As the Texas Hold ’Em poker craze continues to sweep the nation, a new company is bringing the game to college students with a unique twist – offering students the chance to compete for free as part of the school’s intramural program, giving students the chance to win thousands in scholarship money.
Collegiate Poker Tour Events, Inc., was founded in October 2004 by Illinois entrepreneurs Jason Beck and Craig Rabin. Collegiate Poker already signed deals with a handful of schools and are in the process of signing on as many as fifteen universities. The first college poker tournament is scheduled for October 29 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Jason Beck, president of Collegiate Poker, commented: "As recent college graduates, we knew poker was a growing trend, and it just seemed natural to give students a chance to compete for something meaningful to them, such as a scholarship. [...] And by working with schools’ intramural departments, we’re providing students a chance to meet others in a social setting, and bringing non-sports players into the fold.“
There are currently only a few websites available where students can compete in poker tournaments for a scholarship, but Collegiate Poker claims to be the first company to provide college students an opportunity to play face-to-face poker, emphasizing the skill and psychological dimensions of the poker game.
“We’re really looking forward to bringing the intramural Collegiate Poker tournaments to our campus later this year,” added Shardel Shannie, president of Delta Sigma Pi (Illinois State University). “Our students have expressed the need for non-sports related intramural programs and we think they’ll respond well to this idea.”