Casinos say: Deal me in

By Susannah Rosenblatt
Los Angeles Times
K.M. CANNON / AP, 2003
Chris Moneymaker of Spring Hill, Tenn., celebrates winning the 34th annual World Series of Poker over Ihsan "Sam" Farha, seated right, at Binion's Horseshoe & Casino in Las Vegas in May 2003.
LAS VEGAS — It's a weekday afternoon in the poker room at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, and something strange is going on: It's packed.
The 30 tables wedged into a far corner of the casino are filled, mostly with young and middle-aged men clicking chips and shuffling cards, as a line of people waiting to ante up spills out the door.
"The game has been revived," said Bill Thompson, a public-administration professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of a gambling encyclopedia. "Until the last four or five years, [poker] had sort of been an old man's game for Friday nights."
But thanks to televised tournaments and a handful of celebrity card players lending glamour to the game, poker has exploded into popular culture — forcing Vegas casinos to jump on the bandwagon.
Caesars Palace is expected to announce plans to open its first poker room in more than a decade. The MGM Grand will reopen its poker room — closed for years — in March. Bally's unveiled new poker tables over the summer, and the Mirage added more tables. Several other Strip casinos are considering expanding their poker operations or creating new ones.
"You can't find a casino in Vegas that isn't scrambling to open up a poker room in order to get people in it," said Steven Lipscomb, creator of the televised World Poker Tour and president of WPT Enterprises.
Most players deal in Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud or Omaha, with bets starting at a few dollars and reaching thousands of dollars.
Don McGhie, a gaming consultant, said poker accounted for a small percentage of a casino's profits and that the rooms usually were buried in casinos' nooks and crannies.
To make money off poker, a game where players compete against one another, casinos skim a percentage of a table's winnings, charge a fee per hand or, in higher-stakes games, charge for the time a table is used.

But expanding poker offerings isn't only about cashing in; it also entices a new generation of gamblers to Sin City.
"Poker is more of an experience," said Scott Ghertner, director of sports and promotions for MGM Mirage.
And it's a safe bet that some poker players will wander into the craps and blackjack pits — pouring easy money into casino coffers — when they're not holding out for the next flush.
"It's such a popular game right now; it's driving a lot of patrons into these properties," said Dennis Neilander, chairman of the Nevada gaming-control board.
As the game favored by cowboys and World War II soldiers faded in popularity, many casinos folded their poker rooms in the 1990s, replacing them with more lucrative slot machines, Thompson said.
But the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker — where regular-guy amateurs have taken home championship millions — and Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" have hooked a new, younger viewing audience on the classic card game. The WPT's "Battle of Champions," which aired on NBC in February, drew an estimated 10 million viewers.
"It just exploded," said Jack McClelland, poker-tournament director at the Bellagio and a 28-year industry veteran. Lipscomb described the game's renaissance as a "social phenomenon."
The World Series of Poker competition at Binion's Horseshoe Hotel & Casino used to draw several hundred contestants, but more than 2,500 card players raised the stakes this year, competing for nearly $50 million in prize money. The World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, which employs a tiny camera that reveals players' face-down "hole" cards, went from 14 tournaments and $10 million in prize money in 2002-03 to 16 planned tournaments worth $70 million this year.
"Real people can relate to it," McClelland said. "They can see it happening to them."
Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

Australians Make Their Mark on the British Poker Circuit

UK -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Australian Poker players are taking their British counterparts to 'the cleaners' at Europe's biggest online Poker site – www.ladbrokespoker.com.
"Australians have the best percentage return figures of any nation at Ladbrokes Poker. Basically they are beating up the European players who are running scared. It seems to be a strange combination of aggression and patience that makes Australians stand out" said Albert Tapper, General Manager of Ladbrokes.
Top Australian player at Ladbrokes Poker is Tino Lechich, whose screen name on ladbrokespoker.com is "Maxypaxy". His biggest win so far is winning a seat worth $26,875 US into Europe's biggest poker tournament, 'The Poker Million' which carries a first prize of $1,000,000 and is open to a select field of 72 of Europe's finest Poker players – and 'Maxypaxy'. The event will be covered live on Sky Television in the UK this year and around the world to an estimated audience of 100 million.
Poker is booming in Australia, and the country's biggest event, the Aussie Millions, takes place shortly at the Crown Casino in Melbourne from the 6th to the 20th January 2005.
Ladbrokespoker.com are now directly targeting this burgeoning local interest in Poker. The firm are putting on a special 'freeroll' tournament for a seat at the Aussie Millions main poker event, starting at 17:15 AEDT on Tuesday 4th January 2005. (06:15 GMT). First prize is a $10,000 AUD seat and three nights accommodation at the Crowne Promenade Hotel on the 18th, 19th and 20th January. A further $1,700 USD will be paid out to places 2-50th.
For more information on the entry details and a free download of the poker software, players can visit www.ladbrokespoker.com.
About Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes, the betting and gaming division of Hilton Group plc, is the world's biggest bookmaker. It provides its customers with a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service via over 2000 licensed betting shops in the UK, Ireland and Belgium, state of the art call centres in London and Liverpool and its interactive services. Over 400,000 registered customers from 160 countries bet on the Internet with Ladbrokes at www.ladbrokes.com and at the online casino www.ladbrokescasino.com.
Ladbrokes Poker is Europe's busiest Poker site with over $10m stake every day. Over 400,000 hands of Poker are dealt every day and at peak times over 6,000 people will be playing against each other.

Woman Allegedly Beats Husband With Poker

89-Year-Old Neb. Woman Accused of Beating 88-Year-Old Husband With Fireplace Poker, Police Say
OMAHA, Neb. Dec 28, 2004 — An 89-year-old Omaha woman has been charged with first-degree assault for allegedly beating her 88-year-old husband with a fireplace poker, police said.
Lulu and Stanley Bach were arguing at their home Monday when the attack occurred, Sgt. Teresa Negron said. Lulu Bach, who was in jail Tuesday, also was charged with use of a weapon to commit a felony.
Stanley Bach told police that his wife repeatedly hit him on the head with the poker.
Stanley Bach called a rescue squad for himself and was taken to a hospital. Officers at the hospital noticed injuries over his entire body. He remained hospitalized Tuesday.

Poker coming to Ameriplex

Saturday January 1, 2005
Poker Prodigy LLC will be holding a five-week poker tournament starting with registration at 6 p.m. Monday at Joe’s Grille No. 7 in the Ameriplex. The tournament will feature $800 in cash and prizes. The top 10 winners will be eligible for an invitational tourney, with those top 10 eligible for an end tournament where they could win a World Series of Poker buy-in.

Poker Game Interrupted By Armed Robbers

Men Had Weapons

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A group of poker players said they were robbed Thursday night in Upper Arlington by two armed men, NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported.
The incident happened at about 11 p.m. at a condominium on Dierker Road.
Fourteen people were playing cards when they said two men entered the home and demanded money. Both men were reportedly carrying handguns.
Investigators said the robbers took cash, wallets and a purse and left.
Police have no suspects.
Earlier this month, robbers interrupted a poker game in Buckeye Lake. Police have not said if there is a connection between the two robberies.

Swish Casino sets up first Swish Poker Tour

The 2005 year will bring a lot of enthusiasm and gambling passion to the customers of Swish Casino. At least 1,000 regular online poker players will embark on The Swish Poker Tour, which starts in January.

The structure of the tournament, founded by online casino Swishcasino.com, will be familiar to gamblers as it is based on the popular televised poker events such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour. The organizers promise that participants will have cash prizes and many other prizes every week.

According to Pokernews.info, the event, based on generally accepted no limit Texas Hold 'em rules, will be held via the swishcasino.com software every Sunday. The players should pay $20 buy-in fee to get access to the competition.

Points and of course cash will be awarded to the best finishing players with the top monthly players getting additional money or rewards. Each month the tour starts again, giving all players a shot at the big time.

"The online poker industry is desperately in need for something that follows the structure of the television events seen every day. It'll be a huge hit!" commented on the potential success of the Swish Poker Tour Tony G, the PokerNews.info website owner and industry expert.

Poker champ fends off robbers at Vegas casino

Associated Press

Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion, apparently knows how to wield more than a stack of chips.
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The soft-spoken patent lawyer from Stonington, Conn., fought off a pair of attackers Dec. 20 at Las Vegas' Bellagio hotel-casino after he had finished playing a cash game of poker, according to a police report. Raymer was returning to his room about 2 a.m. when two men approached, the report said. As he opened the door to the room, they tried to push him in.
The heavyset Raymer resisted and began struggling with the men, the report said. As he was fighting, one of the men pulled out a gun and said: "We just want the money." But Raymer didn't give up — he yelled for security, causing the men to flee. Police made an arrest in the case, but the report didn't identify the person.

Out with the old, in with the Bowls

Rick Pedone Sports
Editorrpedone@osceolanewsgazette.com

Welcome to the News-Gazette’s New Year’s Football Extravaganza, chock full of good stuff to steer you through another happy holiday weekend.
Normally we’d wait until New Year’s Day to spill more pigskin brilliance upon you, but the Gators and Hurricanes are dancing in Atlanta on Friday, and Young Jackson is hard at work even as we speak preparing his infamous (Or is that insufferable?) “Kenny Awards” for Saturday. I’m not sure how good it will be, since he’s spending most of his time looking for champagne and poker chips.
As for the bowl games, we made the command decision to ignore just about all of them. Because, just about all of them are meaningless (thank you, BCS). Not that those team orange juice squeeze-offs aren’t a sight to behold!
Being good, upstanding faux-Floridians, however, we will dabble with the Gators-Canes at the Peach Bowl and the ‘Noles and Mountaineers at the Gator Bowl. And, Young Jackson seems determined to make a statement about the Capital One Bowl up the road. I think he wants the LSU coaching job.
The best news about the NFL schedule this week is that the Dolphins aren’t playing in prime time again. Nothing says, “bring on basketball” like a Fins-Browns tussle the night after Christmas.
Of course, nothing says Happy New Year like the Mighty News-Gazette Bubbly Top 13:
No 1: Dick Clark (Who’s on injured reserve Friday); No. 2: Guy Lombardo (Mr. Happy New Year before Clark took over); No. 3: The dropping ball at Times Square; No. 4: Peyton Manning’s 49th TD pass ball; No. 5: Young Jackson, the Belle of the Ball; No. 6: Reggie, the Minister of Defense. No. 7: Regis, the meister of this New Year’s Eve; No. 8: Champagne; No. 9: Noisemakers (not kids, the things you blow into); No. 10: Tylenol and Alka Seltzer (a carryover from last week); No. 11: After-Christmas sales; No. 12: Pre-New Year’s Sales; No. 13: 2004, sailing into the sunset.
Our bellicose bowl picks:
Peach Bowl — Florida vs. Miami (-3): The Gators have to win this to put the perfect touch on a wacko season. Reptiles by 4.
Gator Bowl — FSU (-8) vs. West Virginia: The epitome of meaningless. Neither of these teams, or their fans, wants to be here. ‘Noles by 3.
Capital One Bowl — LSU (-6 1/2) vs. Iowa: Will the Tigers win one for Saban? No? How about Jackson? Double no? Okay. Hawkeyes by 6.
Sugar Bowl — Auburn (-6 1/2) vs. Virginia Tech: An undefeated SEC champion that won’t win the national championship. So, tell us again how well this BCS thing is working out. War Eagle by 4.
Orange Bowl — USC (-3) vs. Oklahoma: Auburn should get a crack at this winner, which will be … Sooners by 6.
The paid professionals:
Miami at Baltimore: This has 3-0 written all over it. Ravens get the 3.
Tampa Bay at Arizona (-1): Let’s see, watch this or take down Xmas lights? Up on the roof we go. Cards by 2.
Jacksonville at Oakland: My record with the Jags: 5-10. I think that gets me the NFC wild card. Jags by 2.
N.Y. Jets at St. Louis: Both teams need this. J-E-T-S by 3.
Indianapolis at Denver (-8 1/2): If it’s cold enough, and if it snows hard enough, and if Peyton misses the plane out west … Oh, what the heck, Broncs by 3.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo (-9): No Big Ben and Buffalo’s still in playoff hunt. Looks like … Wild Bills by 4.
New Orleans at Carolina (-7): Winner’s in the playoffs. Cats by 2.
Minnesota at Washington: Perfect place for looney Vikes to choke, so they probably won’t. Vikes by 3.
Young Jackson says: LSU BY SEVEN (the CAPITAL One Bowl, remember?), USC by 4 in The Only NCAA Game Left That Matters, IndyColts by 3 … and a sneak peek for Saturday — Jewelry of the Year: Lance’s LiveStrong bracelets by a handlebar over Michael Phelps’ six gold medals.
Last week: A Ho Ho Hum 4-3 (116-62) for Party Leader out-bubbled Party Boy’s 2-5 (112-66).

Hot Poker

ESPN hopes to capitalize on poker's popularity with its new series, Tilt, debuting at 9 p.m. Jan. 13.

A preview is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Hosted by ESPN World Series of Poker commentator Norman Chad, the 30-minute special features scenes from the series, which dramatizes the lives of professional poker players. The special features interviews with the show's writing team of Brian Koppelman and David Levien as well as the series' stars: Michael Madsen, Eddie Cibrian and Kristin Lehman. Viewers also will be treated to outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage.

Stonington Poker Champ Fights Off Attacks At Las Vegas Strip Hotel-casino

‘I just want any robbery-minded people out there who hear about this to know that I'm a tough mark, and they won't get that much off me even if they succeed.'
By AP
Published on 12/30/2004

Las Vegas (AP) — Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion, apparently knows how to wield more than a stack of chips when everything is riding on it.

The soft-spoken patent attorney from Stonington fought off a pair of attackers Dec. 20 at the Bellagio hotel-casino after he had finished playing a cash game of poker, according to a Las Vegas police report.

Raymer, 40, was returning to his room about 2 a.m. when two men jumped him, Raymer said in an interview. Raymer said the men then tried to push him in the room.

But the heavyset Raymer resisted and began struggling with the men, the report said. As he was fighting, one of the men pulled out a gun and said: “We just want the money.”

But Raymer didn't give up, and yelled for security after knocking one of the men down, he said. Seconds later, the men fled the hallway.

A security officer said one of the suspects was a poker player and also recognized him from a previous incident. Police made an arrest in the case but the report didn't identify the person.

Raymer, known as the “Fossilman” in poker circles, won the WSOP Texas Hold'Em title and $5 million in cash. He beat out a field of 2,576 in May to win the prestigious event.

On a poker message board, Raymer recently wrote: “I don't write this to brag, I just want any robbery-minded people out there who hear about this to know that I'm a tough mark, and they won't get that much off me even if they succeed.”

Poker Champ Fights off Heist Attempt

December 30, 2004 · World Series of Poker champ Greg Raymer recently fought back against two men who tried to rob him at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. One of the men finally told him, "We just want the money," but they apparently didn't realize whom they were dealing with. Police have since arrested a suspect in the case.

Online Poker Site to Donate Proceeds to Tsunami Relief

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Online poker leader AbsolutePoker.com has announced that it will donate all tournament fees from this Saturday's activity to the International Red Cross to be dedicated to helping those people injured or left homeless by last weekend's earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in Southeast Asia.

Poker Room Manager Gian Perroni estimates that this amount will reach $25,000, and plans are in the works to provide additional opportunities for players to also make direct donations. "We have an incredibly generous group of players on our site," said Mr. Perroni, "and we believe that they will join us in trying to make an effort to help those that have suffered too greatly this past week." In addition to the overall tournament buy-in fees, AbsolutePoker will be hosting a special Tsunami Tourney on Wednesday, January 5, in order to raise funds.
Established in 2002, Absolute Poker is one of the leading poker sites on the Internet. Licensed and regulated in Canada, Absolute Poker provides a selection of online poker games to players from around the world.
For information:
AbsolutePoker.com
Gian Perroni
Poker Room Manager
gian@absolutepoker.com
1-800-471-1970
Quelle: AbsolutePoker.com

Twentysomethings reflect on election, the war, poker and blogs

PITTSBURGH In 2004, twenty-somethings couldn't ignore the election, and worried the next call-up or casualty from Iraq would be someone they knew.

But they also had distractions: Poker and some of the best video games in years. Looking back on the year, most twenty-somethings immediately mention last month's election, with voter registrations at clubs, celebrity endorsements and fashion statements such as "Vote or Die." They kept up to date with Web logs, or "blogs," tracking the latest from Iraq and the presidential campaigns. Even when relaxing, they didn't go far from the television or computer. A resurgence in poker and other card games was fueled in part by programs like E-S-P-N's "The World Series of Poker" and new online gaming opportunities. The hotly anticipated "Halo 2" and other new video games hooked even casual gamers on the X-Box or Playstation 2. Twenty-seven-year-old Keith Stockdale in Pittsburgh calls video games "the new form of T-V." Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Catch Celebrity Poker on TV and Polish Your Online Casino Skills

30 December 2004

The online casino phenomenon has no doubt given way to the recent rise in poker popularity. Poker is being played at online casinos, on web TV, and recently some televised poker games have been getting some pretty high ratings. The recent World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour competitions were also both huge successes. Bravo recently created a new TV show that features some of your favorite celebrities playing poker on a weekly television series. It combines great poker playing with celebrity antiques and has already started to make some waves. If you are interested in poker you may even be able to pick up some tips from the show Celebrity Poker and use them when play at an online casino. The original series Celebrity Poker Showdown will return on a new night with an all new tournament featuring twenty-five stars competing for $250,000 for charity. Each tournament will consist of six two-hour episodes. The new season will be hosted by comedian Dave Foley (Will & Grace, The Kids in the Hall.) with expert commentary from poker pro Phil Gordon. Gordon is a world class poker player who has won $1,150,000 in poker tournaments in the last two years including a fourth place finish in the 2001 World Series of Poker, a first place finish in the World Poker Tour: Aruba (professional division) in 2002 and most recently a first place finish at the World Poker Tour: Bay 101 Shooting Stars Tournament. Filmed before a live audience at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, each episode of Celebrity Poker Showdown will feature five celebrities competing against each other for a piece of the $250,000 NetZero Internet prize pool in a game of No Limit Texas Hold'em poker for the charity of their choice. Each week a new crop of stars will take to the table to challenge their peers. The winner from each week's game will go on to compete in the championship final sixth episode. Viewers will have the inside track on the hands the different players are holding via hidden cameras. They will also be able to hear from the eliminated players, who will watch the remainder of their respective matches from the "Loser's Lounge," via closed circuit television. All players are guaranteed at least $5,000 in prize money for their chosen charity. Just for making it to the finals, fifth place will win $7,500, fourth place will win $10,000, third place will win $12,500 and second place will walk away with $20,000 for their charity. The Celebrity Poker Showdown champions will each walk away with $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Poker phase

Thursday, December 30, 2004

By Amber Smith

Staff writer

Odds are good that you're on the receiving end of at least one of the multitude of poker sets for sale this holiday season. If so, you're part of the hottest trend not only in casino gaming, but in family and friend game nights.

Popularized by television coverage of tournaments, specialty magazines that glorify players and dissect winning strategies, and Internet sites that let you play for free, poker was this year's Tickle Me Elmo. So says Randy Harris, owner of Bullseye Darts and Billiards in North Syracuse. "It's the hottest gift-giving item this year," he says. "It's crazy. I run out every week."

Holiday demand for all things poker has exceeded expectations and is expected to continue, says Scott Kling, vice president of sales for the United States Playing Card Co., which makes World Poker Tour and Bicycle cards and chip sets. "We're already taking orders for Christmas 2005."

He says Toys "R" Us placed a third order to restock sold-out poker sets, Nordstrom has requested two additional shipments, and Sam's Club is selling out of its exclusive World Poker Tour portable wood-case poker sets with 400 clay chips.

Poker is everywhere, in toy stores, high-end department stores, drug stores and supermarkets, and seemingly everyone is playing it, from teens and 'tweens to college students and young adults, men and women, Kling says.

Poker is hot for three reasons, says Jeff Shulman, co-publisher of Card Player Magazine:

Television coverage lets you see the players bluff, something previously impossible unless you were at the table with them.

With so much money involved, it's become a modern lottery.

People of all ages are discovering that it's a fun game.

"The game that everyone is playing right now is No Limit Texas Hold'em," Shulman says. "At any point, you can lose all of your chips. It's much more dramatic, much more exciting and has a much larger bluff factor. There's nothing more exciting than having successful bluffs."

The game's not always so dramatic. In Syracuse apartments and dorm rooms, students find playing poker is a reason to get together. "It's the social aspect, of getting your friends around the table, laughing, being serious," says Frank Alosa, of Concord, N.H., a junior broadcast journalism major at Syracuse University. He says one night during finals week he got offers to play in three different poker games.

Poker is appealing because "you could be the worst student and the most ungifted athlete in the world and still compete at a high level," he says.

Card Player's Shulman acknowledges: "It's something that's so easy to be pretty good at, but can take a lifetime to master."

Al Krux, of Fayetteville, knows that. He has played poker professionally for 30 years and made three trips to the championship table at the World Series of Poker. This year he finished sixth, winning an $800,000 cut of the $16.12 million purse at Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas.

He says poker rooms are filled with young people who have learned the game on the Internet. He doesn't play online "because one of the big points of my game is to be able to sit with my opponent face-to-face at the table."

Winning Texas Hold'em, Krux says, is determined by the value of your starting cards and how well you can read your opponents. Winning over the long run is even trickier. "No one wins all the time. If you limit your losses and manage your money, you can manage your downsides. There's a lot of folks that can't do it. They'll lose the majority of their bankroll. They just can't walk away from the table. That song, 'know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em,' is very true."

Calls to the help line at the New York Council on Problem Gambling are up about 30 percent this year, according to executive director Jim Maney, who says the state's new casinos, new lottery games and the rise in poker popularity with teens are to blame. He says the earlier kids are exposed to gambling, the more likely they are to develop a gambling problem.

Most problem gamblers started playing poker or other games before age 14, he says. "It's almost like cigarettes. Do we really want them to start smoking at 14?"

Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, cautions that gambling is not only a financial risk but a health risk. He says rates of depression and attempted suicide are high among gamblers, and kids who gamble are likely to be involved in other risky behaviors, such as binge drinking and truancy.

"Have that talkwith your kids like you would about drugs and alcohol," says Whyte. Tell them to set a limit and stick to it; not to gamble when they're angry or upset; never to gamble on credit; and learn the warning signs of addiction.

They include: preoccupation with the game; a loss of control; and a tolerance, meaning you need to gamble larger amounts of money to achieve the same level of satisfaction.

"This does parallel substance abuse," he says.

Some parents favor poker. They say it has replaced video games as a popular pastime and has their kids sitting and socializing with others.

Party planner Lisa Webb, of Minoa, says her 8-year-old son, Colton, played poker with his friends at his Monte Carlo-themed birthday party last May. "The kids thought it was soooo cool," she recalls.

Colton "absolutelyloves" poker, plays regularly with his grandfather, Tom Yole, and regularly beats him, she says. The game helps him hone math and logistics skills, Webb says: "It's almost like being a statistician."

If you didn't get a poker set as a holiday gift, and you want to deal into the latest craze, don't despair. Many of those sets that were stacked in stores before the holidays are still stacked there, and your patience may pay off. Odds are good they're marked down now.

© 2004 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

Poker machine ads to be banned

December 31, 2004

VICTORIA will ban all forms of advertising that promote poker machine gambling from tomorrow in a bid to cut the $2.29 million annual outlay in the state.

The ban applies to all forms of advertising outside gaming areas including print, television and radio advertisements and unsolicited mail.

Gaming Minister John Pandazopoulos said the ban would be enforced through public complaints to a hotline.

"This is to protect Victorians, particularly vulnerable Victorians trying to quit problem gambling habits," he said.

"Victoria already has the second-lowest number of poker machines per person in Australia and we've taken some of the most severe regulation that the industry has seen," he said.

Australian Hotels Association Victorian branch chief executive Brian Kearney said the Government had signalled the changes well in advance and the association would monitor them.

Harrah's Cherokee Casino plans more poker in NC next year

Live poker is being used to attract more people to The Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the only legal gambling hall in North Carolina. The Harrah's Cherokee Casino is planning to add 24 poker tables in early 2005. Additional poker tables will enable gamblers play Texas Hold ‘Em, a version of poker that has become popular because of televised tournaments, Online Casino News reported.
The Harrah's Cherokee Casino, owned by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, says it would not take a cut of the poker action - a crucial distinction, allowing Harrah's to initially offer the game despite state law permitting only video-based versions.
NC Governor Mike Easley, who has authority to make changes to the state's agreement with the tribe, said his office is aware of the interest in live poker.
However, the Governor's Office acknowledged live poker might not be subject to the state's jurisdiction. If the house doesn't take a cut, the issue would fall to the National Indian Gaming Commission. No request has been received from the tribe to date. If one is it would be screened to see whether the plan complies with state and federal laws.
A big uncertainty with more poker in NC still exists.

JokesFunny Text MessageFree E-Cards Free Downloads

Poker bots have become a big trouble in online poker rooms after February 1, 2004 when Winholdem launched a commercial bot, even though online poker rooms have tried to stop its invasion. Poker bots are not detectable by using one computer to control another computer.

Since poker bots play mathematically ideally and don’t get tired, it is virtually impossible to beat them in large ring games, which reward tight and consistent play. Bots do not fair well in a short game, being too predictable, with their simplistic style of play.

Bots can be programmable; commercial bots like Winholdem use maths that can be adjusted by the bot user, to assume a unique style of play. There is no difference between a bot and a real player.

The most guileful moment with poker bots is that they may also card share, knowing other bots cards at the table will prevent bots from drawing dead (investing money on a hand, with no chance of winning).

In order not to be deceived by users of poker bots, you should:
- Play games that do not have structured betting. Pot-limit, no-limit and tournaments are all right games to play.
- Also play at a site that does not attract professional poker players and can offer you good bonuses.

MtEverestPoker.com is a good way out. It is connected with a group of online casinos that offer a very large bonus in order to attract gamblers rather than poker players. Many players at this site choose to play in Pot-Limit or No-Limit games, as well as the many poker tournaments.

We have checked that the MtEverestPoker.com is poker bot free web site as the software of poker bots cannot read the MtEverestPoker.com screen (at least, at present).

So don’t become disappointed when you lose money playing online poker, as you might be losing to a non-human opponent. Play poker on the right site.

Attorney: Poker tourney still on

CARTER LAKE - Attorney David Richer is laying his cards on the table.

He said his client plans to proceed with its Jan. 7 poker tournament at the Chez Paree.

The director of the Department of Inspections and Appeals is not revealing his hand. Through spokesperson Mary Olson, Young indicated the department will "closely monitor the situation and take appropriate regulatory actions, including appropriate referrals to state and county officials."

The Chez Paree's planned Texas-style tournament resulted in a fax frenzy between Young and Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber.

Wilber is playing his hand close to the vest, saying he is glad the fax machines are getting a rest.

The controversy arose when Wilber said he would not attempt to stop the tournament, which he sees as permissible under Iowa law. His stance is at odds with Young's office, which said the planned tournament violates the Iowa's gambling ordinance.

Wilber said as long as the tourney is held as advertised - where entrants pay a one-time entry fee and prizes are awarded - he does not intend to stop it. Wilber said he believes the Legislature needs to close a loophole in the law he sees as making the proposed poker game legal.

In a letter to Wilber, Young said there is no such loophole and his office has the authority to institute an action blocking the tournament.

Attorney: 89-Year-Old Assault Suspect Upset, Confused

Lulu Bach's Attorney Speaks

POSTED: 3:01 pm CST December 30, 2004

UPDATED: 3:11 pm CST December 30, 2004

OMAHA, Neb. -- The lawyer for an 89-year-old woman charged with assault said his client is upset and confused. Stanley Bach, 88, died Wednesday after he was attacked with a fireplace poker by his wife on Monday, authorities said. Lulu Bach, 89, hit him repeatedly with the poker, police said.

Lulu Bach

Lulu Bach faces a felony assault charge. Police said they were called to Methodist Hospital Monday and Stanley Bach told them he had been attacked by his wife. He said she struck him repeatedly with the fireplace poker. A prosecutor said Stanley Bach told the ambulance crew on the way to the hospital that Lulu Bach had been abusing him for months. Michael Lazer, Lulu Bach's attorney, said she is "very upset, very confused and bewildered." Lazer said Lulu Bach has health problems, and that no one should have to face this kind of trouble so late in life. Lazer was asked whether Bach knows what she did. "I think there are some areas she really does not have a grasp on," Lazer said. Lazer said Lulu Bach has the full support of her three children. An autopsy is being conducted on Stanley Bach to determine the exact cause of death. Prosecutors said those results will factor into whether Lulu Bach faces charges for assault, or for the death of her husband. A Douglas County judge ruled that Lulu Bach could return home until her next court date. Lazer has asked prosecutors to wait until Bach's next court appearance to tack on additional charges, if those charges are warranted.

USC vs. Oklahoma in Orange Bowl: As close to perfect as BCS can get

RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press

MIAMI - Pete Carroll calls this one the perfect matchup - USC vs. Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national title.

And in many ways it is.

Preseason favorites to make it to Miami, the Trojans and Sooners were No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls all year. They feature the last two Heisman Trophy winners and about a dozen All-Americans between them.

Two of college football's most storied and tradition-rich programs, Oklahoma and USC have 11 AP national titles combined.

Of course, rarely is anything ever perfect when the Bowl Championship Series is involved.

Just ask Auburn.

The top-ranked Trojans (12-0) and No. 2 Sooners (12-0) meet Tuesday night for a national championship that will wrap up the college football season, but not necessarily the debate over who's No. 1.

On Monday night, No. 3 Auburn puts its 12-0 record on the line against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl with a chance to finish a perfect season that will compare favorably the Orange Bowl winner's.

"It stinks the way it played out this year for them," Oklahoma quarterback Jason White said. "They're a great team. They probably deserve to be in this championship game just as much as either one of us. But that's the way it worked out."

USC and Oklahoma were at the center of last year's BCS mess. The Trojans were left out of the BCS title game despite being No. 1 in the polls. The Sooners got in despite a lopsided loss in the Big 12 championship game.

In the end, USC finished on top in The Associated Press Top 25 and LSU beat Oklahoma to win the BCS crown.

"We were playing for the title in our minds last year," said Carroll, the Trojans' coach. "But this year there's an added dimension."

The BCS guys were determined to make sure a consensus No. 1 would never again be left out of the title game, so this year's formula emphasized the polls over the computers.

Problem solved.

Next problem: Three unbeaten teams, all clearly worthy of a spot in the title game. For that, there is no BCS solution.

"I'd love to see a playoff, though this does feel a little like a playoff," Carroll said. "But I'm not hopeful for that."

At least this season neither title game participant is being labeled undeserving, as the Sooners were last season after being throttled 35-7 by Kansas State for the Big 12 championship.

With a chance to redeem themselves, the Sooners fell flat in the Sugar Bowl. A battered White looked little like a Heisman Trophy winner in the 21-14 loss to LSU.

The Sooners turned last year's failures into this season's motivation.

"That's the last game we played, so we had that game fresh in our minds," All-American tackle Jammal Brown said. "So all through the offseason that's something that we talked about and you never want to end it like that."

White returned for a sixth season and threw for 2,961 yards and 33 touchdowns, making a run at another Heisman.

A new star also emerged in Norman, Okla. Freshman Adrian Peterson has run for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman voting, just ahead of White.

"I'm not surprised to be (in the title game) my freshman season because I knew what I was coming into; I knew what kind of team I was coming to," Peterson said.

USC also lived up to its hype. The Trojans were an overwhelming preseason No. 1, despite losing several All-Americans from last year's title team.

The Trojans showed some flaws but never came undone.

"A lot of people had us No. 1 at the start of the year, but didn't think we'd go undefeated," USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. "It says a lot about the kind of team we have."

Leinart's leadership and precise passing made him USC's second Heisman Trophy winner in three seasons. The left-hander who took over for 2002 Heisman winner Carson Palmer has thrown for 2,990 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Leinart was joined at the Heisman ceremony in New York by teammate Reggie Bush. The versatile and explosive tailback averaged over 10 yards per touch with 15 TDs.

With Leinart on one side and White on the other, the ninth meeting between the Sooners and Trojans is not only the most important but it's a college football first. Never before have two players with Heismans faced off.

The Trojans have won five and tied another in eight previous games with Oklahoma.

Three times the Trojans were ranked No. 1 when they played the Sooners, starting with the first matchup in 1963.

Just like this meeting, 1981 was a 1 vs. 2 matchup. USC had Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen, but it was a 7-yard TD pass from John Mazur to Fred Cornwell in the final seconds that gave USC a 28-24 victory.

The last time USC and Oklahoma met was 1992. By then both of the powerful programs had lost their luster, as the 1990s were mostly forgettable for Oklahoma and USC.

But in 1999, Bob Stoops, the former defensive coordinator at Florida, took over in Norman and two years later the Sooners won their seventh national title at the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma has lost five games since 2000.

Carroll arrived at USC in 2001, two years after being fired by the New England Patriots. The Trojans went 6-6 in their first season under him, but have lost only three times since and enter the Orange Bowl with a 21-game winning streak.

"They got the longest winning streak going right now, Heisman Trophy winner, two guys up for it, a lot of great talent," Sooners guard Davin Joseph said, "and I just look forward to the challenge and that's what the national championship is all about: No. 1 vs. No. 2."

NCAA Bowl Game Summary - Boston College vs. North Carolina

(Thursday, December 30th)

Final Score: (25) Boston College 37, North Carolina 24

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Andre Callender rushed for 174 yards on 26 carries and scored the go-ahead touchdown, as the 25th-ranked Boston College Eagles defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels, 37-24, in the Continental Tire Bowl.

Paul Peterson, who was named the game's MVP, finished 24-of-33 for 236 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles (9-3), who won five of their final six games. Peterson, who was already playing with a broken right hand, left the contest in the middle of the fourth quarter with a leg injury after being hit while recovering his own fumble.

Boston College had to settle for this bowl game despite higher aspirations toward the end of the season. The Eagles would have won the Big East title outright and earned a BCS game if they had beaten Syracuse in their regular- season finale.

The Tar Heels (6-6), who had their two-game winning streak snapped, were led by Darian Durant. The quarterback threw for 259 yards on 23-of-41 attempts and three scores, all of which came in the first half.

"We certainly had opportunities to win today and that's what it's about -- winning," North Carolina coach John Bunting said.

Derrele Mitchell finished the game with a score and seven receptions for 116 yards in the loss.

Trailing 24-21 early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles reclaimed the lead for good on Callender's one-yard plunge ending a six-play, 65-yard drive spanning 1:46. He set up the go-ahead score three plays earlier with a 38-yard scamper to the Tar Heel 10-yard line. Boston College, though, missed the extra point and led 27-24 with 14:16 left in the game.

The Eagles padded their lead to 34-24 just under four minutes later with a fake field goal run, when backup kicker Ryan Ohliger raced 21 yards to the end zone. On the drive, Peterson suffered his lower leg injury and left the game in an air cast.

"Paul is the heart and soul of this team, and everyone went back to the huddle and Coach O'Brien said, `We're not going to lose. We're going to put it in the end zone for Paul,'" said holder Matt Ryan, who handed the fake to Ohliger.

William Troost closed the scoring with an 18-yard field goal with 4:09 left to make it 37-24.

The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead with an 11-play, 86-yard drive in the first quarter. L.V. Whitworth capped the drive with a three-yard plunge, finishing the series with 19 yards rushing on five carries.

North Carolina answered with a quick 57-yard drive that took only two minutes and ended with a Ronny McGill 12-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 7-7. Scott carried the load for the Tar Heels on the seven-play march, gaining 36 yards on four carries.

Boston College went ahead 14-7 as it drove 78 yards on 11 plays with its second possession of the contest. Grant Adams' two-yard touchdown score capped the series. Peterson completed 4-of-5 passes for 32 yards on the drive, while Callender rushed for 46 yards on six attempts.

Adams finished the game with 53 yards on five receptions.

Following a fumbled snap by Peterson, the Tar Heels took over at the Boston College 23-yard line and found the end zone six plays later when Wallace Wright made a leaping five-yard reception to knot the game at 14-14.

Durant then capped a three-touchdown first half, finding Mitchell for a 51- yard strike down the middle of the field to give North Carolina a 21-14 advantage with 1:44 left in the second quarter. Durant finished the half 11- of-19 for 141 yards.

Peterson, though, led the Eagles right back down the field and found David Kashetta for a one-yard strike right before the half ended to knot the game at 21 apiece.

Connor Barth put the Tar Heels ahead in the second half, 24-21, with a 27-yard field goal at the 4:32 mark.

Game Notes

Boston College leads the all-time series 2-1...The Eagles are 10-6 in bowl games, while North Carolina is 12-13 all-time in the postseason...Boston College is 25-52-4 versus the ACC...North Carolina is 9-8 against the Big East...Peterson was named the games MVP...The Eagles gave the Big East the conference's first win in the three-year-old bowl game. It was BC's final game in the league as it will join the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

12/30 20:23:25 ET

Poker Tour International announces upcoming tournaments in 2005

Just weeks after the Costa Rica Classic, Poker Tour International is ready to proceed to the new series of Texas Hold'em Poker tournaments in 2005. The founders say they have already set up a schedule for the upcoming events, anticipated by poker fans.
The first quarter of Poker Tour International (PTI) will provide the Isle of Capri Casino tournament (February 7-13, 2005, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas), the Circa's Hispanola Resort and Casino competition (March 12-16, 2005 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) along with the Norwegian Cruise Caribbean Spirit Ship event (April 13-18, 2005).
According to businesswire.com, the players should pay $2,999 for the trips, including buy-ins, travel, and accommodations. $500 re-buys are also available.
This year's Poker Tour International participants will meet Lee Watkinson, the No.1 poker player according to Bluff Magazine and winner of $1,453,573 from final tables this year alone, Ted Lawson, winner of this year's Las Vegas Omaha World Poker Series, "Unabomber" Phil Laak, the winner of the WPT Invitation 2004. Humberto Brenes, named the "godfather of Costa Rican Players" and Tournament Organizer Burt Kravette were also reported to take part in the competition.
The luckiest gamblers will take home cash prizes from the prize pool of $250,000-$500,000 depending on the number of participants. Some of winners will gain seats to other PTI tournaments and will advance to the Semi Annual Multi Million Dollar Classic Finals.
"PTI is a mid-range tournament series specifically designed for the guy next door to win big next to professional players," said the spokesperson of PTI.

Poker run for Deltona murder victim Feb. 27

Staff Report

Last update: December 26, 2004

Run 4 Justice, a biker poker run to honor the memory of Michelle Ann Nathan, one of the victims of the Aug. 6 Deltona murders, is planned to rev up Feb. 27.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. that day at the Burger King on Elkcam Boulevard, where most of the murder victims worked. The event costs $15.

Bikes and all other vehicles will leave at 10:30 a.m., stopping by the Osteen Diner, Cabbage Patch, OB's, and Dale's Ales.

Activities after the ride will include a raffle, auction, poker games, live music and food.

Donations are requested to support the auction and the other events. The proceeds will go toward victim's advocacy programs and for memorial items for Nathan's family.

For more information, contact Wanda Rakestraw at (386) 860-0189 or at momonamission@earthlink.net. Donations also can be mailed to Run 4 Justice at P.O. Box 390686, Deltona, FL 32739 or dropped off at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 750 Howland Blvd., Deltona.

Poker's Popularity Surging

(Photo: AP)(CBS)

The very mention of poker evokes images of middle-aged men, cigars, and five-card stud. Not anymore. Today, Texas Hold 'Em is the poker game of choice, and more and more people are playing it, in casinos, in tournaments, and at home.

Susan McGinnis reports in the second of a two-part series on The Early Show that poker's popularity is surging.

"I think the fact that it isn't the smoky halls, it isn't the VFW clubs or...a lot of the smoky casinos, it really does allow for people to enjoy the game," says Nick Hart, a poker game host.

Every couple of months, Hart hosts a poker tournament at his home in an Ohio suburb. McGinnis watched as Nick had a full house to play one game: Texas Hold 'Em.

"Two years ago, I'd have maybe three or four guys and we'd be searching for a game to play, just to kind of keep it alive, exciting for a couple of hours, and now, essentially I can turn guys away," says Hart.

Scenes like that are playing out across the country, as poker seems to be going mainstream spurred on, many say, by television shows like Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," "The World Poker Tour" on The Travel Channel, and ESPN's "World Series Of Poker."

They have made the game of Texas Hold 'Em fun to watch and easy to follow.

At Trump's Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, the Texas Hold 'Em games are fast and furious. But for a novice, it's not that easy to explain. Suffice it to say, there are terms like "blinds," "flops" and "rivers. And of course, betting, "calling" and winning.

The players at Nick's game love it.

"It's always a friendly game, no matter how much you lose or how much you win," says player Leila Neese.

But winning is nice -- and these superstitious players will try anything to help their game.

"Hopefully, hides my eyes, hides, you know, the fact that maybe I'm doing something wrong," says Eric Mallory, wearing sunglasses upside down.

Nick himself has a "lucky poker shirt."

And then of course, there is a pot to win.

With poker games like Nick's on the rise, retailers are responding, stocking more poker products. Two years ago, Restoration Hardware didn't carry any poker-related products. Today, everything from chips to cards to electronic card shufflers are getting more shelf space in the stores, just in time for Christmas.

"Just in the last year, the category has exploded for us," says David Glassman, of Restoration Hardware.

Daryl Mattson, the District Market Manager for Borders Books in Manhattan adds, "W've got a very deep selection at borders of poker books."

At Borders stores in Manhattan, the big sellers are "how to" books, and books by poker pros.

"They're not books you would have expected to see in a bookstore 12 months ago," says Marc Lipiner, a poker player.

Sears has also added poker products to meet customer demand.

Veronica Keenan, a manager at Sears notes, "They're eager for new, trendy merchandise. And they want to be hip and happening."

Back in Ohio, after five hours of play, a winner is declared: Jason Jeffries - who started playing a year ago.

"It's not about the money, it's about having fun," says Jeffries.

Nick, the host, wasn't in the money that night, but he still had a good time. "It was great, awesome, everything, everything I could have imagined and more," he says.

©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Flying Dutchman receives poker accolade

The Flying Dutchman, aka Marcel Luske, was named “Player of the Year” at the European Poker Awards in Helsinki, Finland last week. The title was given in recognition of the success Luske had at the European poker championship. Luske managed to overcome famous poker gurus Willie Tan, Ram Vaswani, Dave Colclough and Lucy Rokach in Barcelona amongst six final table appearances in Europe, to win the sought-after title. This striking tournament identified “Rookie of the Year” – this title was grabbed by Finnish Jani Sointula who won in the Monte Carlo Millions. Swede Martin De Knijff received the award for “Best Tournament Performance”, having won a $2.7m in the $25,000 Bellagio WPT event. Estonian Andres Burget won the “Casino Staff Person” award for his development of poker in the Baltic States.

Teens, young adults swept up in poker craze

Popular poker TV shows help draw youths into card game phenomenon. Sunday, December 26, 2004 By Brian Mannion Contributing writer It's 8:20 p.m. on a recent Friday and Justin Neuman is "all in." The total of his poker chips sits in a lump in the middle of a table in the middle of his friend's basement.

It's Texas Hold 'em poker, it's heart-pounding, and it's a fast-growing hobby for teens and young adults whose participation has grown along with popular poker television shows and celebrities playing the game for public view.

And poker could get an even bigger boost this Christmas as merchants report poker chip sets as one of the hottest gifts for the season.

Two opposing forces draw Neuman and his six friends - all 16 and juniors at Baldwinville's C.W. Baker High School - to Steve Wilson's basement just about every Friday night: Excitement and boredom.

"It's the rush," said Wilson, the teen whose parents allow the games.

But a minimal cost to play ($10 is common for a game of 6 hold 'em) also makes poker one of the few things a group of bored 16-year-olds can do for fun on a Friday night, said Matt Yando, also seated at the table.

"Even if you lose it, what else can you do for $10? How much does it cost to go to a movie on a Friday night?" Yando said.

Parents, teachers and mental health professionals that treat people addicted to gambling are somewhat concerned. But most acknowledge that the games at least are legal and are a better alternative than drug and alcohol parties.

Young people don't see the games as dangerous, but as places to socialize, test their skill and win a few bucks.

Whatever brought Neuman to Wilson's basement on this Friday, his chance at the $70 pot now rests between him and one other player, Corey Heffron.

Neuman has two nines in his own hand, another nine sits in the community cards. A three-of-a-kind is a pretty good hand, one that often wins a game of hold 'em.

He flips his down cards - a challenge to Heffron to do the same.

What Heffron has, Neuman doesn't know. It doesn't matter. He's all in.

The draw

The thrill of winning and the fear of losing creates the pleasurable sensation of a "rush" described over and over by gamblers, said Jim Klein, Gambling Information and Counseling director at Utica-based Human Technologies Corporation.

Add to that a new emphasis on television coverage by networks like ESPN's "World Series of Poker" and celebrities like Ben Affleck and regular-guy-turned-poker-star Chris Moneymaker taking part, and the draw is obvious, said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

"Glamorization through the media, particularly on TV, has really driven (poker) gambling up among kids," said Whyte.

The percentage of youth who gamble has not grown much in the past 10 years, Whyte said, but more teens are choosing poker over games of physical skill or hand-eye coordination, like darts or shooting hoops.

Most of the teens agreed televised poker initially turned them on to the game. But they still watch: Now it's to pick up tips.

The poker trend, and teens' pursuit of the rush, worries some parents and gambling experts.

"Most of the kids who gamble may not become problem gamblers, but it's planting the seed for a potentially devastating problem," Whyte said.

People who start gambling younger are more likely to develop problems than those who try it later in life, Whyte said. Compulsive gamblers become addicted to the rush and can't resist gambling to recreate the feeling despite psychological, physical, social or vocational disruption.

"Like someone who explains that a glass of wine is OK with dinner, but not a whole bottle, parents must send the same message of moderation about gambling," Whyte said.

Less than 3 percent of adolescents surveyed by the New York State Council on Problem Gambling were classified as problem gamblers, while about 14 percent were "at risk."

According to a 1996 study by the New York State Council on Problem Gambling, as many as 41,000 adolescents in New York had experienced severe gambling problems and nearly 200,000 adolescents were "at risk" of problems.

At a conference on gambling addiction held in Las Vegas this month, Harvard researchers told Klein and the experts that gambling will probably rise in teens and younger generations thanks to the increased exposure to gambling, including sweepstakes and televised gambling.

It's something Greg Yando worries about, too, and his son knows it.

"I've voiced my opinion that the pots are getting bigger and that it's becoming a priority," Greg Yando said. "I don't know where this (gambling) is going to lead."

He has urged his son to stop gambling entirely, but admits that it's good to know his son is safe, sober and under adult supervision at the Wilsons' home when he plays.

Matt Yando acknowledges that it's hard to walk away from a chance at winning, and said that he could stop gambling if it interfered with his life.

"I'm not going to stop playing poker," Matt Yando said. 7

6 "But I'm not going to play as much, and I'll definitely think twice about (gambling) in between poker nights.

"Anyone can become addicted. I'm just glad my family's there for me."

School policies on gambling

Every school district in Central New York has rules against gambling for money, but policy differs on card games.

Three years ago, Jamesville-DeWitt High School officially banned all games, including cards and electronic games, in its school code, Assistant Principal Robert Hughes said.

The policy removes the chance of covert betting, he said.

"If you go up to a group of kids and ask, 'Are you gambling?' of course they say no," Hughes said. "It's really hard to tell. . . . They're not going to say, 'Yeah, we were gambling, and this is how we keep track.' "

Baker High School Principal Olivia Cambs organizes the school's games club, which allows students to play strategic board and card games after school, sans betting.

Poker requires the same use of critical thinking and strategy that make many gamble-free table games fulfilling hobbies, Cambs said.

"I have a 14 year old who loves poker," she said, but he does not gamble when he plays. "We don't gamble in our house. . . . It's just not an issue."

She said she did not know of problems with any students gambling in school, and law enforcement officials say they have not responded to any major incidents of violence stemming from gambling at any of the schools in the area.

Playing poker for money in public places is illegal, but small games at a private residence are not.

"Every year, around Super Bowl time, we get complaints about sports boards at local bars," Syracuse Police Inspector Michael Kerwin, adding that gambling in an establishment with a liquor license is illegal. "We investigate those. . . . But it's not the focus of our vice operations."

The showdown

For Neuman and his friends, the stakes are relatively low - a $70 pot for the final winner - but the tension is high as Neuman gives Heffron a cool look. He has just pushed his chips to the middle of the table to the shouts and cheers of the other players who have folded and are waiting for the outcome of this hand.

Neuman turns over his nines, and everyone at the table takes in his best five cards: Three nines.

But this is why they call it gambling: Heffron flips three aces.

As the shouting rises, Neuman's head drops briefly, but snaps up when Wilson reminds him he might have one more chance to win. The final card in the community - the river card.

"Neuman needs a nine," Wilson shouts over the commotion.

It's a six.

Beaten, Neuman slumps in his chair; Heffron heaves a sigh of relief and scoops the chips toward him on the table.

"Hey, who wants to feel Corey's heart?" Heffron says. A little ridicule is part of the spoils.

"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose," Neuman says. "Your fortunes can change so quickly. That's the great thing about this game."

© 2004 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

Restricting the Stakes

Here is an excerpt of an e-mail that I received from a poker dealer in Deadwood, South Dakota, who is a member of the Poker Dealer Association there. It concerns the restriction of law on poker stakes in that town.

“The city of Deadwood, South Dakota, legalized gaming in 1989 with a $5 maximum bet until 2001, at which time the limit was raised to $100. The town has 12 to 15 tables in five cardrooms. Montana cardrooms (dealers and players) set the standards we practice today. Through the years, this foundation has become inconsistent. With the growing popularity of poker, we would like to incorporate standard guidelines for all Deadwood poker rooms, for both tournaments and cash games. Is there something on the subject you could suggest that would help us become more uniform?”

Here is the reply (slightly edited) that I sent him: “I am happy to help you in any way that I can. You are more than welcome to use my poker rules in your cardrooms. That is why I wrote them and make them available at no charge. Note that Version 5 of my rules is out now, which I believe to be the best set of cardroom rules anywhere. I am going to write a column on this subject in Card Player as a result of your question. I will e-mail you a copy of it. Thank you very much.” So, this column is for those people who are looking for some assistance in limiting the size of poker games in a reasonable manner.

There is no such thing as a standard way of regulating the size of poker games. Personally, I believe that the size of a poker game does not need to be regulated, because water finds its own level. By this I mean that players in a $1,000 buy-in game can afford the stakes they’re playing for about as well as the players in a $100 buy-in game, or for that matter, a $10 buy-in game. However, I understand that not everyone feels the same way — particularly legislators. A legislator often wants a way of reassuring the public that people are not going to lose more than they can afford. The number of people who need this reassurance before approving poker may not be very large. However, to ensure that a piece of legislation will pass — whether by a vote of the populace or a vote of the legislating body — it may be necessary to reach out to this group of people.

Political realities often override the optimum method of doing something. People who have little knowledge of the subject being voted on have a vote that counts just as much as someone who is knowledgeable. In fact, their vote in certain situations in a sense counts more. Take a look at the typical voter who was still undecided in the last week of our extremely close presidential election. My opinion is that such a person’s poker equivalent is the player who holds up the game while deciding whether to play a J-2. Whichever way people voted, I am sure that nearly all of them believed they knew enough about the situation to have an opinion before the eleventh hour. They saw the outrageous things each candidate’s campaign did to reach out to the undecided voter. It should not be a surprise when a legislative proposal contains an unwise restriction on poker stakes. It is not there because the poker players think it is helpful or needed. It is there to get the vote of a person who may well be ignorant about poker.

Although there is no standard way of restricting the stakes for which poker is played in order to keep them within a certain boundary, some ways of doing this are better than others. Let’s discuss some possibilities, by looking at methods that have been used in certain places.

The worst method of restricting money swings in the game that to my knowledge has actually been employed by a regulatory body is limiting the size of the pot to a specified amount. In Florida, there used to be a state law limiting pots to a maximum of $10. This was asinine — and not just because the amount was ridiculously small. The method was awful. It interfered with the natural way of playing the game by preventing a player from protecting his hand with a bet at a point in the middle of a hand. To control the pot size, it is necessary to either retract bets if there are so many callers that the legal pot size is exceeded, or simply end all betting even before the $10 limit is reached by stopping the betting if a bet called by everyone would exceed the legal pot size.

Another method of controlling the amount of money changing hands is to set a limit on how much you can bet. Apparently, this has been done in Deadwood by setting a maximum bet size of $100. I think both this method and the actual size chosen of $100 are quite reasonable — for limit poker. However, the poker form that everyone is flocking to these days is no-limit hold’em. In that game, any restriction on the bet size changes the essential character of the game. Don’t get me wrong, playing a game with spread-limit betting of from $5 to $100 is a decent way to play poker — but no-limit hold’em, it’s not. So, simply limiting the amount you can bet puts a crimp into playing the country’s most popular poker form. How can we control the swing in no-limit hold’em and still preserve the basic nature of the game?

No-limit hold’em is extremely popular on the Internet. Sites want to offer the game, but do not want to see too many of their customers losing large sums of money and busting out of action. In short, they have the same interests as the lawmakers in limiting losses in the game. Maybe lawmakers can learn from seeing what a business that specializes in poker does to accomplish this.

An Internet site that spreads no-limit hold’em controls the size of the game in two ways. First, it keeps the size of the blinds fairly low, compared to limit poker. There are far more limit games with a big blind greater than $10 than no-limit hold’em games with a big blind greater than $10. Second, it limits the maximum for which you can buy in. There is no set standard size, but I find the most common numbers to be either 50 times the big blind or 100 times the big blind.

A $50-$100 limit game has a buy-in of $1,000, and so does a $5-$10 blinds no-limit game. There is no question that a $50-$100 limit game is bigger than a $5-$10 blinds no-limit game. I would judge it to be at least as big as a $10-$20 blinds no-limit game. So, here is my suggestion: Control the size of a poker game by controlling the size of the buy-in. Putting the maximum buy-in size at $1,000 is a good way to control the size of both limit and no-limit poker. Note that you are never allowed to buy chips to make your stack size greater than a grand when using this method. This prevents multiple buy-ins from doing what one buy-in is not allowed to do.

There is another virtue of this method of capping the buy-in size. We so far have been talking only about money games, but there is also tournament play to consider. I think limiting the buy-in to $1,000 would work well there, also. Tournaments with a $1,000 buy-in would have to be no-rebuy events. A tournament with a smaller buy-in could allow rebuys, but cap the amount any player could spend in one event at a grand.

Let me emphasize that the preferred way to treat poker under the law is to simply legalize the game without trying to control the stakes. However, it is the nature of successful politics to compromise when necessary. If the stakes must be controlled to obtain legalized poker, limiting the amount of the buy-in is the appropriate method in an era when the preferred poker form is no-limit hold’em money games and tournament events.

Editor’s note: Bob Ciaffone has authored four poker books, Middle Limit Holdem Poker, Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Holdem Poker. All can be ordered from Card Player. Ciaffone is available for poker lessons: e-mail thecoach@chartermi.net. His website is www.pokercoach.us, where you can get his rulebook, Robert’s Rules of Poker, for free. Ciaffone is the cardroom director for ChecknRaisePoker.com.

Decision deals out poker play in Albany

The City Council takes a pass on a tavern owner's call for social gaming to allow patrons to pony up for hands of Texas Hold 'em Sunday, December 26, 2004 ALICE TALLMADGE ALBANY -- All tavern owner Jim Mathews wanted to do was give his customers a chance to play Texas Hold 'em, the poker craze that has followers across the country glued to their TV sets or gathering in bars to cheer on tournament players.

What he got was a "Fold 'em" from a mostly poker-faced City Council.

Councilors voted 4-2 this month against Mathews' request. They would have had to pass an ordinance allowing social gaming, and council President Ralph Reid Jr. worried that other bars would follow suit.

"There would be card games all over the city," he said.

The town's police chief and other opponents cited concerns about unruly customers upset over losing streaks and the ability of officers to monitor the places where people would be playing cards.

Mathews said several customers approached him about playing Texas Hold 'em at his First Round Bar and Grill. The fast-paced, strategic game has become a national favorite. Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and other networks have helped fuel the game's popularity. Enthusiasts also can play online.

Players are dealt two cards that only they can see. They then pick a hand using five community cards amid rounds of betting. City councilors are "way off the mark on this," Mathews said. "They think if they do this, a Pandora's box will open up. But I've done research on other cities, and nobody has said they've had serious problems."

Oregon state law allows counties and cities, by ordinance, to authorize social gaming -- defined as card games when the house makes no profit -- at public places and private clubs.

The result is a patchwork of local laws that reflect the state's ambivalence. Some residents and cities see the games as harmless fun. Others see them as incubators for trouble.

In Portland, a $500 permit gives a bar or a social club a chance to allow its customers to ante up. Bets are limited to a dollar and so are winnings.

"Usually that makes the license not so attractive," said Anne Holm, a regulator in the city's social games program office. She estimates that only about 10 establishments have permits.

Poker players can breathe easy in Burns, Oregon City, Coos Bay and Mount Angel. The cities all have ordinances that allow card playing at bars and social organizations once they get a license.

A customer could lawfully play in the Eastern Oregon town of Vale, but no business has sought the required license, said Vale City Manager David DeMayo.

In March, the Oregon Department of Justice shut down a long-running card game at the Keizer Eagles Lodge because the city had no law allowing social gaming. The City Council the next month allowed limited social gaming in private homes or in charitable, fraternal or religious organizations.

The Justice Department oversees games at charitable nonprofit groups, and the Oregon State Police monitor gambling at casinos. Local police are left to track social gaming in bars.

In Coos Bay, bar owners must obtain a permit for social gaming, and so do people who work there. The businesses pay a $150 quarterly fee per table and have a cardroom monitor.

"It's very simple," said Janet Gonzales, owner of Gussie's, where customers play blackjack and Texas Hold 'em if enough players show up.

She rejects the idea that poker players are more volatile or more likely to cause problems than those who play, say, video poker.

In 15 years, "I've never had a problem at a table. I hate to see them not allow it," she said. "It's just silly."

Great Canadian Poker Tournament to be aired in summer

Canadian poker fans will have an opportunity to enjoy the reality TV series featuring their local poker celebrities. The reality show entitled “The Great Canadian Poker Tournament” is to roll on in summer, reported Pokernews.info.

"With the rising thirst of audience for reality television game shows, and the devastating demand by poker players and spectators, the Great Canadian Poker Tournament is sure to be a phenomenal success," claims the producer of the show.

The program, which brings together the best professional and amateur players, will be aired during Prime Time on TV. The show is to last 13 weeks. The organizers say there will be a celebrity tournament, where the best poker gurus will play against each other. The television series will end with a grand final tournament selecting the ultimate Great Canadian Poker Champion.

He event sponsors and advertisers will select non-professional players, who will participate in the competition. However, the poker fans also gain a free entry through online registration at www.greatcdn.com.

Video poker options shrink

Vendor's pullback follows inquiry

By DAN KANE, Staff Writer

A video poker vendor that attracted the attention of federal investigators last year has quietly pulled its machines from many locations in North Carolina.

Southland Amusement of Wilmington had 87 registered video poker machines in 66 locations in New Hanover County. But state officials, an industry representative and one of the company's customers said Southland began picking up its machines several weeks ago. The company's president, Robert Huckabee III, could not be reached for comment.

Steve Henderson, the North Carolina Amusement Machine Association's legislative committee chairman, said Huckabee may be removing the machines as part of a plan to sell the company.

"Some time ago, some folks were negotiating to buy his business," Henderson said.

Mike Robertson, director of the state Alcohol Law Enforcement division, said the company has machines remaining only in convenience stores owned by Worsley Cos. of Wilmington. Company officials there could not be reached for comment.

"It's not because of any court action or enforcement action," Robertson said. "I think they just elected to move the machines out because of the ongoing investigations and controversy."

Southland's lawyer, Wade Smith of Raleigh, said the company is pulling out of North Carolina because the industry, while legal, does not find North Carolina as welcoming anymore.

"The industry is under intense scrutiny," Smith said. "There are a lot of allegations about the industry, and I think Bobby Huckabee felt it just wasn't a pleasant way to earn a livelihood."

Giving to politicians

Last year, Democracy North Carolina, a nonpartisan campaign watchdog, found that people connected with video poker had donated heavily to state politicians, particularly House Democratic Speaker Jim Black.

One of those donors, Pamela H. James, Huckabee's sister, at first denied making a $1,000 contribution to Black in a phone interview with The News & Observer, then said in a second phone interview that she had.

Another donor told The Charlotte Observer last year that she had given money to Southland that later may have shown up as a contribution to Black. It is illegal for companies to make campaign contributions or to make contributions by using the name of an individual.

Huckabee, the former chairman of the association's legislative committee, has given more than $30,000 to state politicians in the past few years.

After the news reports, the FBI confirmed in June that it was interviewing donors as part of an investigation into illegal video poker operations called "Operation Double Black Diamond."

The inquiry has led to several convictions, including that of former state Transportation Secretary Garland Garrett Jr. Frank Perry, the FBI agent in charge of the Raleigh office, would say only that the probe is continuing.

Millions hidden

In September, state and federal agents announced that they had shut down the state's second-largest video poker operation, run by Johnston County businessman David Ricky Godwin and his son, Ricky Jr. The two have admitted trying to hide more than $5 million in illegal proceeds. They have yet to be sentenced.

Video poker is legal in North Carolina, provided the machines pay out nothing more than $10 in merchandise. No more than three machines are allowed in any one location.

But Robertson and many sheriffs say the video poker machines are often reprogrammed to pay out far more in cash. They say illegal operators are hard to catch because it is hard to track the machines.

The state Senate has tried twice to ban video poker, but the House has yet to go along. Black opted to put up for a vote a bill that provided more oversight of the industry through new regulatory fees on the machines.

The House passed the bill this year, but the Senate didn't take it up. This month, Black said he would continue to support more regulation instead of a ban.

"I'm about protecting jobs ... and that issue is jobs," Black said.

Watch out for this straight on poker steve rosenbloom

IT’S ONE OF the most dangerous hands for novice no-limit hold ’em players: straight draws, especially smaller straight draws, because you’re chasing to start with, and even if you pair up, you’re still at the mercy of big cards, which means you could be jeopardizing your stack by chasing two kinds of dicey hands.

But that kind of danger makes a straight draw a hand that more experienced players can take advantage of.

Take Erick Lindgren, for instance. A young, aggressive poker star, Lindgren plays a lot of hands and believes he can bluff his way out of a lot of post-flop situations. That can mean collecting a lot of chips when he’s up against a predictable opponent.

“I’ll play a straight draw against the straightforward guys — guys who are only raising with the big hands, the really tight players,” said Lindgren, who won the Party Poker Million and Ultimate Poker Classic during the last World Poker Tour season.

This is where you have to be able to put your opponent on a hand. You have to know his game and be able to break down his raising and calling patterns to determine what he’s holding.

Lindgren cited a hand where he held 4-6 of clubs and the flop came 7-5-3 rainbow.

“I got lucky,” said Lindgren, who plays against the public on Fulltiltpoker.com. “I had gin on the flop. I made a straight. The problem is, he’s not going to fold his two queens. He bets and I make a big raise on him, he’s just going to push in.”

The turn and the river were no help to either player, so Lindgren’s opponent was done because he didn’t have the discipline to get away from an overpair that might have looked good but wasn’t the best.

Lindgren read his opponent as a big-card player, and the opponent played true to the scouting report.

“You look for stubborn players to play those hands,” Lindgren said. “But I’m not going to play those hands against guys like Daniel (Negreanu) and Gus (Hansen) and Phil Ivey — guys who are super dangerous. Not only do they play a lot of hands, so I don’t know where they are in the hands starting, (but) they might have a trap hand like mine. Even though I have position, I’m not inclined to mix it up with them.

Shaq vs. Kobe became Heat vs. Kobe

Prior to Kobe-Shaq I, there were as many expectations as to what would transpire as there were interested spectators.

Would the Corvette get mashed by the Brick Wall? Could Kobe possibly zip around, or even zoom over Shaq? Perhaps they'd never come within dancing distance. Maybe they'd simply ignore each other, or else kiss and make up. Instead of a bloody bolero, the game might be a polite minuet.

Nobody knew for sure — not even the participants. That's why all of Sports America anticipated the game with such glee.

In any case, here's precisely what DID happen.

SHAQ

Photo galleries ... Shaq-Kobe I Shaq retrospective Kobe retrospective

The Big Fella was in an attack mode for most of the game, yet Stan Van Gundy's game plan made double-teaming Shaq an easy task. That's because for most of the first half, Shaq was stationed on the left box, and, for most of the second half, he switched to the right box. A half-dozen times, Shaq also set a massive (and frequently moving) pick just above the foul line — after which he bullied his way down the lane and turned to the ball. This particular maneuver was never adequately defended.

The point here is that the defense always knew where Shaq was or where he was headed. Subsequently, the Lakers' double-teaming schemes could be executed exactly as Rudy T. had planned then. As a result, Shaq had only a single assist to a cutting teammate. The rest of his assists were kick-outs to open perimeter shooters.

Often, after Shaq was doubled on the catch, he merely returned the ball to the passer — whereupon the Lakers defense became somewhat confused. A return pass into Shaq routinely resulted in enough space for him to make a power one-on-one move.

Even though O'Neal captured 10 rebounds (and despite his much ballyhooed weight loss), he was still rather slow off his feet and was, at best, a two-space rebounder. (Meaning he can only grab those rebounds which fall within one-body width in any direction.) Chris Mihm beat him to several rebounds and loose balls.

Also, Shaq's limited lateral mobility, coupled with his lack of bounce, are the main reasons why he's spent so much time near the end of the game in foul trouble this season. Saturday, of course, was no exception.

On the other end, the Lakers had the right mindset in their attempt to neutralize Shaq. They ran dozens of high screen-and-rolls, pairing Kobe with whomever Shaq was defending. Since Shaq never — repeat never &$=#151 shows on the weak side of the screen, Kobe (and all other ball handlers who implement the same strategy) was consistently able to turn the corner and penetrate into the paint.

The other normal anti-Shaq ploy is to have his opposing center run hard and fast in all defense-to-offense transitions. The idea is to get Shaq moving faster than he wants to move, and thereby wear him out. Mihm, however, didn't consistently motor from end-to-end. Only once did he beat Shaq down court for an unobstructed layup.

And, hey! why doesn't Shaq resign from the Bricklayers Union and make a radical change in his free-throw shooting? Shoot them under-handed, big guy. This is an established, honorable, easily learned, and highly effective technique that was good enough for George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, and George Johnson (the last NBA player to release his free throws from below his waist). Too bad Shaq feels that shooting under-hand is embarrassing. Is it even more embarrassing than missing 64% of his shots from the charity stripe? More embarrassing than forcing the Heat to go elsewhere when a score is needed in the clutch? More embarrassing than being the hackee whenever a game becomes an exercise in Hack-A-Shaq?

KOBE

Same old, same old … Lots of shots, lots of spectacular scores, and lots of turnovers that all added up to a loss.

Kobe came out firing away. His first touch resulted in a simple reversal pass (one of only three such passes he made in the entire game) — his next six touches became shots.

Approximately 90 percent of LA's set plays were designed to get the ball into Kobe's hands. The rest were isolations for Lamar Odom. Sure, he eventually got interested in distributing the ball to his teammates, but every pass (except for the three reversals) was made while Kobe was walking on air. This is a self-defeating methodology because the passer only has a precious few seconds to decide where to go with the ball before delivering it with the proper pace. Should a defender (or the intended pass receiver) move a mere half-step while the airborne passer is aloft, then the resulting pass is always up for grabs. Most of Kobe's eight turnovers were the result of this risky maneuver.

Okay, Kobe scored 42 points, but his shooting percentage was an unacceptable 40 percent. (By my count, he forced a total of eight shots, missing five.) Moreover, he spent more time bouncing the ball than anybody since the heyday of Marcus Haynes, the old Harlem Globetrotters' master of the tricky dribble.

More significantly, in the last seven-plus minutes of the game, Kobe was transformed from a point-machine into a pointless wonder. Remember this: It's not how many points a player scores that's important. What really counts is when he scores them. True, Kobe has been an incredible clutch player throughout his career — but not today.

SHAQ-KOBE

For much of the game, Shaq and Kobe were like a pair of two-year-olds engaged in parallel play. In fact, they only encountered one another on nine different occasions:

On the Lakers' initial possession, Kobe drove to the middle and had his shot stuffed by Shaq. Shortly thereafter, Kobe once again carried the ball into the shadow of the basket — then managed to bury a sensational pull-up, fall-back jumper. Kobe's next venture into the lane resulted in a hard foul by Shaq. The Big Diesel winked to one and all to indicate that the foul could easily have been even harder. Next, when Kobe couldn't quite get around Shaq, he made a pass to nobody. Shaq stood his ground when Kobe approached him again late in the second quarter, flustering Kid Kobe, and compelling another turnover. In their subsequent get together, Kobe was most likely fouled by Shaq — but without a whistle, Bryant attempted a wild backhanded shot that missed both the rim and the backboard. When Shaq switched on a screen-and-role, Kobe danced in mid-air, switched the ball from his left to his right hand, and drew Shaq's fifth foul. Next, Shaq put enough pressure on another spinning drive that Kobe's shot went awry. And finally, with 2:15 left in the fourth quarter and the scored knotted at 91, Kobe's plunge into the paint resulted in Shaq's sixth foul. But if Shaq was finished for the game, so was Kobe. The final verdict was an exciting 104-102 victory for Miami — and more proof that teamwork will always overcome individual brilliance. Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about hoops, the next one being A PIVOTAL SEASON — HOW THE 1971-72 LA LAKERS CHANGED THE NBA, is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.

USATODAY.com

USATODAY.com

Washington vs. Dallas

Washington (5-9) at Dallas (5-9) Sunday, 4:15 pm EST

IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Bill Parcells again will try to get the best of Joe Gibbs when the Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Having combined for five Super Bowl titles and seven conference championships, Parcells and Gibbs are two of the NFL's legendary coaches. As coach of the New York Giants from 1983-90, Parcells got the best of Gibbs, winning 11 of the 17 meetings, including a 17-0 victory in the January 1987 NFC championship game. Parcells picked up his latest victory over Gibbs on September 27 in a Monday night game as the Cowboys posted a 21-18 victory at Washington. It marked the Cowboys' 13th win in the last 14 games against their bitter NFC East rivals. In the first meeting, the Cowboys sacked Mark Brunell five times. But Patrick Ramsey is now the Redskins' starter. In Gibbs' first season back on the sidelines following an 11-year hiatus, the Redskins are trying to finish strong. They have won two of their last three games, including last week's 26-16 triumph at San Francisco. While Gibbs has plenty of work to do with his offense, the Redskins rank second overall in total defense and intercepted Ken Dorsey four times last week. Like the Redskins, the Cowboys also are trying to finish the season on a positive. They have dropped their last two games to tie Washington and the New York Giants for last place in the division. Last week, the Cowboys played well defensively but were unable to get anything going offensively in a 12-7 loss at Philadelphia. Rookie Julius Jones rushed for 80 yards on 25 attempts and has gained at least 80 yards in all five of his starts since replacing Eddie George. Matchup to watch: Redskins receiver Laveranues Coles against left cornerback Terence Newman. Series: Dallas leads, 53-34-2. Next week: Washington hosts Minnesota on January 2. Dallas visits NY Giants on January 2.

Poker's Popularity Grows Among Teens

Westlake High School seniors, from right, Zac Coppinger, Marc Effenson, Tony Gulla, and Brandon Black play poker around Coppinger's dining room table on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004 in Austin, Texas. With his mother's blessing, Coppinger has changed the family dining room into a poker parlor, complete with chandelier and green walls, for himself anfd his friends. (AP Photo/Jack Plunkett)

CHICAGO Nov 30, 2004 — Now that his high school football season is over, Zak Coppinger has been playing poker every chance he can get.

With his mom's blessing, he's turned the family dining room, complete with green walls and a chandelier, into a poker parlor for himself and his buddies. He also keeps a deck of cards at school so he can play impromptu games during class or lunch.

"It's better than homework, I can tell you that," the 18-year-old from Austin, Texas, says with a chuckle.

He's just one of the many young people who have become avid players of Texas Hold 'Em and other poker games a trend sparked, in part, by TV shows that feature tournaments for celebrities and professional poker players. But gambling opponents wonder if some teens, and the adults who let them play, are taking it too far.

"It's fun. It's exciting. It's glamorized on TV and in the media in a way that other addictions are not," says Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. "There's the impression that through skill you can beat the odds. But randomness is always going to have a bigger factor in determining the outcome than your skill.

"And unfortunately, that's not the message these kids get."

Some parents have heeded the warning, cutting back on casino nights at after-prom parties and other events. And officials at a growing number of schools from New Trier High School, north of Chicago, to Apple Valley High School in suburban Minneapolis have recently started banning poker-playing on their campuses.

Dave Smiley, principal at Elgin High School in suburban Chicago, began enforcing an old ban on card and dice games months ago: "We're like church you shouldn't be gambling in school," he says.

That said, Smiley concedes that his view softens when it comes to teens playing poker at their friends' homes.

"I'm not going to be hypocritical. I think my own son has participated in some of these games and he's in high school," he says, noting that he likes knowing his son is somewhere safe and supervised.

Teens also argue that, with the standard $10 buy-in to get into a game, the stakes aren't particularly high.

"You're paying for entertainment," says Eli Goldfarb, a freshman at Columbia University in New York. "The long and the short of it is, I have fun playing poker, and when I play well, I can buy more burritos.

"What's not to like?"

He started playing Texas Hold 'Em when he was in high school at the Field School, a private academy in Washington, D.C., where teacher Will Layman says poker's never been a problem. But Layman also understands that some teens may not be able to control their betting.

"I would never criticize a parent who felt that poker which really isn't much of a game at all if you don't bet in some form was too tempting for their kid," says Layman, who plays poker with his daughter and son, ages 14 and 10. "But it is not the same as, say, smoking pot because with poker, the activity isn't harmful unless it becomes an overindulged habit whereas pot impairs you every time."

Some parents goes as far as saying that poker teaches critical-thinking and math skills.

And Josh Kohnstamm, a father in St. Paul, Minn., says it's become the perfect escape for his studious 16-year-old son, Simon, who "takes everything too seriously."

Poker, Kohnstamm says, allows Simon to "whoop the school's best athletes computer geek that he is and allows him to come away feeling lucky when that is a sensation that rarely happens in his everyday life."

But Dan Romer, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, worries about kids who take gambling too far.

"At a minimum, it should be monitored," says Romer, director of research at the Adolescent Risk Communications Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.

He oversaw the 2003 Annenberg National Risk Survey of Youth, which found that about 8 percent of the young people surveyed showed signs of having a gambling problem.

Those results led him to conclude that schools should teach about the dangers of gambling, the same way they teach that alcohol and drugs can be addictive. He also says that government officials who oversee public gambling casinos and lotteries have a special responsibility to closely watch young people, who are allowed to gamble legally in many states as young as age 18.

Romer says Internet gambling is a particular worry because it can be done on the sly and is often less regulated.

Still, Ross Atteberry, a high school senior in Westfield, Ind., says the poker he plays with friends is not in that league of gambling.

"Obviously," the 18-year-old says, "cops aren't going to be kicking in doors to bust in on friendly card games."

On the Net:

National Council on Problem Gambling:

Annenberg site:

Martha Irvine is a national writer specializing in coverage of people in their 20s and younger. She can be reached at mirvine(at)ap.org

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed