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Gambling has found a growing fan base online
Published: 2005-05-24
 Gambling has found a growing fan base online
Posted: Tuesday May 24, 2005 3:46PM; Updated: Wednesday May 25, 2005 1:56PM
"The Internet is for porn."
--Lyrics from the eponymous song featured in the Broadway play Avenue Q
For college-aged men, the most popular clandestine pastime on their PCs may no longer involve Danni Ashe or Cindy Margolis. No, if Trekkie and the rest of the inhabitants of Avenue Q were to reprise their tune, the lyrics might read, "The Internet is for poker."
See that guy who brought his laptop to class, the dude seated in the last row of the lecture hall? Odds are he's on partypoker.com or ultimatebet.com right now. The sophomore in the room across the hall who hasn't opened his door for 14 straight hours -- and yet you know he is there? Chances are he is on paradisepoker.com or bodogsports.com.
They all are playing poker online. Playing as many as four hands simultaneously, while also chatting on their cell phone, IMing friends (or the idiot playing at their "table" who just went all in with a pair of 10s), smoking a joint (to relax themselves) or popping Adderall (to stay alert), even doing homework.
"I'll play 1,500 hands online in six hours," says Grayson, a sophomore attending the University of Florida on an academic scholarship. "No big deal. I chat online or watch TV at the same time. How much homework do I do while I'm playing Hold 'em? Too much. Last week I basically wrote a 10-page paper for my Politics in Film and Fiction course while playing two hands at a time."
And it isn't only college kids who prefer computer poker to live competition. "I rarely play live because I find it too slow and I quickly lose my attention span when playing," says Thomas "Thunder" Keller, who won a bracelet at the 2004 World Series of Poker in Limit Hold 'em. "Instead I opt to play online, often playing as many as eight games at once on two separate computers or playing up to three people headup at once."
Keller's gargantuan intellect seems well suited for the hyperkinetic pace online poker offers. "When I play I often play two or more different games at the same time," he says. "Such as playing two people head-up Hold 'em and one head-up Omaha eight or better or playing two short-handed Hold 'em games, a triple draw game, and a no-limit game."
Sounds simple, right?
According to pokerpulse.com, an industry-tracking site, each day more than $100 million in bets passes through more than 200 online poker sites. A recent look at pokerpulse.com shows that the peak number of "real-money tournament players" on pokerstars.com -- the industry's second-most popular site -- at any one time in the past 24 hours was 24,879. That figure represents a number greater than the undergrad enrollment at the University of Michigan.
Industry estimates are that pokerstars, partypoker.com (the industry leader) and their brethren, all of which are located outside the United States, will generate $10 billion in profits this year. That represents a 40 percent increase over the past year. Can you say "boom?"
The attraction for the college (or high school) student is manifold:
1. Privacy: As with porn, or drinking alone, you need not announce your habit to the world.
2. Accessability: You must be 18 to play online, but who's checking your ID? Meanwhile, you must be 21 to enter a legal casino card room. Besides, when you get home from the bars at 3 a.m. and are jonesing to play a few hands, it's a lot easier to go online than it is to rouse seven of your friends.
3. Education: To begin, most online sites offer free play, which allows the novice to dip a toe in the Hold 'em waters without having to suffer a financial bath. Above that, whether you play for free or set up an account with a credit card, the frequency of hands per hour in an online game versus a cash game with friends is exponentially greater. You can play 150 hands an hour in one game, easily, online. In poker, as with so many endeavors in life, experience is the best teacher.
4. Anonymity: You mucked hole cards that would have won you a $40 pot. You feel dumb. But guess what? No one at your table knows what you look like, much less your real name.
5. Ambition: Every college student with an online poker account is well aware of the fact that 2003 World Series of Poker champion Chris Moneymaker had only played online before he competed in the WSOP -- and won $2.5 million. And if he can do it ... "Absolutely!" cries Eric, an Indiana student, when asked if Moneymaker is his online inspiration.
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Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set is what dad really wants for Father's Day!
Published: 2005-05-20
 Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set is what dad really wants for Father's Day! Packaged in a handsome black lacquered wood "royal flush" case, the poker chips created for this set feature rounded edges for better handling, a unique "rough" feel that allows for easy stacking and shuffling, and a centered logo and authentic casino stripes molded into the chips. High quality heavy-weight clay chips like those in the Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set are preferred by poker players worldwide. (PRNewsFoto)
CINCINNATI, OH USA 05/20/2005
CINCINNATI, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Barbecue tools are boring. Ties are
tired. This Father's Day, chips are hip and all things poker dominate the
most wanted list.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050520/LAFRU4 )
If poker is Dad's passion, trade up his old plastic chips and dog-eared
cards for the Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set from U.S. Playing Card Company
(USPC), and give his poker night the aura of an authentic casino tournament.
It will be hard for him to keep his poker face when you surprise him with this
handsome black lacquered wood "royal flush" case.
Inside, he will find everything he needs to turn poker night into a real
experience: 300 hefty 8-gram professional quality clay-filled chips that offer
the distinctive click heard in top casinos and card rooms around the world,
two decks of premium Bicycle brand cards that stand ready to "shuffle up and
deal," and a Texas Hold'em Rules Sheet for any newcomers to the table.
USPC invites poker enthusiasts to "Feel and Know the Difference" ...
pointing out "all chips are not created equal." The poker chips created for
this set feature rounded edges for better handling. They have a unique
"rough" feel that allows for easy stacking and shuffling. Other chips often
have flat edges and slick finishes that make for difficult shuffling or hand
control. The Bicycle chips yield a rich quality clicking sound, unlike many
others on the market that give off a "pinging" sound when stacked. High
quality heavy-weight clay chips like those in the Bicycle Premium Masters
Poker Set are preferred by poker players worldwide. They feature a centered
logo and authentic casino stripes molded into the chips.
"The Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set was developed to bring a new
element of fun and authenticity to America's favorite card game," said Scott
Kling, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for U.S. Playing Card Company,
the world's leader in playing cards for more than 100 years and the
manufacturer of the best-selling Bicycle and Bee brand cards. Poker is
believed to have popularized by soldiers during the Civil War.
It became the card game of riverboat gamblers and the Old West. US
Playing Card's decks have been the choice of poker players since 1880 and the
Bicycle brand was introduced in 1885. Today, with poker's popularity is at
its peak thanks to televised poker shows, Bicycle cards still stand as the
choice of American card players.
"Home poker games are catching on like wildfire across the country, and
players everywhere are seeking to replicate the kind of poker excitement they
see on television. The right equipment is essential," said Kling.
Dad may beat his opponents, but you can't beat the price or the value of
this handsome set, which retails for approximately $59 at Wal-Mart and
Walgreen's. The Bicycle Premium Masters Poker Set, which is being introduced
at Father's Day, will be in stores year round.
About US Playing Card Company
Founded in 1876, The United States Playing Card Company ("USPC") is the
world's largest manufacturer and distributor of playing cards and a leader in
the marketing of poker chips and sets, collectible tins, puzzles, and card
accessories for the North American retail market. USPC is also the largest
supplier of premium playing cards to casinos worldwide. USPC brands include
Bee (R), Bicycle (R), Hoyle (R), and Aviator (R). USPC's International
holdings include Naipes Heraclio Fournier, S.A., a leading playing card
manufacturer in Europe. USPC is a division of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH).
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