Texas Hold'em returns to IMU

The Union Board's highly popular IU Series of Poker is making a return for the second semester, starting tonight at 8 p.m. in Indiana Memorial Union. The event, which is expecting to have up to 300 participants, was started to give poker enthusiasts on campus a forum which would allow them to compete with players they would not get the chance to play against, Tournament Director junior David Dawson explained.\n"Poker has been really hot, especially in the dorms," Dawson said. "During freshman orientation, I noticed it was popular with just about everyone, so why not set up an organized tournament?"\nThe result of putting on the tournament was so positive that the Board decided to do it again. \n"We had such good feedback last semester that we decided to bring it back this time," Dawson said. \nFor those not familiar, Texas Hold 'em poker is played by dealing each player at a table two cards at the outset, five by the end of the hand. Throughout a hand, five cards are also delt into the center of the table, known as "community cards." The player who can make the best five card hand with any combination of their and the community cards wins. \nWhile it sounds pretty simple, the competition can be intense. Playing with many different players can make the game difficult. Sophomore Steve Bragale, who participated in the event last semester, enjoyed the increased competition that comes with a large setting.\n"It was an interesting experience playing in a large tournament," Bragale said. "Usually when you are in a tournament it is just a group of your friends, and there are only five or six people that you are competing against. This kind of tournament adds an interesting aspect because you're not just trying to beat the people at your table; you're trying to beat people at other tables as well."\nJunior Andy Trus said that until about two years ago, Texas Hold 'em wasn't very popular among younger people. Around that time, ESPN began airing the World Series of Poker. Ever since then, Trus said, the game has been rampant among college-aged youth. One can walk into a dorm and find numerous games going on at the same time. \n"Once you put anything on TV it becomes more popular," Trus said. "People watch the players and they start playing because they think that they can become as good as them." \nFurthermore, Trus noted the popularity spread very easily after people started teaching their friends to play.\n"I started playing because all my other friends were playing," Trus said. "It only takes a few people to start, from watching TV. Once they started playing, everyone else wanted to."\nFirst prize in the IU Series of Poker is a poker chip set, as well a book about poker strategy. While sign-ups will be accepted at the door up until the start of the tournament, it is best to sign up in advance, due to space constraints. Entrance is free. \n"(The Union Board) does not gain anything from this whatsoever," Dawson said. "This is totally for the students." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Scott Lipsky at slipsky@indiana.edu.