Not everyone has been jumping on the poker bandwagon, however. Some students have been poker fans from early-on - though now they may have more outlets to play the game.

" [I] started playing with my dad at one of his poker games when I was about 10, " said Daniel Myhrberg, a fourth-year Computer Science major.

Luckily, Davis and Myhrberg are not alone in their poker addiction.

" I play poker online almost every day, " said first-year undecided engineer major Alexander Clark. " It ' s a lot of fun - especially when you ' re winning. "

In some cases, poker can even be a source of income.

" Let me put it this way: playing poker without money is like bowling without keeping score, " Clark said. " Not only is it pointless, but you also lose the ability to bluff and semi-bluff at the pot. Thus it really negates the thrill of playing the game in the first place. "

State law prohibits gambling for money, but students can gamble online legally. In addition, some students question the ability to enforce gambling in the dorms.

" I just don ' t see how they would enforce the law, " said first-year undecided engineering major Matthew Fallacara, who plays poker regularly. " People I know bet on sports all the time; it isn ' t really anything different to bet on cards. I mean, after all, it ' s your money. "

So where can a student get some poker action? " You can pretty much find a game anywhere, " said Fallacara. " If you can ' t get together a bunch of friends, you can usually find a game at a fraternity party. Rocky Mountain Pizza offers poker nights. I mean, even the school offers poker events, you just have to look. "

So what is it about a game of cards that makes its appeal time after time?

" It ' s the thrill of the game, " Clark said. " I bet you won ' t find another game where a person ' s heartbeat can go over 120 bpm by sitting around a table. "

Myhrberg said, " I guess it is just fun to gamble - kind of puts all that time you spend learning odds in school to some use. "

And if nothing else, Clark says poker offers something specific to male students of Tech that is simply invaluable.

" When I ' m playing poker, I hardly ever think about girls, " he said.