Barry Greenstein coming to speak at UIUC.

[gobboboy]

This Thursday at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Barry Greenstein will be speaking about math and its relation to poker (and probably plugging his new book). Foellinger Auditorium at 7:30.

It's open to everyone and completely free, so if you want to come by, feel free.
(My source is the news-gazette, a local paper)

[Saddlepoint]

Isn't poker banned on that campus?

Not that that would necessarily keep them from wanting Greenstein to speak. I just think it's a little bit ironic. I wonder if the read the stuff in Ace on the River about Barry's playing experiences in school.

[IronDragon1]

Well Barry Greenstein is a UIUC alumnus.

As for poker being banned from campus that certainly didn't stop me (and Bugstud, and Goblinmason and Stacysmom and others).

[Saddlepoint]

Oh is he? I had no idea.

I don't attend, but I visited UIUC a few weeeks ago. Very beautiful campus. I just find it a little bit ironic, for reasons I hope are self-apparent, that a man who has made millions of dollars playing a game that is prohibited on campus is being invited to address the student body.

Regardless, I'd be thrilled to hear him if I were nearby.

[thetodd]

Is there a link to information about the UIUC poker ban? I'm curious to learn why they banned it, what exactly is banned, what the penalties are, and whether anyone has been punished.

Like MT2R, I'm an '02 and '03 grad currently in the Chicago area, and while I was at UIUC, the UIUC internet poker scene seemed to be thriving. Based on what I've heard from younger friends at UIUC and read on 2+2, there are a whole lot of serious and strong players there now. I find it a bit amusing that there is some sort of poker ban in place in an area that is home to so many people who are either playing for a living or paying for college with poker.

[TomHimself]

did this happen already, any trip reports? how was barry?

[gobboboy]

It went pretty well. Basically his entire speech was about staying in school and not playing poker all the time. To focus on your studies and only do poker on the weekend. It was interesting and he told us about how some people misunderstand the math in poker, even though most everyone on 2+2 would not make the mistakes that he showed.

[augie00]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there a link to information about the UIUC poker ban?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not like a "poker ban" would stop people from playing poker.

[thetodd]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not like a "poker ban" would stop people from playing poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right. That's why I find it amusing that they tried. I think UIUC would probably be one of the hardest places in the world to attempt to ban poker.

[nickg1532]

He was a professor there too, was he not? or was that at a different school?