The Hold 'em House at Breakers Billiards in Muncie is attracting a new crowd. Ball State junior Sam Byam said he started playing poker at Breaker's not for the money, but for the competition.
"I play with doctors, lawyers, unemployed people and garbage men," Byam said. "Some people treat you differently because you're young, but, for the most part, you get as much respect as anyone else if you prove you know what you're doing."
Poker tournaments have recently aired on ESPN, the Fox Sports Network and the Discovery Channel, and poker-related products have been featured on the Home Shopping Network. College students, especially men, have taken up poker for the underdog appeal, the opportunity to make extra money and the image that comes with the game.
Lisa Pellerin, assistant professor of sociology, said college students and younger people are playing poker because it has emerged as a popular adult activity.
"They play for the same reasons college kids drink more than older people and drive cars faster than older people," Pellerin said. "It's something that's perceived as adult behavior."
Different leisure activities become popular for younger people at different times. By having poker night like men, college males are demonstrating that they are no longer children, Pellerin said.
Byam said Breakers draws college students because they see younger, inexperienced players being successful and winning money on television tournaments like the World Series of Poker on ESPN.
"On the tournaments [students] see on TV, amateurs win," Byam said. "If an inexperienced person wins once, it'll keep him coming back to play."
Hold 'em House manager Bruce Evans said that since Breakers opened its doors for poker over a year ago, an increased number of college students have been turning out for tournaments.
During a Thursday-night 96-player tournament, 15 to 20 college students play on average, and six or seven of them win big money, Evans said.
Gambling has a reputation of becoming addicting, and Byam said not even college students are immune to addiction.
"Too much of a good thing is never good," Byam said. "It's like anything else. If you do it too much and make it too much a part of your life, it can become an addiction, but it can also be a controlled hobby."
Because so many students have made poker a hobby, Pi Beta Phi sorority has decided to host a Texas Hold 'em poker tournament to raise money for A Better Way in Muncie, among other charities.
"Since no other greek group hosts a poker tournament, we thought this would be a good opportunity to raise money and invite everyone on campus to play," Katie Bills, Pi Beta Phi sorority member said.
Bills said the sorority featured a poker tournament in its week-long Aarowgames competition in the past and had a lot of student interest and participation.
The winner will receive a 500-piece clay poker chip set, and those who place 2-14 will receive gift certificates and smaller prizes.
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