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Poker Craze Spreads to Teens

"...They're playing poker - Texas Hold `em to be exact.

"...Since televised Texas Hold `em tournaments have become the darling of ESPN, the Travel Channel and Bravo, the free-for-all brand of poker has spread like text messages through a high school.

"...The newfound popularity of poker among teens worries some adults.

"Orange County, Fla., has become the first school district in that state to include anti-gambling lessons in its curriculum. The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling thinks all school systems in the state should warn students of the perils of wagering.

"...University of Florida sophomore Ricardo Elias, 19, started playing poker with friends immediately after graduating from Orlando's Edgewater High School. He plays four or five times a week but said he's not that interested in the money and doesn't let it interfere with school.

"'I don't let it get in the way of academics, but I could see how it would for other people.' ...he said.

"Texas Hold `em has become so mainstream with college students that Florida State University has sanctioned a campus tournament in October as part of the school's recreational offerings.

"...The prize is an intramural T-shirt..."

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