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Teens & gambling: Most students will have gambled before they are seniors
Published: 2005-04-28
 Teens & gambling: Most students will have gambled before they are seniors
April 28, 2005
"Do you think gambling as a teen could cause problems later in life?"
"I don't think so, although gambling has become a big thing with all the boats. I think society has become smarter about it." -- Heather Davis, 12th, Caddo Magnet High.
"I don't think it will affect teens when they are adults." -- Jackson Bridel, 10th, Byrd.
"I think they just play for fun." -- Anne Oden, 10th, Loyola.
"I think it could, especially because teens are starting so young." -- Tyrone Moore, 11th, Airline.
"Yeah, I think so, because it's just like they are practicing now for later on in life." -- Maranda Taylor, 10th, Airline
"Yes, if they are doing it underage then they will probably do it when they get older." -- Erin Semanco, ninth, Airline
-- compiled by Rachel Stevens By Rachel Stevens
Airline High junior
As American as apple pie, baseball and -- poker?
Poker, a popular card game, is becoming one of the nation's fastest-growing hobbies among teenagers.
"Poker is a great game for my friends and I because it gives us time to chill, talk and win or lose some money if we have good luck," said Caddo Magnet High junior Patrick McDonald.
According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, between 78 percent and 91 percent of teens will have gambled before they are seniors in high school.
The study also revealed gambling teens were nearly twice as likely to have used illegal drugs, been in a fight and carried a weapon.
In a study done by professors at LSU Health Sciences Center, 15.9 percent of Louisiana students in sixth through 12th grades admit to having gambling problems and symptoms of addiction. Of those, 8.7 percent have had family fights related to gambling, 4.1 percent stole from family members to gamble and 1.5 percent had gambling-related arrests.
There are a multitude of poker games in existence but the two most popular are Seven Card Stud and Texas Hold 'em. Though traditionally played with tangible cards and opponents, many area teens are participating in online poker. Gaming Web sites allow players to use credit cards to enter tournaments and bet money. This feature is allowing underage gamblers to try their luck at games that in Louisiana can legally be played only by those 21 and older.
Airline High's School Resource Officer, John Nicholson, clarified the legality of teen poker.
"State law is you have to be 21 or older to play video poker," Nicholson said. "As far as a group of teens gambling in a home, it is only illegal when the house takes a cut. If a bunch of friends get together and whoever wins, wins, and whoever loses, loses, that is not illegal. It is illegal when the homeowner takes a portion of the pot for profit."
It is difficult to determine whether one is actually addicted or simply enjoying the game. "We haven't played in a while, but (my friends and I) would play about three times a week, even on school nights," said Loyola College Prep senior Johnathon Cavallo. "It was either study for a test or go play."
According to the American Psychiatric Association, there are 10 indications of a pathological gambler. One must have five of the indications to be considered an addict. The indications include things such as a preoccupation with gambling, the desire to increase the amount of bets, unsuccessful attempts to control gambling and irritability with the attempts, gambling used to escape problems, and chasing losses. The indications also include things such as the addict lying to others to conceal the extent of their problem, committing an illegal act to fund his or her hobby, jeopardizing a significant job or relationship because of gambling and relying on others for financial assistance because of gambling.
"To my knowledge, (the nature of their poker games) are all just for fun. I don't know exactly how often he plays, but I assume it is just occasional," said Cavallo's mother Maggie Stephenson.
Gambling has grown rapidly over the past few decades and there already are eight meetings a week of Gamblers Anonymous just in the Shreveport-Bossier City area.
"The later the age of onset, the less likelihood of having a problem," said Reece Middleton, executive director of the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling. "The earlier one starts gambling, the more likely they are to develop a problem. There is certainly an increase in the problem simply because society is making it available, accessible and acceptable to gamble."
Statistically, it is impossible for any one person to win the pot every single game. Wins occur, but losses are much more frequent. It is impossible to know what cards one's opponents have, thus impossible to have a fail-proof strategy. One can opt not to play, and save his or her money, but often when one has been playing for extended periods of time, he or she bets on cards that do not hold incredibly good odds at winning.
"That's when you really start losing money," Cavallo said. "You lose, but your brain is telling you that you can win your money back. That's when you get addicted; it becomes a pattern of 'one more game'; an emotional roller coaster of lose, win, lose."
Most area teens agree poker is more of a hobby than a future addiction. The pots of teenager poker games are much smaller than those of actual organized casino games.
"I think it's like most things -- some get addicted, but for the majority of teens, it's just a hobby," said Benton High School senior Brian Harner.
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James Woods Shows His Poker Face
Published: 2005-04-25
 James Woods Shows His Poker Face
by Steve Robinson
James Woods
Warning: The following may be hazardous to what you now consider your free time.
James Woods tells TVGuide.com he didn't start playing poker "totally seriously" until "a year and a half ago — Aug. 1, exactly." His enthusiasm for chance and chips has led to his involvement (with his partner, TV poker commentator Vince Van Patten) in HollywoodPoker.com, which offers games for both real and play money.
The real-money games often feature celebrity participants. Mimi Rogers and Mena Suvari are among the frequent — and, says Woods, better — celeb players. For those not ready to stare down over real dough, Woods and Van Patten are launching a second site, HollywoodPoker.net, specifically geared to the novice.
"No one has ever taken advantage of the idea that a lot of people just never want to play for money," Woods declares. "They just want to learn, have a good time and be a part of the poker explosion without taking any kind of risk. We thought if we made a really viable, fun site, almost like a fan club, if you will, eventually our advertising and merchandising would pay for the site. It would be a valuable thing for everyone involved, a win-win situation."
In a first for the actor, Woods wrote, directed and stars with Van Patten in TV commercials for the websites, which hit the air this weekend. "The comedy angle I took in creating the spots," says Woods, "was that Vince and I — both of whom are very good players — think we're both so good, so fabulous, which is the running tag word of the spots.
"And, of course, everybody beats us — including, finally, a cat, who toys with, if you'll pardon the joke, the mouse next to the keyboard. We can't beat anybody. And that's the fun part of the whole idea: If you really learn to play poker well, you can pretty much beat anybody."
The good news is that the commercials are entertaining and funny. The bad news is that HollywoodPoker.com can be addictive, as attested to by many of the friendly opponents this reporter has met since getting sucked in the day after interviewing Woods (hence the warning above). However, I am up over $33,000 — in play money.
"Every year," says Woods, "we see guys who qualified in a $40 online tournament winning the World Series of Poker against the greatest players in the world. They play really well, they have some extraordinary luck and the combination is pretty enticing."
So poker really is anybody's game. Let the dreams begin.
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