Students turn to virtual world for poker play

Wharton junior Joey Wilamowski estimates that he can make between $800 to $1,200 in a week if he plays a few hours of poker online each day.

Though the University has tightened up on poker events held on campus due to state gambling laws, some students skirt the issue altogether by moving their activity to the virtual world.

Online gambling is a big business, with poker and sports betting being among the most popular forms of gambling.

With the broadcasting of the World Series of Poker in 2003, poker has exploded on college campuses across the country. It comes as little surprise that many students are now playing poker online.

For Wilamowski, though, poker is not just about profits.

"It is fun to be good at something," Wilamowski said. "Especially when it makes you money."

And he is certainly not the only one glued to his screen these days.

"I usually play about five nights a week for a few hours at a time," Wharton and College sophomore Roman Kuznetsov said, adding that even though he still likes to play poker with his friends, playing online is much more convenient.

And for the skillful player, it's also a fun way to make money.

"I play no-limit $100 rooms, and I look for a room that's full because it allows you to play tighter," Kuznetsov said about his poker strategy.

This strategy seems to be paying off, as Kuznetsov averages $250 a week playing on PartyPoker.com.

While this may seem impressive to many Penn students, according to Kuznetsov, a lot more money can be made.

He said that many of his friends at other schools have more free time to play poker and, as a result, can make thousands of dollars a week without even getting up from their computer desk.

With the apparent incentives attached to earning such a large income without a job, the risk of addiction is a serious one.

"We found 8 percent of young people ages 14-22 are at risk for becoming addicted to gambling," said Daniel Romer, research director of Penn's Adolescent Risk Communication Institute.

But online poker is not just for the experienced gambler playing regularly for high stakes.

Online casinos offer a variety of different games that cater to a variety of players. Bets can be as low as 25 cents per hand and, for beginners who want some experience before even playing with real money, PartyPoker.com offers "play money" games where nothing is at stake but pride.

Wilamowski, who is also the vice president of the Penn Poker Club, believes the immense popularity of online poker extends beyond the desire to make some quick cash.

"Students appreciate the instant gratification or failure after each hand played because they work incessantly towards grades and jobs that don't have payoffs until years later."

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