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From the institution of higher learning that introduced card counting at blackjack tables in Las Vegas and infamy that lead to two books and one successful movie comes the latest phenomena from the northeast. MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology now offers poker as a major to its undergrads.
Intelligent students from all over can now descend on Boston to take advantage of this unique addition to the academic community. Once a game only for gamblers in the wild west and privately held games in frat houses, it is now possible for the prodigy next door who aced his SAT's to take up the game in a structured classroom setting.
The troublesome aspect to some skeptics is that where a promising mind who may have focused on medicine or law is now spending upwards of a $100,000 to learn advanced poker strategy for a game which is outlawed in various parts of the United States. On the other hand, parents of such students no longer have to fear the possibility of junior taking their credit cards and depositing money into online poker sites. Rather, they can take their love of the popular game and learn it in a classroom setting with other students and perhaps make millions as many of the games top professionals have.
Novices of the game are learning odds in math-based classes such as advanced raising, learning that a pocket pair is not that great of an underdog against two overcards.
Poker Classes Offered at College
Advocates of the new curriculum cite higher attendance rates as fewer students cut these classes when compared to those of mainstream mathematics and sciences. In addition, students are also privy to guest lectures from the likes of Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey if they're lucky. Some of the classes being offered include Gambling Theory, Bluffing and Semi-Bluffing, Psychology of The Trap, Recognizing Tells, Mastering Percentages, Trash Talk and How to Dress Like a Degenerate
MIT dean Garvin Werner is quoted as saying:
"Times change and we try to keep up. We're in tune enough to know the majority of our kids are playing poker online or with friends about 80% of the time, so why not help them instead of pretending it's not happening? We're really proud of this new major. Our school bookstore now has a large section devoted to poker videos and gaming gear. It's very popular."
MIT has set up little casinos on their campus and due to the new major's immense popularity has scaled down other less desirable majors. It will be interesting to see whether other schools across America will follow suit and meet their students' new demands or whether MIT will meet any resistance from law enforcement. After all, students do lose money in the classroom in these courses though administration does take advantage of this new revenue stream. Only time will tell the full story.
Source: www.aintluck.com
