When
Tony Ricciardi gets together with his friends every week
to play Texas Holdem poker, it's not the money, the
competition or the love for the game that he revels in.
After all, to date, he's lost seven weeks straight.
"Even though I lose, for me, it's like going out to the
bars," said Ricciardi, a 24-year-old State College
resident.
"Thursday night is my guys' night out," he said. "We
talk about football and girls and beer and 'Why'd you go
all out on that crappy hand?' "
With
six television shows and scores of online chat rooms and
supply shops devoted to the game,
Texas
Holdem
poker is
in the chips in a big way for the college crowd these
days.
"The
old figure from five years ago was that 50 million
people played recreationally or professionally," said
Trey Aldridge, general manager of Card Player Magazine.
"We figure that number is well over 100 million now and
increasing rapidly."
The
game has also royally flushed the State College area.
"In
the area, it seems to be really, really big," said Frank
Harpster, 23, a senior from Bellefonte who plays poker
with his friends from time to time -- sans betting
money. "At the bar, you hear people talking about it.
Frats have entire tournaments."
He
thinks the media influenced poker's newfound popularity.
"I
think the 'World Poker Tour' on the Travel Channel has
definitely drawn more attention to the game," he said.
Other networks including Bravo's "Celebrity Poker
Showdown" and ESPN's "U.S. Poker Championships" have
also fueled the fire.
Whatever caused the trend, Ricciardi is just happy to be
a part of it.
He's
been joining six to 10 friends every Thursday night
since March to play Texas HoldEm a version of
poker he says "has a whole boatload of strategy attached
to it," where players can audaciously risk their entire
stacks of chips on one round.
"It's pretty much in the betting," he said. "I think the
'no limit' part is especially appealing. There's a lot
of ego involved in that; you put all your chips in and
put a lot on the line. It's very ballsy, very macho."
Harpster agreed, saying the game's appeal is in the
strategy.
"It's a game (where) being good at it means a lot more
than the cards that you have," he said. "If you're good,
it doesn't matter what cards you get."
As
for Ricciardi, he's plotting his come-from-behind
victory.
"I'm
looking forward to this Thursday," he said.
