Popular televised poker shows are feeding a card-playing craze on university campuses, but a watchdog group says college-age players are among the most susceptible to addiction.

There's often a full house at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity -- in more ways than one.

At any time, day or night, the University of Georgia fraternity brothers and their friends are playing poker, putting aside homework in favor of learning the tricks of Texas Hold 'em and other card games.

''If everybody has nothing to do, we've had seven- to eight-hour sessions. It's so addictive,'' said Marshall Saul, a sophomore whose room is decorated with a poster of dogs playing poker.

The popularity of television shows such as Bravo's Celebrity Poker, the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour and ESPN's coverage of the Texas Hold 'em championships have fueled a card-playing craze on campuses.

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College students are perfecting their poker faces in lively games nearly everywhere -- in dorm rooms, fraternity and sorority houses, and campus tournaments. Buy-in games organized by some colleges and student groups have drawn hundreds, with prizes ranging from money to televisions.

''It is crazy on campus,'' said Rachel Dorfman, a Georgia sophomore who often plays poker for hours with her Sigma Delta Tau sisters. ``It is absolutely the thing to do right now.''

Some online poker companies are targeting students with tournaments such as the first College Poker Championship.com, which began free qualifying rounds in January. Prizes range from $500 to $50,000 scholarships, and student winners also can donate up to $100,000 to charities of their choice.

Students spending so much time playing poker is of concern to antigambling advocacy groups. The 18- to 24-year-old age group has some of the highest rates of gambling addictions, said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Online tournaments such as College Poker Championship.com are ''extremely troubling'' because they target students and do not put out warning signs or post help-line numbers for addicts, he said.

''It's actively soliciting kids to gamble, and in some states, that may be illegal,'' Whyte said. ``You wouldn't have a college drinking championship, or a college smoking championship.com.''

Source: Lori Johnston, Associated Press