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In most circumstances, the game of poker is not typically considered to be an intellectual pursuit. In fact, its general connotation might be closer to unproductive. Playing cards and poker chips. The Boston University Poker Team is one of 42 teams competing within the Intercollegiate Poker Association, whose mission is to bring attention to the game’s skill-based nature and create a global competitive network between universities. COURTESY OF MICHAŁ PARZUCHOWSKI VIA UNSPLASH But an eight-person poker team at Boston University — and the organization through which they compete — may be highlighting a social, and perhaps even professional, side of the game that many people are unaware of.
The team, which isn’t directly associated with BU, is one of 42 teams competing within the Intercollegiate Poker Association, an organization whose mission is to bring attention to the skill-based nature of the game of poker and create a global, competition-based network between colleges and universities, according to the organization’s website.
The BU team’s next match, which takes place Jan. 8 online, is the third match of five before the IPA wildcard and playoffs. The match can be streamed live on Twitch through the IPA website.
Schools with teams include Oxford University, Princeton University, McGill University and other local schools such as Harvard University and Northeastern University. All the tournament matches take place over the streaming service Twitch.
Sahir Doshi, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he found out about the Poker Team through their Instagram page. At the start of the semester, he went to the team tryout — around 19 students vying for two open spots — and played well enough to secure a spot on the roster.
“I was playing poker for about three hours straight, just trying to maintain my stack,” he said. “I was pretty fortunate because there was some good players there as well.”
Doshi said that the team currently holds practices every two weeks at the team captain’s house. The sessions normally start with a practice game, which gives them an opportunity to learn new theories and […]
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