With the increased popularity of poker, college students have a lot to deal with.Many television stations are now jumping on the bandwagon to cover the ever-present poker craze and many young adults are loving it. But the thrill of this competitive sport can have repercussions.Gamblers Anonymous public relations representative for San Diego and south Riverside counties, Joel K., gets a direct look at these ramifications when gambling becomes an addiction. He can only have the initial of his last name published because of the organization’s policy “We’re getting more and more young people,” Joel said. Joel said there are lots of young people of both genders in attendance at the meetings, but mainly young men 18 to 30 years old. The number of people seeking help, in general, for gambling addiction has increased in San Diego. He said that 12 years ago, there were only five meetings available to attend in the city. Now, there are about 30. Joel said gambling is different from other addictions. “Gambling is in your head, and it’s really hard to overcome once it gets in you,” he said.Joel also emphasized the extremity of gambling in comparison to other addictions. He said it would be difficult for an addict to spend $10,000 on alcohol or drugs in one night, but gamblers could easily find themselves spending immense amounts of money.Poker is very attractive to young men, because unlike other professional sports, becoming a professional poker player seems more accessible, Joel said. Playing your way to the top, however, is not as easy as it seems.”It’s very difficult to do,” Joel said. “You play and sometimes get beginners luck – and that’s the worst thing that can happen.”This is why some men get a taste of it and think they are unbeatable, he said.Joel said there are three stages to gambling: Fun, fun with problems and problems.Finance senior Wade Steverson opts for fun. “It’s like a sport, because it’s competitive, but you can socialize at the same time,” he said.Steverson said he plays online poker at work, which is four days a week. He said he is able to play and work at the same time because he can talk to people in his sales position on the phone without getting distracted by the game. Steverson said he does not currently bet online, but plans to.Joel warns against gambling online.”Online is very dangerous,” he said. He said it is possible for people to lose tens of thousands of dollars without even leaving their homes.Steverson said he also plays for money with a group of friends every Wednesday. He and his friends have $10 to $20 buy-ins with about six to 11 players.”And yes, I did win last (Wednesday),” he said.Steverson said he prefers to play online or at home because he doesn’t have to go anywhere and can organize it with his friends. He said at casinos, the game is on a larger scale and a lot more money is involved.However, the poker fad has made its way to local casinos. Don Lee, poker room supervisor at Barona Valley Ranch resort and casino, said he’s definitely seen an increase in college-aged people at the poker tables within the last six to eight months. He said most of their clientele during the summer were of the college age and he believes it is because of the television coverage of poker.”One of the first things they mention is they’ve seen it on TV,” he said. In regards to addictive gambling behavior, Lee said they really don’t see that kind of behavior at Barona.”It’s a clean operation,” Lee said.He said poker is a game of skill. A player has to manage his or her money very well and there are many resources, which explain how to do so. Barona has a policy against borrowing money, or what it refers to as “treasure hunting,” describing a person who runs out of money quickly and thus goes around the casino trying to collect more, Lee said.This could be a sign of risky behavior, he said. In order to assess addictive behavior, Joel recommends the Gamblers Anonymous Web site, www.gamblersanonymous.org, which provides 20 questions. He said if someone can identify with seven questions out of the 20, no one is going to judge, but it’s a good indicator that he or she has a problem.