HBO: Real sports w/ Bryant Gumbel "Poker Craze"

[stankybank]

Not sure if this was already posted. Thought I share the news with my fellow poker junkies.

click here for more info (http://www.hbo.com/realsports/stories/052305_pokercraze.html)

[IronDragon1]

Another garden variety "won't someone please think of the children?" piece

http://trivialpursuits.typepad.com/trivial_pursuits/HelenLovejoy.jpg



Can't wait

[Popinjay]

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Many of these neophyte gamers are college and high school kids. Are we witnessing the development of a new generation of problem gamblers?

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I don't think this is a joke at all. It's a very real issue that should be discussed, and I'll be interested to watch this piece.

[tylerdurden]

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Many of these neophyte gamers are college and high school kids. Are we witnessing the development of a new generation of problem gamblers?

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I don't think this is a joke at all. It's a very real issue that should be discussed, and I'll be interested to watch this piece.

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Yeah, because before this "poker craze" we never had any problem gamblers.

[Popinjay]

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Many of these neophyte gamers are college and high school kids. Are we witnessing the development of a new generation of problem gamblers?

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I don't think this is a joke at all. It's a very real issue that should be discussed, and I'll be interested to watch this piece.

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Yeah, because before this "poker craze" we never had any problem gamblers.

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Well I would venture to say that the spread of poker has been much different than any other gambling.

[WVMountainSnake]

This is just media spin. America always needs something to blame their sins on. Why not poker? They couldn't get music to work. Video games don't take as much heat as they used to. Why not poker? It's obviously ruining the youth of America and causing young Timmy to unload a shotgun in a crowded mall. Poker isn't some kind of game where you have to use your mind or anything.

I saw this coming a long time ago. Poker the scape-goat. How about Parents the Scape-goat? No, that would be far too close to the truth of the situation. The media just moves from one popular past time to another, slandering it and getting the uptight conservative Christians against it. "Ohhhh, gambling bad. T.V. say so. Jesus no gamble gamble." I'm not blasting Jesus (though J.C. and I do have beef from way back) I'm knocking on those brain dead zealots, the soccer moms, the baby boomers, the uptight walking-dead senior citizens.

What kind of a poker player has a gambling problem? Two kinds: 1) A losing poker player, and if it's a kid he won't be able to get much money. He'll go broke and probably give it up. 2) The poker player who wins at the tables then loses it all on sports betting, slot machines, props betting, etc. Not too many high school kids bet on horsies and basketball, though.

Poker will grow and there'll be some big scandal involving children and then the government will step in. The Supreme Court will rule internet gambling illegal because some mother complained because her son lost his college tuition to a two outer.

I hate television, and what's worse is the news. This is the reason why I no longer have cable.

[slickpoppa]

Real Sports usually produces quality pieces. They will probably overdo the "won't someone please think of the children?" aspect a little bit, but it should still be an interesting piece. Nice Mrs. Lovejoy picture though.

[Popinjay]

It was a pretty objective piece with not really that much new info for anyone who is on this forum. Basically the whole thing said that poker is a social phenomenon and nobody can tell what its effects are going to be good or bad until 15 years from now. One interesting stat was that 80% of phonecalls to gambling hotlines are now poker related.

[slickpoppa]

Anyone see the story before it about the horse that fucks twice a day for 500,000 a pop? Pretty crazy.

[stankybank]

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Anyone see the story before it about the horse that fucks twice a day for 500,000 a pop? Pretty crazy.

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Yeah, the best part was when some of the people helping were rooting the horse on. "Come on! Come on boy, do it!"

LOL.

Or the guard who gets to watch the horse all day. Nice.

[StevieG]

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Not too many high school kids bet on horsies and basketball, though.

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They did in my neighborhood.

And I imagine that in my old stomping grounds they are going ape [censored] over poker now, too.

[Mikey]

I mean its like anything else........ here you have a surge in poker which is great for someone like me..... but its absolutely terrible for a young kid who knows diddly about the game to think he can turn his $5000 into $500,000 because he sees some 25 year old like Esfandiari or D'Agostino, or Cassidy rake in some huge amounts of cash...
in a poker tournament.

Anytime there is a recession or an economical boom in anything...... there is always someone getting rich and someone getting poorer..... When stocks go up bonds go down, when divorce rates go up lawyers make a killing..., , on one side of WallStreet where there is one man laughing there is another man crying, when poker hits TV and the internet virtual rooms are easily accessible young guns lose there college money and the pros buy condos and use it to play more poker.

whatta ya gonna do??

[WVMountainSnake]

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whatta ya gonna do??

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Come to 2+2 and become a better player. LOL.