Benjamin Barrows at a poker tournament in the Bahamas. He won a trip there by winning a tournament online. 
Local game of Texas Hold'em Poker, currently the most popular form of poker to playBy Austin Pratt
A University of Georgia student has found a way to make a sizable amount money from the comfort of his own couch—online poker.
Benjamin Barrows, a fourth-year telecommunications major at UGA, has been playing poker online for a few years and has increased his bankroll dramatically since late last year.
According to the 2008 Annual Survey of Journalism Graduates from Grady College, the median yearly salary for a student with a bachelor’s degree in journalism is $30,000. Barrows won nearly $150,000 this past year playing poker online.
Barrows explained that it took him about two years to get good enough at poker to start having profitable results on a consistent basis. He said the best way to get better at the game is through experience and talking to other, better players.
“The thing that separates a good player from a bad one is the decisions you make,” Barrows said.
“Great players will almost always make the correct decision based on the situation, and they have reasons for why they made that decision. This ability helps take the luck out of the game and turns it into more of a skill."
His most profitable cash finish came during one of the PokerStars online world championship tournaments, where he finished seventh placed and earned $64,000.
Benjamin Barrows, a fourth-year telecommunications major at UGA, has been playing poker online for a few years and has increased his bankroll dramatically since late last year.
According to the 2008 Annual Survey of Journalism Graduates from Grady College, the median yearly salary for a student with a bachelor’s degree in journalism is $30,000. Barrows won nearly $150,000 this past year playing poker online.
Barrows explained that it took him about two years to get good enough at poker to start having profitable results on a consistent basis. He said the best way to get better at the game is through experience and talking to other, better players.
“The thing that separates a good player from a bad one is the decisions you make,” Barrows said.
“Great players will almost always make the correct decision based on the situation, and they have reasons for why they made that decision. This ability helps take the luck out of the game and turns it into more of a skill."
His most profitable cash finish came during one of the PokerStars online world championship tournaments, where he finished seventh placed and earned $64,000.
“When I got out of the tournament (at first) I was actually kind of sad because first place was about $400,000,” Barrows said. “To be only six places away from that amount of money just made me a little disappointed. But, after that wore off, I realized how fortunate I was to make it as far as I did."
Sagar Patel, a fourth-year finance major at UGA, knows a lot of people around campus that play poker online, but none with the kind of success that Barrows has had.
“I realize that some people could earn enough playing poker to do it as their main source of income, but I don’t think many people actually do,” Patel said. “From what I’ve seen on TV and stuff, it seems like you need to be really good or just lucky."
Garrett Murck, a fourth-year telecommunications and film major at UGA, started playing poker online within the past year. He said that while he feels he is getting better, he still would not consider himself a profitable player.
“I play mostly small games that cost $5 or less to play in,” Murck said. “For the most part I break even, but it has taken me almost a year of learning to get to that point. I think I have a ways to go still before I would be good enough to actually earn a profit from it."
Despite the success of internet poker, the online gambling industry has been criticized by many and technically banned by Congress. However, the ban is extremely vague and does not specify what is legal and what is not. Congress passed the ban in 2006, but few poker players take it seriously.
Dylan Hortin, a junior at Arizona State University, is also a poker player and friend of Barrows. Hortin has won close to $100,000 through online poker since he started playing three years ago and has had no issue getting his money despite the online gambling ban.
“The main reason why the ban is so hard to enforce is because the biggest online poker sites are all based overseas,” Hortin explained. “Online gambling is legal most places outside the US, so I think that’s why it has been so hard for them control it."
Fortunately, Barrows has been able to receive and cash his checks from PokerStars, the largest online card room in the world, without issue from the online gambling ban. Because implementation of the ban is almost nonexistent, many poker players simply choose to ignore it.
“Most of the players I have spoken to could care less about the ban because nothing is done to enforce it,” said Barrows. “I’m not concerned too much about it either."
Despite the ban for online poker, Barrows earnings are considered legal. He pays taxes on the money he makes quarterly and is listed on his tax report as a professional gambler.
Even though Barrows has found great success in poker, he still plans on graduating from UGA with a degree in telecommunications."
“I would love to make a living off of poker,” Barrows said. “If I don’t win a ton of money, then I might get a normal job and just play poker on the side. But, if I’m able to keep up my current win rate, I think it is very possible to make a career out of it."
-- Edited Sloane Wimberly
Interesting story with good quotes from Barrows and others. We need an overview source like a professor, a regulator or somebody who runs one of these online sites to provide a broader perspective on the issue.
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