Family card game teaches lessons ... like, how to lose graciously

If you ever hang out with members of the Kratz family, expect to play cards.

The game of choice will be "Sets and Runs," a rummy-like game that involves building "sets" of four of a kind or "runs" of four cards in order in the same suit.

The rules are many, but they're fairly simple. And if you're even mildly competitive, this game will bring out your inner fire.

We've played it as part of family gatherings for as long as I can remember. I still recall the first time I won, when I was about the age that my oldest daughter is now. My Grandma Kratz, kept the score sheet and wrote "Greg won this one" on it. I think that memento still resides in one of my scrapbooks back home.

Some of my best family memories involve this game, played with my parents and sister, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

I remember (and still use) the various sound effects my relatives have uttered as they drew a card, attempting to charm it into being the one they needed. (A loud "whoosh!" is a perennial favorite, as is a cry of, "Be there!")

If my Grandpa Kratz was falling behind in the game and thought we should know he wasn't happy about that, he would take out his pocket knife and casually place it on the table in front of him, a sly smile on his face. Just thinking about that makes me chuckle even today.

And then there's my dad, who always pretends to hide a joker in his shirt pocket when it's his turn to deal.

This game has been passed down from generation to generation, and the tradition continues today. We've taught my two older daughters how to play, and now my oldest wants to break out the cards every time four or more of us are together.

We've also taught several members of my wife's family and various friends the ins and outs of the game. Every time we introduce it to someone new, those old memories come rushing back as we all laugh, groan and play together.

As we dealt the cards over Easter weekend (at the insistence of my daughter) and brought three more new players into the fold, it occurred to me how important this card game has been in my life. And that got me thinking about the simple things we do that bond our families closer together and teach us how to be the husbands and fathers, employees and managers — the people — we become later in life.

"Sets and runs" helped me learn how to be a gracious winner and — even more importantly — a gracious loser. How important is that lesson in the business world, and in life?