Puh puh puh pokerface

Dear von Hottie -

I have a lot of trouble with my boss. He's really socially awkward, obsessed with being right, and frequently seems to have issues with women. At his worst he comes off as hostile, bossy, and ungenerous. I have pretty much figured out how to deal with him professionally (just suck it up and deal, and be grateful when it isn't that bad), but my coworkers and I like to play cards to relax after work, and cards brings out the absolute worst in him. He's crabby, gets annoyed when other people aren't paying attention, tells people what to do (and is frequently wrong), and is a VERY sore loser. Of course we have to put up with it because he's the boss. And truthfully we are all friends, this just brings out the things in him that make everyone crazy. I personally am losing tolerance for it and am wondering if the best thing to do would be to just stop playing, even though i have a lot of fun when he's not there. My other coworkers tell me i just need to ignore it, which I guess is how they deal with it, but for some reason I'm having a hard time with that.

- Bad Poker Face
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Dear Bad Poker Face,

It's so unfortunate that harmless activities like card or board games so often bring out the worst in people. I'm sorry your boss is raining on your party parade. If you're not having fun, I don't think you should play. but I don't want you to miss out on all the fun just because your boss is a crankypants. So, when you do play with him, here is what you should do:

1) Ignore his bad behavior. Just pretend like he isn't there. If he says something, you didn't hear it. Don't take him seriously, because he's not behaving like a grownup.
2) Everytime you want to punch your boss in the face, sing to yourself Lady's Gaga's"Puh-puh-puh-puh pokerface." Do whatever it takes to make you laugh so that you can find humor in the situation.
3) Tease him lightly about his behavior. Teasing is my favorite form of socially acceptable behavior modification. Don't make a big deal out of his behavior, but find a way to lightly rib him for his antics. Hopefully he'll get the message that he needs to chill out.
4) Make a rule that the loser has to wear underwear on his/her head. When he loses, your boss will hate it but it will make you laugh.

Wishing you a full house,
von Hottie