Student poker hits new heights

With poker being so prevalent on TV, the game's growth on campus is sure to continue.

"I play a lot more now than I used to, probably more than I should!" says university senior Shaun Blum. Shaun plays with his friends at his home game, online and at his local casino card room in Shakopee, Minn.

Shaun is not unique amongst campus card players around the world, infact the amount of time spent by him playing poker is almost the norm these days. The growth in poker's popularity is almost certainly down to television coverage. Right now, three cable TV networks in America cover poker events.

The game's popularity is growing rapidly but Blum insists he grew up around poker and only started taking the game more seriously when several of his friends began playing. "We play together a few times a week" says Blum, "The buy-ins range from $5 to $15, so that's only for fun really. You can make the most money on the Internet because there are really bad players on there," he said.

Shaun says the most he has won in one night is $400 and the most lost, $150. So without challenging the high stake game players, he is comfortable taking a profit from poker to finance his student lifestyle. He goes on to say, "If I ever lose all the money I had in winnings, I'd just quit because that would be really depressing". For the time being that seems unlikely, as this student, like many others, has a clear grasp of how to profit from poker.