Page 79 of Capuleto

"We will follow them, but we are in a bit of a hurry," I interjected.

"Haste is not a good companion for the game, Mrs. Koroleva."

"It depends on who you ask; I like taking risks. If no one else minds, I suggest a single game where we go all in."

Julio Sanchís let out a despotic laugh.

"Are you laughing at something or did you swallow a clown?"

"Women and their haste," he remarked, flipping a chip in the air. "I bet if she were shopping, she wouldn't be in such a rush," he added jokingly. His sexist joke grated on my nerves.

"Do you think you know me well enough to comment? Or is it fear of losing to a woman that I smell?"

"You must be smelling something else," he laughed heartily. "Women don't scare me." My husband's expression was that of a dog ready to attack.

"Then, you won't mind accepting my proposal, a single game where we go all in."

The businessman looked to the soccer player, who had been watching the roulette more than the table, hoping to find an ally to refuse the offer.

"I'm good with that," the soccer player chimed in with quite decent Spanglish.

Huang raised his hands, giving the go-ahead.

"What will it be, Sanchís? Lion or lamb?" His hand trembled.

"Alright, let's go all in," he agreed reluctantly.

Huang gestured to the dealer to unseal the deck in front of our eyes.

The goal was to achieve the best combination of five cards and beat the opponents. It was a game purely of tactics and strategy, not luck, as many believed.

I wasn’t bad at it. My father and brother liked to play after meals, almost as much as chess, and, of course, they included me in the games.

My father used to say that the game was like life. One must always look around, to see who is the fool in the game. When you couldn't spot the fool, it meant you were the fool, and I was no fool, but a damn lioness.

We were each dealt a pair of cards and the initial betting began.

"I’m in," Huang said after viewing his cards.

"I fold," the soccer player opted out.

"I’m in," the businessman stated with a cocky air.

"I raise the bet." Romeo surveyed all of us after examining his cards.

"And I match it," I declared fearlessly. The look in my husband’s eyes made my stomach tingle.

The dealer dealt the flop[4] for a second round of betting. I kept my expression neutral.

Huang passed, the soccer player folded, the businessman matched, R raised again, and I raised once more.

"Either you two are reckless or very lucky," Sanchís commented.

"As Phil Hellmuth said: 'Poker is 100% skill and 50% luck.' I don’t believe in luck, Mr. Sanchís."

"Nor do I believe in your skill." My husband feigned a move to smash his face into the table, but I stopped him, sliding my foot along his calf.

"With nonsense like that, you won't distract me," I informed him.

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