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The dimly lit room where the game was being played had more or less cleared out. It was down to the two of us heads up for the pot. It wasn't anyone's life savings, this was a friendly tournament after all. Still, it was winner takes all just the same. The hold-em tournament had started with eight of us with a $10 buy-in. Sitting in the middle of the ancient table, hand carved by someone's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather out of a dark heavy wood that some would call a beautiful antique and others, like myself, would call a fuckin ugly old table, sat $80 in a messy pile of crumpled bills. By no means a fortune, but a nice little payday for a night of partying and gambling with friends.
I looked across the table at Matt as he skillfully shuffled the cards and said, "So what about you?"
"Huh?"
"You got any stories to tell me?"
I had forgotten. Matt had been babbling about this blonde chick he had taken home from the bar the other night. Didn't even remember her fucking name. I was kinda trying to tune him out.
"Nah man."
Matt kinda smirked when he set the cards down on the table in front of me. Now, maybe it was the way his hat perpetually pointed slightly to the left, or maybe just that his visage held a sarcastic appearance in general, but when Matt smirked at you, he might as well have laughed in your face.
"What's so fuckin' funny?"
"Nothin' man; (followed by a muffled laugh, again far from discreet) Cut 'em."
I picked up 51 cards, forcing the bottom card to the top of the deck.
"Seriously man, when was the last time for you?"
"A little over a year ago."
Matt's eyes bugged out of his head as he dealt us each two cards, face down. I glanced at my cards, then at our respective chip stacks. I had the edge by about $12 as far as I could see.
"Raise you two bucks."
"Seriously man, we need to get you some pussy. You should come out with me tomorrow night. I'm sure we could find you something......Re-raise. Five." Matt pushes $ 7 worth of chips into the center of the table.
"I'm sure we could, but i'm all set just the same. Call, let's see this flop."
Matt shakes his head as he places down the burn card. The flop, or the first three community cards, flipped up Queen, King, King. I don't have the King, but by Matt's reaction to the cards, I was pretty sure he did. I can't always tell, but your eyes reaction to the cards tell the story with poker, and especially in a one-on-one environment, like heads-up hold-em, I can usually read eyes very well. When I survive to this point in a tournament, very often I can read my opponent's hand like an open book.
"Check."
"Sometimes I wonder about you man," he says with a grin that isn't far from sinister and is accompanied by a quick, neat $10 bet.
"Wonder what exactly" I ask, throwing my chips into the fast growing pile of red, white, and blue between us.
"I don't know man, it's just that..." Matt burns another card and flips the Ace of clubs for the turn. "Nevermind."
"Just that I'm not interested in fucking anything that will say yes?" I throw a $5 bet.
Matt, all too eager to re-raise me another $5, definately has the King. I call.
"It's like this. When you were little, it was exciting when you could drink a cup of decaffenated coffee with dessert after a family dinner, or a non-alcoholic beer watching the ball game with your dad. These things are exciting before you get to try the real thing, then they just become the substitute when, for whatever reason, you can't have the real thing anymore. At least you can still pretend."
"Bet's on you man."
I had completely zoned out the laying of the river card. It was a Jack. I quickly pushed in a $10 bet.
"All in. I figure your mouth is spewing so much bullshit it must be overflowing from the cards in your hand. Even if the Jack helped you, I got you."
I look him straight in the eyes, smile, and say, "Call."
Matt immediately slammed his King Queen to the table, ready to take nearly all of my chips. Full house opff the flop, Kings full of Queens, sure thing... He's reached halfway to the pile of chips when I raise a single finger in the air and he freezes, stops midmotion and becomes so still he appears comatose.
"It's like this." I pause, light up a cigarette, and blow a cloud of thick white smoke across the table. I put my thumb on the first of my two cards. "You'll never catch me ordering a decaf latte." I flip the Ace of Spades onto the table. "Or asking if they sell Sharp's at the bar. Along the same lines, you'll never see me actively looking for sex without," I pause and kiss the lone hard in the center of my second card, throwing my other Ace down in perfect time to emphasize the word, "Love."
"Fuck me..." Matt almost whimpers watching me skip the chips and reach straight for the cash.
"Sorry man, I definately don't love you like that."
I looked across the table at Matt as he skillfully shuffled the cards and said, "So what about you?"
"Huh?"
"You got any stories to tell me?"
I had forgotten. Matt had been babbling about this blonde chick he had taken home from the bar the other night. Didn't even remember her fucking name. I was kinda trying to tune him out.
"Nah man."
Matt kinda smirked when he set the cards down on the table in front of me. Now, maybe it was the way his hat perpetually pointed slightly to the left, or maybe just that his visage held a sarcastic appearance in general, but when Matt smirked at you, he might as well have laughed in your face.
"What's so fuckin' funny?"
"Nothin' man; (followed by a muffled laugh, again far from discreet) Cut 'em."
I picked up 51 cards, forcing the bottom card to the top of the deck.
"Seriously man, when was the last time for you?"
"A little over a year ago."
Matt's eyes bugged out of his head as he dealt us each two cards, face down. I glanced at my cards, then at our respective chip stacks. I had the edge by about $12 as far as I could see.
"Raise you two bucks."
"Seriously man, we need to get you some pussy. You should come out with me tomorrow night. I'm sure we could find you something......Re-raise. Five." Matt pushes $ 7 worth of chips into the center of the table.
"I'm sure we could, but i'm all set just the same. Call, let's see this flop."
Matt shakes his head as he places down the burn card. The flop, or the first three community cards, flipped up Queen, King, King. I don't have the King, but by Matt's reaction to the cards, I was pretty sure he did. I can't always tell, but your eyes reaction to the cards tell the story with poker, and especially in a one-on-one environment, like heads-up hold-em, I can usually read eyes very well. When I survive to this point in a tournament, very often I can read my opponent's hand like an open book.
"Check."
"Sometimes I wonder about you man," he says with a grin that isn't far from sinister and is accompanied by a quick, neat $10 bet.
"Wonder what exactly" I ask, throwing my chips into the fast growing pile of red, white, and blue between us.
"I don't know man, it's just that..." Matt burns another card and flips the Ace of clubs for the turn. "Nevermind."
"Just that I'm not interested in fucking anything that will say yes?" I throw a $5 bet.
Matt, all too eager to re-raise me another $5, definately has the King. I call.
"It's like this. When you were little, it was exciting when you could drink a cup of decaffenated coffee with dessert after a family dinner, or a non-alcoholic beer watching the ball game with your dad. These things are exciting before you get to try the real thing, then they just become the substitute when, for whatever reason, you can't have the real thing anymore. At least you can still pretend."
"Bet's on you man."
I had completely zoned out the laying of the river card. It was a Jack. I quickly pushed in a $10 bet.
"All in. I figure your mouth is spewing so much bullshit it must be overflowing from the cards in your hand. Even if the Jack helped you, I got you."
I look him straight in the eyes, smile, and say, "Call."
Matt immediately slammed his King Queen to the table, ready to take nearly all of my chips. Full house opff the flop, Kings full of Queens, sure thing... He's reached halfway to the pile of chips when I raise a single finger in the air and he freezes, stops midmotion and becomes so still he appears comatose.
"It's like this." I pause, light up a cigarette, and blow a cloud of thick white smoke across the table. I put my thumb on the first of my two cards. "You'll never catch me ordering a decaf latte." I flip the Ace of Spades onto the table. "Or asking if they sell Sharp's at the bar. Along the same lines, you'll never see me actively looking for sex without," I pause and kiss the lone hard in the center of my second card, throwing my other Ace down in perfect time to emphasize the word, "Love."
"Fuck me..." Matt almost whimpers watching me skip the chips and reach straight for the cash.
"Sorry man, I definately don't love you like that."