Students have flocked to Cosy Dell after two open-invite poker games were advertised to the student body last week. Posted on Castle 24 (before being removed by organisers), the games were advertised as a $50-100 buy-in event, inviting students to rock up for an evening of good old-fashioned poker playing. Organisers told Critic Te Ārohi that the open invite came after a series of weekly poker games between mates.
One organiser told Critic that his aim in starting a weekly poker game was “to get [his] friends together for a fun hangout that’s not all about drinking.” Critic’s last five trips to the casino would suggest otherwise. “Poker's a cool game, it lets you dig into psychology and math. It’s just engaging enough without making you think too hard, so everyone can chat and have a good time,” he said. “I try to make them weekly, however a lot of the time they’re more fortnightly due to being busy with uni.”
“The main reason for opening up to the wider student body is to make more friends who are like minded and wanna just chill and hang out,” the organiser told Critic. However, pressed on the decision to remove the post from Castle24, he said some of the players had felt uncomfortable with the publicity it generated.
Seems they were right to be paranoid, with some students Critic spoke to voicing their scepticism of the organisers’ motives behind the invite (putting those critical thinking skills to the test). One student argued, “One of the boys in that flat must be very good at poker.” Continuing, he said, “Maybe they’re very nice guys, that’s an option […] but they wouldn’t advertise if they didn’t think they had a chance of winning.” His friend chimed in, “That’s a bit sceptical, don’t you think?”
Another student Thea backed the venture: “It’s a good idea, gets students into a bit of gambling.” Sarcastic as this may sound, Thea caveated her comment by comparing the poker games to the traditional TAB push, saying, “Poker is a higher form of gambling.” She also thought the organisers had likely advertised the event for “shits and gigs.” Her mate agreed: “Surely they have to give some of the money away, otherwise there will be uproar. I know I have a few mates who would be pretty keen.”
Vibe or no-vibe, the poker events will stay private, yet they may just make your night if you happen to stumble in on one of these events during your Pint Night pre’s. There may also be some very wealthy third-years available if you need a loan.