One of the most unlikely televised events on ESPN, has found a home at select tables through the community as games of poker are frequently being played by students on weekend nights.

At first, it started off with three or four people playing the game of Texas Hold ‘Em, but ended in a huge social event.

“Just hanging out with your friends with a couple of dollars on the line is fun,” senior Jacob Daddario said. “However, I wouldn’t go to a casino and risk losing hundreds of dollars.”

For some students, a night of cards is about hanging out, not gambling.

“I go to poker night just to chill with my friends,” senior Rob Rever said. “But I never bet cash because I don’t want to lose the money that I worked hard for at my job.”

For PokerStars.com journalist Brad Willis, the appeal of poker is obvious.

“Poker is, hands down, my favorite card game,” Willis said via email. “Not only is it a lot of fun and a great social activity, but it also teaches math skills, probabilities, statistics, game theory, interpersonal skills, and risk strategy. There are few games out there that can do as much with so little.”

Regardless of national and regional age limits on gambling, teens including those on campus have turned to an assortment of card games, making age restrictions feel illegitimate.

“The age of 21 is fairly arbitrary,” Willis said. “In most other countries, the gambling age is 18 years old, Those countries have developed policies that trust people of legal adult age to make decisions about their finances, including whether to spend that money in gambling pursuits. ”

Some students share a moral opposition to gambling often because of the frequency of addiction across its player demographic. However, Willis suggests that poker is just like many other financial exchanges that are integrated into the nation.

“Poker is a game that, like Wall Street or business in general, relies on a great deal of skill while fading the occasional streak of bad luck,” Willis said. “Just like anyone who doesn’t have the skills to compete in business shouldn’t be in business, those same people should avoid poker if they don’t have the skills to play.”

For most students on campus, playing poker is more about the social element and less about the gambling.

“I just like hanging out with friends and for everyone to be able socialize while playing,” senior Lindsey McVeigh said. “It was a very successful night because everyone had a good time.”