Poker's popularity grows

Poker's popularity grows By John Majetski For Home News Tribune On a night when other teens are anywhere but home, Kenny Totten is spending his Saturday inside in his socks, pajama pants and a T-shirt. But he isn't alone. The 17-year-old Old Bridge High School student and a crew of close friends are gathered in the basement of his parents' house for poker night. They sip soda and munch on nachos as the cards are dealt on top of a pool table. Several players sport sunglasses as they attempt to bluff their way to victory in an activity that, at one time, brought to mind cigar-smoking older men in the back of a bar. Poker has joined the mainstream the last couple years, sparking interest from those as young as their early teens. Television shows feature poker-playing Hollywood types while radio ads hawk the latest online gambling service and stores everywhere stock a slew of poker-related goods. It seems difficult to determine just how much interest in the card game has increased, but one local retailer called it an explosion, while estimates say there are currently anywhere from 50 million to 80 million players in the United States. "It's the competitiveness of the game," said Totten, who began playing last summer after watching poker on the ESPN network. "It's something you can do anytime you want if you have three, four, five friends." A volleyball and basketball player, Totten said he and his friends — mostly fellow athletes — get together once or twice a month. At $5 a game, they said, it's cheaper than going to the movies. And unlike other competitive activities, poker "doesn't judge anybody," said Totten's girlfriend and fellow Old Bridge High School student, Jaime Chaifetz, 17. But does the betting bother parents? "As long as it's not large amounts, I don't think it will harm anything," said Kenny's mother, Marie Totten. "I don't mind because I know where they are. I know they're here, safe. They're off the streets." The extension of the poker craze into the underage set worries some gambling experts, however. "The more people who play, the more problems there are," said Terry Elman, education coordinator for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. "It's gotten to epidemic proportions." The nonprofit organization delivers free programs to about 70 schools annually to discuss gambling prevention and awareness. Elman said while the law does not prohibit teens from betting at home — provided the host does not take a financial cut or in some way charge someone to be there — it can be a gateway to an eventual gambling addiction. Elman said teen interest in Texas Hold 'Em — the popular form of poker featured in the World Series of Poker televised on ESPN — started more than two years ago. It is probably the most common thing students bet on these days, he said. "Sports betting is always around, and cards had actually dropped out of the scene," he said. "Then, as ESPN kept pushing it, it has become popular again. Kids even look at the players and revere them like athletes." Due to their still-developing emotional state and penchant for risky activities, teens are second only to senior citizens in terms of vulnerability to a gambling addiction, Elman said. He also said the fact that teens have little disposable income can lead to financial troubles even more quickly. "It's all the things that are exciting about gambling," Elman said of the appeal of poker. "And they gamble right in their basements. Their parents say, "They're OK, they're downstairs.' They don't realize what's being done can lead to addiction." But that doesn't mean every card player will become affected. "Eighty percent of people who play never have a problem, 15-20 percent have a problem and 5 percent become pathological," he said. Gambling addicts, Elman said, will bet on any type of game or sport. The teen who plays poker once or twice a month for a small dollar amount each game is not experiencing a problem, Elman said, provided the interest stops there. "Once you want to move higher than that, you're probably into it too much," he said. Gambling addiction seems to be no problem for the Old Bridge youths. Poker is more about having a good time than earning money. "We're kids," Kenny Totten said, adding betting big would just result in hurt feelings and angry parents. "We don't have money growing out of our ears. We just want to keep it fun and friendly.' Elman said parents should be particularly concerned about online gambling. He said its danger is that it can be done 24 hours a day, while teens are often alone. And because it generally requires a credit card, teens likely are swiping their parents' plastic. Regardless of where one sits on the issue, there's no denying the surge in interest over the card game. There's no evidence of it waning, either, said Eric Morris, publisher of the Atlanta-based poker magazine Bluff. "It's not a Rubik's Cube or Beanie Baby. It's not like that. People are still dreaming they can be the next star. I truly believe it will not end up where it was 10 years ago — at the back of the bar," Morris said. While celebrities and television have glamorized the game, the allure for many is that the average person can hit it big in poker tournaments. "You can be old, young, tall, short, fat, bald," he said. "(Success) isn't dictated by youth or physical ability." Morris said his publication's readership is largely adults ages 21 to 35, although he is aware teens are enamored with the activity. "High school kids, instead of parties, are going to poker tournaments. They're not drinking and doing other activities," he said. Morris said he does not advocate that teens play poker, but he said there are benefits to taking part in this "thinking-man's game." "It's similar to backgammon or chess. It develops your mind, keeps you more alert," he said. "The people who do well are generally more intelligent. There are social skills involved, too." At the Gameroom Store, a specialty shop in Woodbridge Center mall, assistant manager Jay Prusik said teens are responsible for only about 15 percent of sales for poker products. "We see a lot of people in the mid-20s to mid-30s," he said. "Part of the reason is these are the people who can legally go to casinos." Prusik said the poker market is experiencing an "explosion" that began about two years ago. As a result, extravagant chip sets that sold for nearly $600 five years ago now cost customers $100. "Because of the increase in popularity and the price change, it's flying out the door," he said. And that's not likely to change for a while. "So long as the World Series of Poker gets ratings on ESPN . . . as long as that's popular, the poker craze isn't going anywhere," said Prusik. Elman agreed that television and marketing is responsible for the recent boom. He said the activity, by its nature, is no more dangerous to teens than other forms of gambling. "It's more of a problem only because it's promoted more," he said. Some school officials share Elman's concerns about teens who bet. "To me, it's like underage drinking," said Pat Andersen, student assistance counselor at Woodbridge High School. "The funny thing about gambling is it's only bad when you're losing — from a player's perspective. In my personal opinion, it's bad to gamble at all when you're an adolescent." Andersen said she has received a few calls from parents concerned about their children playing poker at home. Woodbridge has a policy against students playing cards at school. "I think it's seen as being exciting," Andersen said of gambling. "There's actually an adrenaline rush that goes along with it. (Teens) like things exciting and risky." Parents who allow teens to gamble at home because they can "keep an eye on them" may be leading their children, or someone else's child, down a dangerous road, Andersen said. "For some kids it's going to be a problem, and for some it's not," she said, adding that representatives of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey will visit her school later this year. "You can know where your kids are, but have better activities." Back in Old Bridge, players said they don't hold poker nights often, and, when they do, they always keep the per-game cost low. Competition remains the main source of motivation, too. "I don't play for the money," said Old Bridge High School senior Nicholas Li, 18, who plays for money about twice a month and more frequently online at nonbetting sites. "I play for the experience. I play for the bragging rights, too." Li, who pipes nature sounds through his headphones during poker games, said he knows when to draw the line on gambling. "I think it's only dangerous if it's not fun anymore," he said. "As long as it's not intruding on my studies and budget, it's all good." Kenny's brother, Michael Totten, 15, said he also plays for the competition. "It's fun to beat some of your friends," he said. His mother said she is aware of what experts are saying about teens and poker, but believes the card game is no more dangerous than most other activities. "Anything can lead to an addiction," Marie Totten said. "The stakes are not high by any means. It all depends on the individual, but these kids are doing it for fun."

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