A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

FIVE

"Just a young heart, confusing my mind."

M I L E S

Five-thousand dollars were on the line. I couldn't miss this opportunity to win. It was an unbelievable amount of money, and this time, more men were seated at the poker table.

Check or Bet.

Check or Bet, Miles.

"Bet," I announced in front of the men. I threw a handful of chips in the pot confidently. All this was done with what I hoped was a straight face. My goal was to intimidate the rest of the men into submitting. In reality, they had no reason to be scared, I had nothing close to good cards.

The card dealer casted me an odd look, but looked to the bulky man next to me. The dealer asked, "Check or bet, big guy?"

The man seemed to consider this. He gave me a sideways glance and grunted in defeat. "I'm folding."

Yes.

My leg started to bounce. I checked the time on my watch.

11:30 at night.

Another player folded grumpily, and the next, and the next. I felt my heart surge. The five thousand dollars were close.

There was one player who was left to play me. He looked middle aged with stubble on his chin and cheeks. He wore dark shades to hide his eyes.

Without emotion, he pushed his towering stacks of poker chips to the center of the table where the pot was. I dug my nails into the palm of my hands.

Not good. Not good. Not good. Not good.

The card dealer whistled. "Looks like he's all in. You think you can bet him, kid?"

I had no competing cards in my favor, and the 'intimidating' tactic I thought I had wasn't playing out how I thought it would.

I took a breath and pushed all my poker chips to the center.

Please be a bluff, please be a bluff.

Sounds of surprise went around the table when they observed my move. I fought the urge to cover my eyes as my opponent revealed his cards. He flashed me an evil grin when he laid his cards down for everyone to view. My blood turned to ice.

Four Aces. Four.

He had two Aces in hand, and the other two were in the lineup of cards on the table. In total: four. In all my years of playing, four Aces was non-existent. It didn't happen-until now.

The table of men eyed me. They were proud, not that the man won, but that I had lost. I wanted to flip the table upside down. I wanted to turn them upside down.

I invested seven hundred dollars tonight. Not only did I fail to win the cash prize, now I was seven hundred dollars short. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement.

To further my embarrassment, I did the only thing I thought was right in that moment: I saluted the men at the table obnoxiously and left swiftly, legs begging to run.