Giving Up College For Poker?

A new debate has cropped up across college campuses across the nation - especially with the booming popularity of poker amongst young people.

Should college students quit school entirely to play poker full time?

The arguments for and against are both very compelling.

College is just another school to some and to others it is their next step for their future.

Opponents have very clear arguments against quitting college to play poker full time. One of their most interesting arguments is the fact that most people who quit school do not make an adequate income to support themselves. Beginning players often fail to grasp the intricacies of playing full time poker. Not to mention that it takes dedication and patience to make any real money in the gambling world.

A second argument is that poker is a highly addictive sport. It can lead to long periods of non-socialization, lying to supporting family about where they are spending their money, and massive credit card debts. Being is such debt not only harms the individual but also hurts the people who support that person. Read any poker forum on the internet and you will see what I’m talking about. Kids going busto on daddy’s credit cards or not being able to pay their backers when they go on massive downswings.

The last main argument is that dropping out of college now will not led to that obtaining that degree. It can be difficult to go back to college when older, especially when surrounded by everyone who is younger. Furthermore, it means making sacrifices when lifestyles change and now there is a family to support.

Proponents of dropping out of college make the argument that they are financially supporting themselves and no longer depend on their family for support. Easing the burden of paying for costs of college. Also many of them are single and do not need the extra income to support a family.

For proponents, poker is not some addiction but rather a very fun job that many of them find interesting. It is something that they enjoy doing. Work becomes less like a job. Also, they can work this job any time of the day or night, allowing them to set their own schedules.

They also state that they are highly social and not hunched over introverts who live on the computer. They strive to achieve a balance between the computer and their social life. That they interact out on a regular basis and keep friendships among their college friends.

Both sides make a case for themselves but it is up to the individual to make the ultimate decision. Dropping out is not a light decision, it affects not only yourself and your future goals but those who have provide the support necessary to go to school. Remember, playing poker requires skill, a basis knowledge, and an ability to learn. All necessary ingredients required for college as well.

U.S. Economy Woes Hit Harrah’s and WPT Enterprises Hard.

The recent economic downturn in the U.S.A. has hit two of the biggest gambling companies in the industry particularly hard. Analysts knew revenue would be down for Harrah’s Entertainment and WPT Enterprises (home of the World Poker Tour), but they didn’t expect it to be down THIS much.

3rd quarter reports revealed that Harrah’s 2008 revenue was down over 19% compared to the same time in 2007. That calculates out to be nearly $130 million in losses the company has incurred due to the economical crisis the United States has experience in the past few months. Hundreds of layoffs are expected in the coming weeks, and with the slow season coming up for the casino industry, revenues are not expected to get better any time soon.

The same earnings reports also revealed that WPT Enterprises, home of the World Poker Tour, has been hit particularly hard as well from the U.S. financial disaster, with revenue dropping 39% alone in 2008. While it’s nowhere near the revenue-hit that Harrah’s experienced, it was still just another sign that the WPT is still not heading in the positive direction it had hoped to be heading in 2007, when revenue was on the up and up.

Borgata Hotel and Casino Lays Off 400 Employees This Week.

The Borgata Hotel and Casino, one of the foremost and popular casinos in the United States and abroad, announced this week it was laying off 400 employees. The announcement comes on the heels of Harrah’s Entertainment also laying off hundreds more of its own employees at 4 of their properties in Atlantic City.

Boyd Gaming, which owns the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas and the Borgata in A.C., has been hurting in the revenue department through the latter part of 2008. The current economic crisis going about in the U.S. has not helped the gaming giant in recent months, with slots and table game revenue down 6% in 2008 for its current properties - a significantly lower number compared to 2007.

“The one thing we believe about this current cycle is that no one anticipated its lasting this long,” said Boyd Gaming spokesman Rob Stillwell. “But this is a cycle, and we’ll cycle through it and get to better days.”

With the upcoming winter season coming up, casino revenue will most likely flatline for the next couple of months, before hopefully making positive rebound during the spring and summer.

Beginner UFC Betting Tips in Sportsbooks and Casinos.

The UFC has exploded in popularity over the recent years. And with that more and more people are finding their way to the online sports books to place bets on the UFC. The experienced UFC viewer will often tell you the statistics; who’s good on the ground, who’s got the biggest strikes, who’s got something to prove etc. But in reality the UFC can turn out some very unpredictable results and with this there is huge amounts of money to be won!

Your best bet is to look for the odds on the underdog in a fight. This doesn’t mean never bet on a favorite, but if you think that the underdog has a reasonable chance of winning, and the odds given are good enough it may be worth placing a bet on him.

Personally when I bet on underdogs I look for fighters who have good striking skills, or have shown the ability to hit hard in the past, as we all know one punch can easily end a contest!

Another tip I like to offer is when looking to place a bet, I often look at who the public wants to win. For example in boxing, Amir Khan was a huge favorite to win his fight a few weeks back. The public seemed to love him, and people were placing very big bets, with very low odds on him winning the fight. Now with a little research you’d have found out that his opponent, Breidis Prescott, had not lost in his professional career and had a massive KO percentage. This along with Khan’s previous knock down at the hands of Michael Gomez, made Breidis Prescott a extremely good value bet! I wonder how many people betting on Amir Khan, actually did their research on his opponent.

When I bet on favorites I always tend to bet a much smaller amount then I would on a underdog. With the UFC being unpredictable, I personally never bet on heavy favourites, and recommend that you don’t do this either.

Remember don’t bet with your heart. Bet with your head.

If you’re looking to bet on the UFC, BetUS often offers very good lines and competitive odds. You’ll also receive a great bonus when you sign up using any BetUS link on this site, or just click on the banner below. Good luck and happy UFC Betting!

FTOPS X Kicks Off Today on Full Tilt Poker!

November 5th, 2008, marks the official opening of Full Tilt Poker’s extremely popular FTOPS events!

Tonight, it is expected that anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 runners will be entering the $216 Shorthanded NL Event #1. With a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool for the inaugural event for FTOPS X, there will no doubt be a ton of entrants hoping to get their share of the pie!

All in all, there will be 25 events that will be running from today through November 16th, where the FTOPS X Main Event will conclude with a $535 buyin and a whopping $2.5 million in guaranteed cash being put up by Full Tilt. The finale will also be hosted a special anonymous pro, which will add even more fun and suspense to the M.E.

To get signed up for FTOPS X, check out our official Full Tilt Poker reviewaments we have here on Gambling101.org.

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