With his mom's blessing, he's turned the family dining room, complete with green walls and a chandelier, into a poker parlor for himself and his buddies. He also keeps a deck of cards at school so he can play impromptu games during class or lunch.
"It's better than homework; I can tell you that," the 18-year-old from Austin, Texas, said with a chuckle.
He is just one of the many young people who have become avid players of Texas Hold 'Em and other poker games - a trend sparked, in part, by TV shows that feature tournaments for celebrities and professional poker players. But gambling opponents wonder if some teens, and the adults who let them play, are taking it too far.
"It's fun. It's exciting. It's glamorized on TV and in the media in a way that other addictions are not," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. "There's the impression that through skill you can beat the odds. But randomness is always going to have a bigger factor in determining the outcome than your skill.
"And unfortunately, that's not the message these kids get."
Some parents have heeded the warning, cutting back on casino nights at after--prom parties and other events. And officials at a growing number of schools - from New Trier High School, north of Chicago, to Apple Valley High School in suburban Minneapolis - have recently started banning poker-playing on their campuses.
In Lansing, Everett High School Principal Dale Glynn said after the game's popularity grew on TV, he wondered if students playing poker during lunch or in the hallways would become a problem.
Poker or any kind of gambling is not allowed in the school.
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Have patience and don't let yourself go on tilt.
