Poker is the New Major on Campus

A Minute to Learn, A Lifetime to Master
Charles Nesson is not just another tourist visiting the capital. Mr. Nesson is an esteemed law professor in Harvard, and his visit was part of the ongoing lobbying efforts to convince lawmakers that online poker should be exempt from the ban on Internet gambling.

Even if lawmakers hold on to their positions and unwelcoming of new ideas, someone is listening. In fact, many are. College students, youngsters like those that the professor teaches in his classes, are the fastest growing market in the fastest growing game online.

Websites, accordingly, are increasing their marketing efforts directed at this sector, in television ads in the UK, where they were legalized recently, among other channels.

Perhaps there is no real need of such marketing schemes. Professor Nesson seems to have done much the same through non-commercial means, by establishing an online university curriculum centered on poker.

Lessons Learned
The program uses online poker as a teaching tool for strategic thinking and other skills and practices that students go to college to learn. Besides geopolitical analysis and risk assessment, the students-players learn money management this way as well.

If taught well, also by establishing playing groups that meet regularly and have players play in a group environment, poker can be less harmful and compulsive gambling kept in check. With betting limits and a community that watches, the players will not end up spending sums they cannot afford.

Poker proves to be a hit among students not only for its scholastic value. It also serves mental escapism among the young players. Players may even play with their gender identity, switching from male to female behind the anonymous username, in an age that sexual identity is being explored.

Marketing to Students
Having realized this, poker websites offer discount rates, holidays cruise prizes and other specifically catered towards students. Poker sites offer sponsorship of university poker societies.

One original twist on the game has it that a part-time job, popular among students, reduces time spent with friends. Poker can replace the income and leave enough spare time to socialize.

Poker is extremely popular. That is also the case on college campuses and among students, perhaps even more so the case. It is still early to grade poker as a teaching method. This will be done when the students leave campus and join the society as productive citizens. It will also be measured by strict standards of how well it manages to keep students away from the risks of online gambling.