When most people are waiting for the river card to turn over, Brandon Bornancin, a sophomore poker entrepreneur, is working on his Internet poker Web site to make that anxiety justified.
Bornancin, a pre-law and political science major, started his own poker Web site, www.free50now.com, eight months ago when he noticed Internet poker addictions forcing students to forego their studies for better odds.
Bornancin makes his profit by negotiating contracts with online poker companies, and gets paid when he fulfills his contract. He said it's like being a sports agent but with gambling.
These contracts consist of recruiting professional players and new poker players alike to use his Web site, which then leads them to other online poker sites. Bornancin said he gets most of his money from this advertising.
His Web site gives $50 free to use on poker sites listed as links. From there, poker players can take this money and play all the Hold 'em they want.
Bornancin will travel to Las Vegas, Florida, Michigan, Windsor and Niagara Falls over winter break with some employees to recruit more players and companies.
With an investment amounting to $2,000 to $4,000, Bornancin's small business venture has proved extremely fruitful.
With his initial investment, Bornancin turned a profit in two months. And he bought his first toy, a motorcycle.
Now that I have one toy
I have to put my money toward investments - something to fall back on he said.
Although Bornancin wouldn't reveal how much money he makes from his site, he said he's already purchased land in Florida and plans to buy a new Porsche convertible, all at the tender age of 19.
Bornancin said his business and academics keep him in the library for a majority of the night. If he's not doing schoolwork, he's signing up eight to 20 people an hour to play poker.
He rejects the idea of partners, saying he would rather handle the job himself so as to not lose profits.
Bornancin predicts big things for his poker site. He hopes students across the country and professional players soon know about it. Although advertising is strictly word of mouth, he plans to change that soon.
Though the money he makes eases some pressures of college, Bornancin said he doesn't let it get to his head. Giving back does bring good luck and faith, he said.
I'm not made of money. I don't like people who elicit that image he said. It didn't just come to me; I worked hard to get where I'm at.
In the past week, poker player Ryan Skubic, an OU senior who is friends with Bornancin, has won more than $1,700 in poker tournaments.
He said that his skills are a combination of luck and studying the intricacies of Texas Hold 'em, the bread and butter of poker and by reading books and watching tournaments on TV.
Mike Ferrell, a junior, agrees. He said it takes a while to learn the game. Playing 10 to 12 hours a week during school, Ferrell has made more than $10,000 in about six months.
I look at it as a job
he said. It's hard. You don't always win. It's emotionally draining when you have a bad streak.
Skubic said he uses Bornancin's site. Though at first skeptical of his friend's entrepreneurial skills, when he got his free $50 in his account, he never looked back.
As far as the poker trend goes, Skubic and Bornancin believe it's going to continue to grow.
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Alissa Ponchione
