In a large, smoke-filled casino, amid noisy slot machines and the scattered clamor of people, poker players cluster around felt-topped tables, doing their best to tune out the distractions around them.

It’s here at the poker tables where the real skill, money and fun lay — at least that’s what those who play the game say.

Thanks to the addition of Riverwind Casino in 2006, the accessibility of gambling in Norman has greatly increased. Along with the casino comes the collective gauntlet of gamblers, from little old ladies to average joes, high rollers to low stakes players — even OU students.

Matt Carroll, psychology junior, said he used to go to the casino once or twice a week.

“My game of choice was no limit Texas Hold ‘em,” he said.

Hold ‘em is widely regarded as the most popular poker game in America, and involves using any combination of five community cards and two “hole” cards, dealt to the player at the beginning of a hand, to make the best five-card combination possible.

Carroll said he developed enough skill, and won often enough, that he took in considerable winnings each week.

“I’d usually buy-in with $100 and leave the table with about $300,” he said. “It’s nice, because if you’re decent enough, you walk away with more money than you originally came in there holding, and without too much real effort.”

Craig Tsotigh, petroleum engineering sophomore, also plays the “no limit” style of poker often.

“I play poker at the casinos and online, so I’d say I’m gambling pretty much every day,” he said. “When I have time, I usually make it out to the casinos about twice a week, probably.”

His dedication to the game seems to have paid off for Tsotigh, who said the most he’s ever won at one game of poker was $1500.

“It usually varies how much I win, though,” he said. “Because online I’m only playing with a couple bucks at a time. The real money is at the casinos, and I’d say I average around $300 bucks each time I go out there.”

Ryan Wing, economics senior, said that while he’ll go to the casino a couple times a month, he prefers to gamble online. And don’t get the wrong impression about online gambling, he said. Though Tsotigh doesn’t use the online gambling world to win the big bucks, Wing said the winnings online sometimes yield much more than some might think.

“There have been weeks where I have won over $6000 online,” Wing said. “But there were other times where I have lost $4000. On a regular basis, though, I’d say I net about $400 to $500 a week.”

With that kind of cash, there is an obvious appeal to gambling, whether online or at a casino, but Tsotigh said that the rush of winning a hand draws him to the game.

“I love going in there an just winning tons of chips off of one hand,” he said. “Your heart’s pumping and the adrenaline’s going. That’s what makes it fun.”

Carroll said he enjoys the quick turn-around rate for the minimal effort.

“It was pretty sweet going in there, playing poker for a couple of hours, and then cashing out $200 bucks ahead of where you started.”

For Wing, poker is all about the competition.

“Growing up, I always played sports,” he said. “So being a very competitive person in anything I do is the biggest appeal to me. Oh, and the money is also a positive.”

Though it’s not as easy as it looks, and risk-taking isn’t necessarily for everyone, Carroll said. For those interested in getting involved in the poker world, there are a few things to keep in mind, he said.

“I’d start out on the limit tables instead of the no-limit ones,” Carroll said. “It’s a cheaper buy-in, and you won’t lose as much money if you aren’t any good at it.”

Wing said the first step is not to get down on yourself if you lose.

“Even the pros lose all the time,” he said. “You have to keep going, though. Knowing your limit is also a good idea. A good rule of thumb is to play with only about 10 percent of the money you set aside for gambling at one time.”

However, Carroll said that at times, playing conservatively could lead to contempt from your poker peers.

“I would run in to criticism when I played poker,” he said. “Mostly because I was a conservative player. I don’t bluff often and I usually only bet when I have a good hand. One time, after I won a lot of money with a good hand, a guy next to me got pissed and said something to me like, ‘What, do you only play when you have queens?’ But that’s just how I play. It’s how I keep my money.”

Whether playing conservatively or going “all-in” on a poker hand, in order to make serious money, players need to make serious sacrifices, Tsotigh said.

Tsotigh recently competed in a large poker tournament at Riverwind Casino in which the grand prize was $25,000. The top 23 contestants won money, but Tsotigh finished 27th.

“I sat there and played poker for eight hours straight and didn’t win,” he said. “It was pretty frustrating playing that long and not making any money, but you learn from your mistakes. In fact, I learned more from that one game than I have from my whole experience playing poker. Emotionally I was drained, but I figure this experience will help me win big in the future. At least that’s what I’m hoping.”