I have a confession to make. I am absolutely obsessed with card games.

I grew up watching my parents and grandparents play, a pretty ironic occurrence considering that my grandparents live in an Amish region in Pennsylvania. Every major holiday, out came the deck, and soon I had joined in the frenzy of hits, straights, and slaps.

It was only after I had a couple years under my belt, however, that I found my yen for perhaps the most well-known of all card games: poker. I saw the challenge and thought it was so much fun that I became quite the regular player. But before you imagine me at some low-lighted table in Vegas staring down an opponent with my fierce poker face, know that I had never taken my little obsession public, and for one big reason. I was embarrassed to be a card freak. I knew, as everyone else, the muddying stigma of poker. Deny if you must, but I think it was pretty common to see the poster boy of 5-card as some pot-bellied old man whose dark glasses veiled his greedy eyes, gambling his life away with a glass of whiskey at his side. Not a very glamorous image for a young girl, one must admit. This, paired with the lackluster interest by anyone even close to my age range, gave me that extra push to keep my poker visor in the closet and cards in the hutch drawer. This I did for years, stopping only at family get-togethers to lament the loss of such a worthy sport to an entire generation.

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So, imagine my delight when, one fine day about a year ago, my friend asks me to a poker night at her house! I was ecstatic. Actually, I was more than ecstatic. I was practically sparking, such was the level of my excitement. And the only word that came to mind was “Finally.” Cards have made a comeback into mainstream pop culture! And I have to say it is about time.

Since the breakout of such widely viewed shows as the World Series of Poker, Celebrity Poker, and Celebrity Blackjack, card games have been on the rise as a new and exciting trend. Nowadays, I hear the mention of it hallway to hallway, from someone’s weekly poker night to playing spades between classes. In “Poker’s New Face,” an article in the July 26 issue of Time, poker’s popularity is duly noted, insisting that “poker’s luck has turned spectacularly” and that the game now boasts a “classy image.” The article attributes the surge to one hip version of the game, Texas Hold Em’. Casino executive Bart Pestrichello agrees, saying “It’s red hot,” and I am obliged to cast my vote of assent with the rest.

But perhaps it has something to do with the change of poker’s cover guy. Remember that pot-bellied fellow mentioned prior? Well, swap him for the delightfully tall, dark, and handsome Ben Affleck, and you’ve got yourself a trendy sport. Thousands heard of Affleck’s surprising success in the World Series of Poker and the addition of about 300 grand to his already bloated bank account. Haters you may be, but I’d play a hand with him any day.

So cards are back on the table. What does this mean to American society? For youth in particular, the consequences could be considerable. With such an increase in the status of gambling games, America could be looking at a new betting generation intent on casinos and chances. Risk-taking has always been a part of teenagers’ lives, but the high appearances of this new trend could take it to a new level. The September issue of YM, for example, tells the shocking story of a teenage girl with a gambling addiction. This addiction, another idea stereotyped to involve much older, boorish persons, is a serious possibility considering the circumstances.

And yet this depressive picture doesn’t have to be the norm of the coming years. As long as games are played with responsibility and simple fun in mind, no harm can come of them. I know I’m among the many teens who will admit to play with only chips, or, at the most, pots of loose change. It’s an enjoyable hobby, and not too many kids are in the mood to spoil such a precious diversion from the drudgeries of the school year.

It’s funny the way that certain fads come onto the scene, like the rhythmic Macarena and that oh so creepy Furby. And even more peculiar is the way they can stay or leave with the same resolute speed. I, for one, hope that this trend lasts at least until Christmas. Now that my poker visor is out of the closet and in full use, I’m going to need a new one by then.

Source: Emily Biondo, The View