So being a student myself (for the next 9 hours until i write my last exam), I found this article courtesy of Ashley Furrow (campus correspondent) quite relevant to the last four years of the university experience and decided to write a comment on it. As I am sure almost every college student can attest, poker is becoming an integral part of the college experience. Whether it be about bonding, money or just pure fun, flops are droping all over college campuses around the world. What started as a fun past time is quickly taking over the typical part-time serving job that most students have at some point in their academic careers. Apparentely it is easier to make that disposable income in the comfort of your own bed playing $5-$10 No-Limit on Full Tilt, who would have thought?

Well I am a semi-frequently poker player myself and have been for the past four years, I really think it is easy for students especially to get sucked into the poker pipe dream of fame and riches. The reality is alot of big credit card bills and wasted time. I am not saying poker is bad cause I definetely enjoy the game, but the effects of the gradual “acceptance” of poker as another hobby needs to be looked at with a grain of salt. Whereas sports, writing, websites or whatever are all popular hobbies, they can not be compared directly to poker due to the monetary requirements associated with the game.

I think over the coming years we will see alot more incidences of gambling problems among youth as poker continues to be a popular social and money making tool on campus. While it is entirely possible, there needs to be a bit more reality portrayed from the lives of these poker pros, of which slim are continously profitable.

So that is my general consensus on the state of poker with youth and in the college environment, I would love to hear others opinions on the topic so please feel free to comment and share your thoughts.