Dan DaranciangEDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains a correction and is different from the version that ran in print. In the print edition, Cary Adickman was incorrectly listed as the administrator of the AOL Instant Messenger screen name WUPoker. Adickman is completely unaffiliated with the WUPoker service. The online edition of this article reflects this correction
It’s no secret that poker is the coolest thing since sliced bread, and everyone is trying to get in on a piece of the action, WU students included. Yes, a frenzy of students are putting their $40,000 tuition to good use by protesting the age-old practice of sleep and staying up until the wee hours of the night with hopes of hitting the big one.
For all you poker addicts out there, it’s never hard to find a good game of poker to join in on. Those pretty seminar rooms in Danforth, Eliot, and Forsyth buildings-you know, the ones that cost ridiculous amounts of money so that we can study and get a Top 10 education-are being put to great use as the favorite meeting places for poker enthusiasts from all over the South 40. Whether it’s a weekend night or hours before a big psychology test, there always seems to be a game going on.
Attractive to many students are the fundraising and charity poker tournaments held by student groups. Whether the Campus Democrats, Alpha Epsilon Pi, or another student group is hosting a semi-annual poker tournament, the turnout is always good, and the winners always walk away with a good amount of money. (Which will go right to the tutors, since they haven’t opened their Macroeconomics textbooks all year.) These tournaments are on the rise and we should see a steady increase in the number of large-scale organized tournaments on campus in the coming year.
Technology is also being used to promote poker playing. The AIM screename WUPoker allows people to post ring games and tournaments so people know where to go and how much to buy in for. For those eager to find a new table to play at or meet new people, you can just about always find at least five or six games going on each week, if not more.
Taking the obsession even further, the Facebook group “WU Poker Enthusiasts” boasts 143 members currently, and stands as an outlet for poker players near and far to join together to post games, discuss strategy, and basically do anything else involving poker.
So there you have it-Washington University is a haven for poker players. But before you jump right in, take heed: WU poker players are no dummies. Students here have won $10,000 tournaments, grossed over $50,000 in the span of one school year, and could probably make a nice living playing poker for the rest of their lives. So for all you beginners out there, look before you leap. Remember, for every big winner you hear about, there’s a big loser.