You are the big blind now, right? For you non-Texas Hold'em junkies, that means you are forced to bet before you even get to see your cards.

If you've never played before, at first glance the game seems innocent - just guys (joined by an occasional female or two) pensively sitting at a table, folding, calling or raising amid the shuffle of a deck of cards and sliding chips. But even novices quickly discover there is a lot more at stake here than what meets the eye and the pile of cash safely stored in the box.

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This is not to say that what meets the eye isn't significant. Every night as we walk by dorm lounges, we see students focused on the cards and, even more importantly, on the other players' faces. So many people, especially novices, have a "tell" of some kind that lets experienced players read them like a book. The people now in the lounge are more experienced players and are practiced at giving nothing away. However, everyone is human, and that means no one is perfect, especially when people start throwing their piles of chips into the pot.

It might seem like poker is a trite game that would soon get boring; as soon as you've played a couple of times, you've got the rhythm of the game. However, Texas Hold'em is anything but boring. As soon as you put down your $20, join the circle and are dealt two cards, you are hooked. Though we are tough enough to resist the addiction, there are always the same guys with their poker faces on. If only studying were this addictive - then there might be hope for our future. Perhaps if students were allowed to put money on exams, then our grades would improve. Anyone want to bet $20 on us getting F's on our midterms? But unlike sure bets, in poker you must remember that though you may win some, you will certainly lose some.

During the last tournament in which we played, one of us decided to go all in on the first hand; he lost, if that serves as any guide to his luck. With that heavy thought in mind, stop reading this column because we suck at poker and won't be able to tell you anything useful. Instead, go play some poker (without our advice) or at least do some reading - unless you are in the dining hall having lunch between classes. In that case, you should memorize the probabilities of poker hands. Or better yet, whip out a cell phone right now and make plans for poker tonight. That goes for you too, ladies - you may actually win, because guys never have any idea what women are thinking.

So instead of reading for marketing on some random weekday night, we find ourselves reaching for our wallets like kids at a candy store. The best tip we can offer is from William Nickels, a former university marketing professor, who mentioned once during lecture that when he played poker he always drank a glass of juice so that all he had to do was wait for the other players to get drunk from their own glasses, usually filled with alcohol. Never thought you'd pick up a tip on poker from marketing class, huh?

The ultimate goal is the money, right? That's what we thought when we started playing last year. Although we are still quite the beginners (apparently raising on the pre-flop with four and five suited is a no-no to the non-beginners we have talked to), we have done our share of (poker) homework, giddily sitting for hours on end watching hands unfold and experiencing players' frustrations. Now besides the money, we see poker can be just about fun. And it is most of the time, except when you are out after paying $60 to buy back in for the second time. Even then you get the privilege of turning the cards over by turning the table over, and two days later, it's a funny story to tell.

So what will it be? It's only a couple of dollars and hours to call and stay in the game. And we still think there's nothing wrong with pocket four and five, especially suited.

Source: The Diamondback