Full house at poker is probably a safer bet than the alternatives

The shuffling you hear isn't the sound of the kids gearing up for a game of Go Fish; it is the rustle of cards being dealt for poker.

Yup. Texas Hold 'Em has a stronghold on high school and college-age males everywhere.

Lake Oswego is no exception.

If you've got a son, there's a good chance he's cashing in his chips, anteing up or folding.

I can't say I'm unhappy about this craze.

Despite the obvious pitfalls of gambling, poker is bringing teenagers together in a way not always possible in their strict caste system.

As long as you've got the buy-in money, which runs between $5 and $30, you can play.

Jocks sit across the table from skaters and techies. Seniors play with underclassmen. Everybody's in.

And just as important, parents of poker players know exactly where their boys are and what they're doing.

They're in the family room learning to read faces, interacting and hopefully, using some restraint.

As we all know, poker has been around forever. Great barroom brawls over poker games have been filmed for movies. A friend of mine tells the story of her father swallowing a goldfish over a lost game in the 1940s.

But in many cases, poker has been cleaned up. Gained some respect as it has grown in popularity on cable television. From all that I've heard, kids don't show up with the telltale smell of mouthwash on their breath -- local poker games are alcohol- and drug-free.

Which gets us to the pitfalls. And there are parents who are understandably concerned about the growing trend.

There is money to be lost and the boys do lose -- some more than others. But boys bet on everything from fantasy basketball leagues to golf games.

Kids have been caught cheating. Cheating is not new.

There is the potential addictive potential. Teen brains aren't fully formed and gambling grabs some early.

But so can video games -- has anyone heard of Halo?

There are also drugs, sex and rock-'n'-roll. There's driving cars extremely fast.

And I don't say that lightly. So many activities have harmful potential for our kids.

With poker, there's the temptation to take the game up to La Center, Wash., where gambling is legal at 18. You can bet that 16-year-olds head up there.

And there are enough games going on around town to lose big right here in River City.

As in everything, parents need to be vigilant.

But with all that's out there in the world today -- if you have to pick your poison, I'd pick poker.

Karen Wallace Sorenson: ksweekly@aol.com