POKER POWER

Texas Holdem is the Fukutomi family's favorite poker game. Above, from left, are Bryant, Florence, Arnold, Braxton, Seiya and Ryoko Fukutomi.

Family knows
when to Holdem

A night of fun and bonding
awaits when the Fukutomis play

Poker is the equivalent of Fukutomi-family bonding. We all play poker -- me, my wife, my daughters, my parents, my brother and my brother's kid.

Poker actually runs deep in our family. My folks have played weekly games since I was a little kid. They played the whole gamut -- Blackjack, Seven-Card Stud, High-Low ... it was dealer's choice.

Now, our game is strictly Texas Holdem. My wife and I learned by watching tournaments on TV and taught everyone else. By the first game, we were all hooked, especially my 10-year-old nephew, Braxton. He can't even wait until the weekend -- Texas Holdem with Grandma and Grandpa is his after-school activity.

His dad (my brother Arnold) bought a professional set of clay chips right away, and we finally retired my parents' 20-year-old raggedy ones (I think they were made of cardboard).

Every two weeks we go to my parent's house for a big poker showdown disguised as a family get-together. I bring my three girls, my brother comes with his son, my niece is there.

It's a cheap night of entertainment as no money needs to change hands.

Compare it with the movies -- $50, easy, for all of us -- and no interaction. There are no deep discussions afterward with the kind of movies we see. You're not going to have deep discussions about "Van Helsing."

Crystal Olsen and Ryoko Fukutomi enjoy the game that brings the Fukutomis, young and old alike, together every other weekend.

With poker we're making noise, having fun, teasing each other. It's a game that all ages can play and enjoy on the same level.

Think about it: When adults play games with young kids, it's usually just to keep the kids entertained. Sometimes you have to purposely play badly so they can win and have fun. Until they start beating you, anyway.

From the start, we all played Texas Holdem to WIN. And everybody wins at some point; it's the nature of the beast. In other games, if you're the worst player, you're always going to be the worst player. You'll never win.

My girls, all teenagers now, outgrew football games in the back yard a long time ago. Left to their own devices, they'd talk on the phone or watch TV. Alone.

But even they see the value of time spent with family. If one is reluctant to play on poker night, the other two will bully her into it -- "Hey! It's family bonding!"

Or, we could go out for that other family activity: shopping. I drive to the mall, give them money, they run off into the stores. See ya later, Dad.

Poker's better.

How to play Texas Holdem
 

1. The set-up: Each player puts in an ante, or two players post blinds (see glossary). Or both.

2. Hole cards: Each player is dealt two cards. One round of bets is made.

3. The flop: Three cards are placed face-up on the table. All players can use these cards in their hands. A second round of betting takes place.

4. The turn: Another card is dealt face-up, followed by more betting.

5. The river: A final card is dealt face-up. All players now make the best five-card hand they can using their hole cards and the "community" face-up cards. Final bets are placed.
6. The showdown: All hands are shown. Winner takes all the chips.
7. The winner(s): Players drop out as they lose all their chips. The winner is the one left with all the chips. Some games end when two or three players remain, and the pot is divided among them.
 

Texas Holdem glossary

Buy-in: A cash amount paid by all players before the game starts. Some games are played until one person has all the chips and wins all the buy-in money. In others, the top chip winners split the pool.

Ante: Chips put in the pot by all players at the beginning of each hand.

On the button: Players take turns serving as dealer, and a white button indicates whose turn it is.

Big blind/small blind: These are initial bets posted by the player to the left of the dealer (small) and to the left of that player (big) at the beginning of each hand, before the cards are dealt. These are usually set amounts of, say, three and five chips. Every player must at least match the big blind in the first round of betting to stay in the hand. The purpose of blinds is to move the game along by encouraging betting. Some games are played with blinds instead of antes; others require both.

Call (or see): To meet the bet and stay in the game.

Raise: To add to the bet that is currently on the table.

Fold (or sleep): To give up on a hand and pull out of the betting. All chips already bet are forfeited.

Check (or pass): After the first round of betting is over, a player can stay in the game without betting by checking. If all players check, they essentially get to see the next card for "free," but if any player puts in a bet, everyone else must either call or fold.

Bluff: To keep betting even if your hand is lousy.

Buying the pot: To force up the betting to the point that other players are scared off and no one calls your last bet. In this case, the top bettor takes the pot and doesn't have to show his/her cards.

Kicker: When two players have equal hands, the winner is determined by the next highest card in the hand, called the kicker. If they are still tied at that point, they split the pot.

Chip leader: Player with the most chips at any given time.

All-in: To bet all your chips at once. All other players must match your bet to stay in the game. If another player has fewer chips than you, all-in means a bet equal to that player's total chips. No raises are allowed after an all-in bet is placed. Going all-in can force players out of the game - once your chips are gone, you're out.

Pocket Rockets: A pair of aces in the hole.