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The Internet offers many opportunities for poker enthusiasts to indulge in their favorite game.

CollegePoker.com is a unique Web site that offers college scholarships to students.

CollegePoker.com hosts free poker tournaments for college students. There is no fee to play on the site, and the winners of the tournaments receive scholarships.

The most recent tournament, the Web site’s third, kicked off on Sept. 11.

For each student that played in the opening ceremonies on Sept. 11, CollegePoker.com donated $1 to the September 11 Children’s Fund.

The fund supports children who lost parents or guardians on Sept. 11.

CollegePoker.com spokesperson Lou Krieger said the September 11th Children’s Fund helps ease the financial burden.

Krieger is a poker expert and author of several how-to poker guides. He acts as a volunteer spokesperson for CollegePoker.com.

According to Krieger, the Web site targets college students because “the average college student is in dire need of money. Education is a necessity.”

In their first year of the tournament, CollegePoker.com attracted 10,000 students to their Web site. Last year, approximately 30,000 students from across the country participated in the event.

CollegePoker.com began their latest tournament on Sept. 11 and organizers saw a unique opportunity to donate to charity. All over the country, college poker clubs organized charity events.

With the ever-increasing number of poker players, charitable organizations can benefit from such tournaments.

Due to the increased media coverage of the game, poker has reemerged as a popular mainstay on college campuses.

“Colleges all over know that poker has life lessons to teach students,” Krieger said.

According to CollegePoker.com, one of their main goals is to support the use of poker as a strategic learning tool among students.

Other goals of the Web site are to reward college students with scholarship money and to find the greatest college player in the country.

CollegePoker.com’s most recent tournament will continue throughout the school year. CollegePoker.com will host satellite tours and the winners will move on the next level.

For players who frequent poker sites that cost money, CollegePoker.com is a unique alternative.

Players can now enjoy their favorite game and get money for school.

“Poker has taken off like crazy,” Krieger said. “It has grown by word of mouth.”

Poker Web sites, poker television shows and word of mouth have made the game extremely popular in recent years.

The September 11 Children’s Fund received $1,033 from the CollegePoker.com tournament’s opening night.