This year, Oak Park High School Freshman Anya Luo decided to bring her passion for poker to campus and start up an OPHS Poker Club.
“I was inspired to start a poker club because I love playing poker out of school, but I never have anyone to play with besides bots or people online,” club president Anya Luo said. “I thought starting a poker club in school would be a great way to connect everyone who loves poker so we can play together.”
Poker club doesn’t just provide a space for playing but also aims to teach students new strategies.
“I wanted to teach others how to play and win at poker through strategies such as understanding the power of position, pot odds or how many outs you have to complete a hand,” Luo said.
Luo plans to continue Poker Club into the 2025-26 school year and wishes to expand the club’s activities and help members learn more about poker.
“Next year, we hope to expand the club to include more tournaments and add volunteer opportunities for members to visit senior homes and play poker with seniors,” Luo said. “We also hope to expand beyond ‘Texas Hold’em’ and learn different poker variants, such as ‘five-card draw’ or ‘seven-card stud.’”
This club meets weekly on Mondays at lunch in room C-10. For more information about joining Poker Club, you can reach out to the president at [email protected].
“Poker club is a great place to relax and have fun with your friends while learning to play poker,” Luo said. “You don’t have to be a serious poker player or memorize all the percentages to join the club. We meet every week, form tables, and play poker using real chips for the entirety of the lunch period.”
