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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 and now plays in tournaments with buy ins ranging from $10 to $50.“I can play all day or watch it (poker) on TV all day long, and since I don’t have a job during the school year, it acts like a mini side job.” However, last year Sidarous had trouble balancing poker and school, and it
affected his grades. "This year I have learned to balance the two out, but now my mom and dad think I'm addicted and keep lecturing me about gambling problems." He was doing well this year, until he went on
in an environment where all relevant information is not present, and negotiation skills, all play into life after college.
Krieger says the CPC is expecting between 35,000 and 40,000 students this year, and this year's winner will come away with approximately $45,000
"I CAN PLAY ALL DAY OR WATCH IT (POKER) ON TV ALL DAY LONG, AND SINCE I DON'T HAVE A JOB DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, IT ACTS LIKE A MINI SIDE JOB." — MATHEW SIDAROUS, LAWRENCE SENIOR
a bad losing streak, losing around $600.
Future of Poker
Poker isn't going anywhere soon. College students can now play in online tournaments for scholarship money, like the College Poker Championship. The CPC is a free online Texas Hold'em no limit poker tournament open exclusively to college students. Lou Krieger, host of the tournament and widely known gambling expert, says he believes that colleges are recognizing that to a large extent, the lessons of poker are the lessons of life and the skills learned at poker, such as dealing with uncertainty, decision-making
in scholarships,
plus a significant contribution
to a charity of
the student's choice.
"What matters is that students enjoy themselves, learn poker in a risk-free environment,
extend their
traditional school rivalries into poker too, and that the winners come away with a substantial amount of money to help underwrite the cost of their education,"he says.
Although nothing seems to be slowing down the online poker phenomenon, it is transforming the tournament landscape that had long been controlled by a relatively small circuit of professionals with names like Chris"Jesus"Ferguson, Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth. Online poker is casting a whole new breed of young, aggressive players who are taking the game by storm.
Q&A WITH PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER DANIEL NEGREANU
Canadian-born Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu has become one of the most recognizable professional poker players to date. He's easy to spot in tournament play, wearing a hockey jersey and listening to music on headphones. His popularity began to soar in 1997 when he won two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, earning himself $133,600 and being named the tournament's best all-around player.The following year Negreanu took the 1998 World Series of Poker by storm, winning $169,460 at the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event and becoming the youngest WSOP bracelet winner in history — a record he held until 2004.
Over the last six years Daniel Negreanu has won two World Poker Tour (WPT) events and another two World Series bracelets. He has earned more than $7
million in tournaments and countless millions in other cash games. And to add to his accomplishments, he was recently named "Favorite Poker Player" at the Card Player, Player of the Year Awards Gala in February 2006. Read on to find out how Negreanu gets ready before a tournament, what he thinks of online play and his plans for the future, which doesn't Just include poker.
How did you first become interested in poker?
DN: I started out playing in Toronto with friends in basement games. I was a pool player at the time, and one night we played with some of the guys from the pool hall. Once that started, we were playing three to four times a week. I learned mostly from watching the other players that seemed to win.
How do you get ready before a big tournament?
DN: Lots of sleep, no alcohol and no socializing...oh, and I watch Rocky!
Why do you think poker is so popular today?
DN: For four main reasons: 1) The WPT's invention of the hole card cam, 2) Chris Moneymaker's win, 3) The Internet, and 4) Celebrities playing makes the game even cooler.
How do you think the rise of online poker sites is affecting the game of
poker? How often do you play online?
DN: It helps me because I can stay sharp during off-periods. As for online poker itself, it's helped speed up the learning curve, and young players are getting so good so fast these days. There are more 20-something millionaire poker players today than any other time in history. I only play at www.fullcontactpoker.com. I'd say that I play there about three times a week.
What advice would you give college-aged students who want to learn to play poker or become better poker players? DN: Take your time and use all the resources available, including poker books, software, Stacked (the video game) and so on. Also, playing online will help.
What is the hardest part about being a professional poker player?
DN: Not knowing what your paycheck looks like from week to week.
Have you found it easy or hard to balance poker with your personal life? DN: It's never easy, but it's essential. I'm 31 now and learned how to do that by trial and error.
What are you plans for the future, besides playing more poker?
DN: Starting a family, helping to grow www.fullcontactpoker.com, playing more in the "Big Game" and also looking into other business ventures.
JAYPLAY SAYS
GO KANSAS STATE FIDDLING AND PICKING CHAMPIONSHIPS
What other opportunity will you have to see a flatpick guitar, fingerpick guitar, mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer all at once? And for free? Head down to South Park, 1144 Massachusetts St., for the Fiddling and Picking Championships on Sunday at noon. Bring a blanket and your boo to relax
and listen to some tunes.It's a cheap date and a breath of fresh air from the of dinner-and-a-movie routine.
And,hey,if you don't like bluegrass,music there's always the free ice cream social on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Carolyn Tharp
CLICK
FINDYOURSPOT.COM
Are you ready to move out of Lawrence but too poor to explore your options? Check out the 15-minute quiz at www.findyourspot.com. This Web site combines your answers to questions about weather, outdoor recreation opportunities, faith and other relevant preferences with a database containing information about thousands of American cities. Then, after a short wait, it gives a list of cities that would be good for you. I now know, without spending a penny on airfare, that Honolulu, Little Rock, Ark., and Bloomington, Ind. would all feel like home.
Becka Cremer
Available at Blockbuster.com,"Snakes on a Train" looks to be this week's top rental. OK, not really, but if you spent $7 to experience "Snakes on a Train," adding this movie to your Blockbuster Online queue seems quite logical. Alby Castro, Ryanne Ruiz and Giovanni Bejerano (can anyone say obscure?) are sure to delight. Bonus: According to IMDB.com, the last 10 minutes of the film are worth the wait.
RENT SNAKES ON A TRAIN
DOWNLOAD GETTUNES/MYTUNES
If you live in the dorms, the "share" feature on iTunes is a great way to listen to your neighbor's music, but when you're trying to burn borrowed tunes, iTunes comes up short. Luckily, GetTunes (www.macupdate.com/info.php/dl/13738) and MyTunes (http://www.minimalverbosity.com) are available for free download. Use these programs to quickly download music off of any computer in the network. Note: Using these programs is considered "stealing" and stealing, as we all know, is illegal. So if the RIAA comes knockin' on your door, hide your copy of Jayplay.
Becka Cremer
Becka Cremer
10> JAYPLAY 08.24.2006