Clubs over clubbing

They sip flavored martinis, pass carefully crafted hors d’oeuvres and chat amiably between hands. It might not look like a game of Follow the Queen, but it is, new millennium style. And with the porkpie hats, Sinatra on the stereo and women aplenty, one thing’s for sure -- this is not your dad’s poker party.

Card playing is back in a big way, as an alternative to hitting the bar scene and an updated version of in-home board game nights of the ‘90s. It’s also a hipster haven, a chance to revel in and celebrate all things Vegas, circa Dean, Frank and Sammy.

“There’s a sexiness to it,” said Blair Taylor, a talent agent who recently started playing poker at a friend’s house in Encino. “It’s upgraded itself from that frat boy kind of vibe. It’s hip in an under-the-radar way.”

Part of the card playing resurgence comes from an unlikely source: television. While it was once considered even less telegenic than bowling, it’s all the rage on several network and cable channels, thanks mostly to the glam Rat Pack trappings and the lipstick cameras that let audiences peek at all the cards.

Shows such as “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” airing on NBC and sister channel Bravo, are drawing substantial audiences. Same for ESPN’s “World Series of Poker” and the Travel Channel’s “World Poker Tour.” NBC, Fox and the Game Show Network also have gaming-related shows in the works.

Card clubs in the area are benefiting, with the El Dorado in Gardena seeing a 25% jump in poker playing in the last year, said its owner (and Hustler magazine publisher and former California gubernatorial candidate) Larry Flynt.

“People who don’t know anything about poker want to learn to play now,” Flynt said. “I attribute all of that to the televised games.” Flynt himself, before he bought the El Dorado and gave it a $30-million makeover a few years back, used to host legendary high-stakes all-weekend-long poker parties in his home, flying in Vegas dealers just for the events.

Card mania in Los Angeles has meant that new groups are popping up every day and longtime parties are getting a boost in attendance, local players say. The groups vary in age and skill, some cutthroat and others casual.

A game that Valerie Shavers, a graphic designer, played recently fell somewhere in between. “The whole group was pretty competitive,” she said. “It got loud and crazy.” Betting goes from pocket change to serious bank. There are many versions of poker, including Omaha, 3-5-7 and Follow the Queen, but most people these days, like their TV counterparts, are playing Texas Hold ‘Em.

Jon SCHROEDER, a writer from Atwater Village, started his own card parties after being intimidated by the level of play in some long-established groups. He now plays regularly with about 10 people, men and women, in what he calls a friendly low-stakes game that rotates from his house to other players’ places in Toluca Lake and Los Feliz.

“We’ve all gotten better because we help each other along,” Schroeder said. “We learn by failing.” It’s not a ritual-heavy game night, where people insist on the same chairs and always wear that ratty old lucky shirt. Players can start with as little as $40 and might not lose more than that for the night. Their ages range from early 20s to late 50s, and no one is offended if inexperienced players keep a cheat sheet of terms and vital stats. The women, Schroeder said, are among the best players.

“They’re definitely in the top 10%,” he said. “And it’s important to have them there -- for civilization.” Not everyone is so newfangled. Some Angelenos, like Lee Kort of Pacific Palisades, still host the poker-party-as-bastion-of-male-bonding. Beer, pizza and plumes of cigar smoke are staples of the five-hour-plus events. Kort’s card buddies are all men, all with a certain proficiency, all willing to dish out some dough and talk some trash. Chicks aren’t invited.

“There’s a lot of verbiage flying around there that I wouldn’t want my wife to hear,” Kort said. “We totally abuse each other, but it’s all in good fun.” His games convene every month or so with seven or eight regulars.

Newbies get invited too, “so there will be a couple of lambs at the table,” Kort said. Pots can run into the thousands of dollars.

Whatever the makeup of the group, there are essentials that are standard fare. Along with food and drink, players say it’s vital to have a proper green felt card table and a good deck of cards, “not some dog-eared deck you’ve had since you were a kid,” Schroeder said. Another big no-no: low-rent plastic chips. Invest in the heavy clay ones, which make you feel like a serious player even if you aren’t.

And, whatever you do, don’t forget the game face.

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What wins and what loses

Four of a kind beats a full house (three of a kind plus a pair). Three of a kind beats two pair.

* A straight (five cards in consecutive numerical order from different suits) beats three of a kind.

* A straight flush (five cards in sequence in the same suit) beats four of a kind.

* A flush (any five cards from the same suit) beats a straight. A royal flush (10 through ace in the same suit) is the Mack Daddy. Nothing beats it.

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Some terms to toss around

Coffeehousing: talking about the hand in play and trying to mislead other players about what you’re holding.

Down to the felt: a player who’s quickly running out of chips.

Toke: a tip to the dealer after winning the pot.

Cowboys: kings.

Roll: short for bankroll.

All in: betting the farm.

Drop: fold.

Rainbow: three or four cards of different suits.

Boat: full house.

Fishhooks: jacks.

Catching cards: being dealt great hands.

Quads: four of a kind.

Monster: a killer, practically unbeatable hand.

No limit: Players can bet any amount.