More Teens Getting Involved In Poker

BALTIMORE -- Forget the video games. More and more teens are getting into poker these days and parents are OK with it.

But can 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds keep their gambling under control?

WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Lowell Melser said Friday nights have taken on a whole new meaning for a lot of teens these days. Forget the mall or the movies -- it's all about no-limit Texas hold em' poker.

Alex Loreck: "We play because it's fun. We play for little bits of money just to get better at poker and just play cards."

Loreck is out early and has time to talk. He lost $10 and said the reason so many young people are getting turned on to poker has to do with what's on TV. Programs like the "World Series of Poker" are popping up on both cable and broadcast channels.

Loreck: "Once the World Series got big and we all watched it and we all started to play more, wanted to be like them."

It seems a lot of teens want to be like the pros. According to pokernews.com, a recent poll of high school students from New York indicated only one in 30 did not list poker as a pasttime.

Melser: "What do you get out of it?"

Wes Smith: "Fun."

Wes Smith is the next to fall. He's the youngest at the table at age 14. His buddy Nick soon goes all in.

Melser: "How many hours a week do you think you're playing?"

Nick Dyer: "I'm playing pretty much every day."

Melser: "Most of the time, these games last several hours with some kids leaving with fatter pockets than others. But despite the risk of losing, parents that we spoke with feel these games are a good idea."

Melser: "Why are you not concerned about this?"

Martin Browning, parent: "I don't want to say I'm not concerned but I have to say that I'm very happy that i know where my kids are."

From the parents' point of view, they said their kids have a grasp on things. They know when to hold em' and when to fold em' and that poker is actually teaching them to be responsible with their money.

Brad Dyer, parent: "They can easily blow $15 to $20 at the mall and if you have their stakes at $5 to $10 when they play, you know that you're actually controlling their spending as well."

Dr. Joseph Ciarrocchi, Loyola University: "Young people, in general, have a propensity to develop problems in gambling more so that older people."

Ciarrochhi -- a clinical psychologist and expert on child gambling -- said for the most part, low stakes games among teens are relatively harmless. However, it's important that parents know between 1 and 4 percent of young people develop gambling problems.

Ciarrochhi: "For the majority of people, it will be a form of entertainment and in a few people will get caught up in it and get attracted to gambling and it will be a serious problem."

According to Ciarrochhi, some warning signs that your child has a gambling problem may include a preoccupation with gambling, important roles and functions in your child's daily life start to deteriorate, your child constantly asking you to borrow larger sums of money and money missing from your wallet.

Brad Dyer, parent: "I set down rules, you know, it's a $5 or $10 buy-in at my house. And I don't let them go any more."

Melser: "So how much did you win tonight?"

Matt Brazis: "Around $75. It's the most I've ever won." All six boys said the games pretty much even themselves out -- something that's comforting to their parents.

Paul Mather, parent: "I don't believe that the gambling they're doing now is going to cause them harm in the future. I hope I'm right. Could I be wrong? Certainly, but I hope I'm right."