Las Vegas, or “Sin City” — the city of dreams and dreamers, where people come to win big and go home richer.

The appeal of gambling has spread to the Midwest via online gambling sites. Those sites have found a home on the ISU campus, where “Texas Hold ’em” poker players are looking to raise the stakes.

Roommates Shaun Fitzgerald and Trevor Shepperd, sophomores in engineering, are perfect examples of two students who know what it is like to have hundreds of dollars on the line.

Online gambling sites such as Pokerstars.com and interpoker.com, where Fitzgerald and Shepperd often play, make it easy to bet those Benjamin Franklins away.

Fitzgerald says he has won $2,400 in one sitting. The most he has lost in one day is $800.

Shepperd, who says he has been playing since watching the “World Series of Poker” on ESPN two years ago, says he and Fitzgerald started playing online at around the same time about a year ago.

“I really didn’t start playing really high stakes until this year,” Shepperd says. “I had been on a roll for a while, and thought I would give it a shot.”

“The most I won was $1,200,” he says. “It was one night and I was just on fire. On a high stakes bet I generally wont take more than $500 to the table, but I’ve won pots worth over $1,000.”

Both roommates agree and say online poker is on the rise.

“I definitely think it’s increasing in popularity because you can make a bunch of money just sitting on your computer,” Shepperd says.

“I know it’s on TV a lot more than it’s ever been,” Fitzgerald says. “That gets people’s interests up there. It’s easy to pick up and doesn’t require any athletic skills, so anyone can play.”

Many of the other guys on their floor have started testing their luck by playing online, although Shepperd says they generally play minimum stakes.

“I try to only play high stakes a couple of times a week; it’s not good to get in the habit of playing high stakes that much,” says Shepperd. “I try to stay away from those kinds of things.”

Fitzgerald says he lives by a similar philosophy.

When playing with friends, the two roommates say it is not about the money.

“Usually we play for money, but five-cent chips,” says Fitzgerald. “It is more about hanging out with the guys and playing some cards.”