With the latest card craze—spurred on by Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, ESPN's World Poker Championship and the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel—hitting the airwaves, Willow Glen poker parties have become the hottest game in town.

And locals are taking notes—while watching ESPN's World Poker Championship—finding new ways to bluff a hand and betting that their chips will grow, and all these players hope it's one trend that isn't going to fold.

On one July night, 20 couples, by invitation only, arrived at Tim and Kim Dinsdale's home on Camino Pablo to play Texas Hold 'Em, a popular type of casino poker brought to the masses via the World Poker Tour.

The Dinsdales' backyard was transformed for a funky poker party, with five poker tables and all the food and drinks that could be consumed, including the treats for the group's new tradition of eating Twinkies and Ho Hos while playing.

But before the official game began, a small group of poker beginners arrived at the Dinsdales' an hour early for a quick poker tutorial from Mitch Kahn. Kahn, who also volunteers with the robotics team at Willow Glen Elementary, has been playing poker regularly for the past five months and enjoys sharing his knowledge with newcomers. By the time the practice rounds were over, the beginners, along with the pros, had anted up $20 toward the prize pot. In exchange for the money, poker players were given $450 worth of chips to play with for the night.

The tables, which hold up to eight players, eventually dwindle down to one winner's table, and those players continue until only three people are left. The evening is designed to be more social than competitive and usually doesn't end until past midnight. At that point, all the money is divided between the final three players, with the top winner receiving more than $200.

Everyone at the Dinsdales' game claimed the event was "just for fun." But once the music was turned up and the cards were shuffled and dealt, there was a sea of players with poker faces clearly playing to win, including Kahn, who was arguably the most serious player in the group.

He's read more than five poker-themed books and has even tried his luck with the high rollers at the Garden City casino on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose with Tim Dinsdale. Talking loud enough to be heard above the crowd and old Bon Jovi songs being played, Kahn says the couples' poker night, when compared to the men's poker group he belongs to, tends to be more lighthearted and jovial in nature.

Kahn's poker buddy Tim Dinsdale agrees.

"We play tournament-style poker, but this is really a great party idea," Dinsdale says. "Instead of everyone sitting around talking about work, we have this great form of entertainment."

Comparing his "hard-core" Garden City casino card room experience to the party atmosphere at his home, Dinsdale says they were like playing poker in two different worlds. He says the Garden City experience was intimidating and nerve-racking.

Dinsdale says that while preparing for the couples' night, the food, refreshments and poker necessities, which included the five tables, actually costs more than the winners received at the end of the night, but that is just the price to be paid for several hours of fun.

"A lot of us got poker chips for Father's Day," Dinsdale says. "And the tables were from the 'beyond' section of Bed Bath & Beyond."

At the inaugural couples' poker night held one week prior to the Dinsdales' party, Kahn's wife and Willow Glen Elementary School PTA president Andrea Wheeler came up big winners, taking home $220 for being the "last man standing." Wheeler says that winning the poker jackpot was exciting, especially since she is still learning the game. Had she won the big prize again a week later, she would have also been the recipient of a new tradition—a life-sized check that read "Diamond Dinsdales Casino and Lounge Willow Glen Poker Tour."

At the opposite end of the spectrum, players who were the first, second or third to exit the couples' game received gag-style prizes, including the book Texas Hold 'em for Dummies.

Even though the couples' night was one of the first times Kerri Mesa had played a serious game of poker, she wasn't intimidated by her amateur standing.

"This is just a good excuse to bring a group of people together and have fun," she says. "I don't think anyone takes it too seriously. It never gets ugly."

Kerri's husband, Scott, says he's watched the World Series of Poker to pick up poker tips but credits the 1998 poker movie Rounders as his best source for adding some new skills to his game.

"At the last couples' night, Kerri was playing until the end, and I took over for her and we won $120," Scott says.

While Kerri was honing her skills at the table, Sandy Knell says she watched Celebrity Poker Showdown ahead of time to prepare for the Dinsdales' poker tournament. This poker rookie says that prior to the party she had no experience, but her goal was to avoid being one of the first players out of the game.

"I hope I get invited back to the next game," she says. "This has been a lot of fun."

It may be fun, but the couples' poker night isn't the only game in town. There are two men's groups that also play once a month; one meets during the week, the other on the weekend. The weekday group draws about 18 men who play four hours of poker on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. This group was started by Willow Glen resident Chris Saso, because he prefers to spend the weekends with his family.

Many of the players are men Saso met through the 1998 Las Madres group, he says. He met others through his involvement in T-ball and soccer games.

Amid talk of sports, eating Togo's sandwiches and drinking beer and soda, the guys gathered July 21 to play Texas Hold 'Em.

"The game usually isn't that serious, but the couples' night definitely has less macho BS," Saso says.

The group meets at Saso's business on Meridian Avenue. He says that usually if a player loses all his chips early on, he will still stay to watch the rest of the game unfold and hang out, especially if it's early. As in the couples' poker games, everyone contributes $20 to the pot and the money is split among the top three winners.

"This is an inexpensive way to get out," Saso says. "But we play more for bragging rights than for the money. At least a week after the game, we are all still sending emails to each other about the game."

Although there are a number of players who work in the high-tech industry, Saso says the group includes a typical cross-section of individuals who live in Silicon Valley. He adds that the games are a good opportunity to network, but thinks most of the players just come to have a good time.

Saso and his friends have relied on specialty shops, Bed Bath & Beyond and the Internet to find their poker accessories, but soon they will be able to find their poker necessities in Willow Glen at Modern Lock & Key on Westwood Drive. Co-owner Darrin Wicker says starting Aug. 1, the shop's new "poker corner" will carry at least 10 different styles of chip cases and card decks formerly used in casinos.

According to Wicker, casinos will use the card decks one time and then sell them. Wicker will also sell poker tables.

"We'll have World Poker Tour cards and Harley-Davidson cards," he says. Prices will range between $55 and $200.

These products are also available while visiting Wicker's poker website at www.thepokercorner.com.

"I know this is a trend, but I hope it stays around for a while," he says. "Our whole family has gotten into it."