Page 24 of Roberto

I, on the other hand, stuck to soda water with a lime wedge and played very conservatively.

When I folded for the fifth time in a row during the first round of betting, Han asked incredulously, “Why do you keep folding?!”

“That’s the first rule of poker: fold early, fold often.”

“That’s no fun.”

“Makingmoney is fun. Losing money isn’t.”

“But you don’tknowif you’ll lose money this early in the betting. You could get lucky.”

“I don’t rely on luck, and I don’t care to test the odds when they’re against me.”

Han grumbled and ordered another whiskey.

On the eighth hand, I finally got cards I liked.

When I called his bet on the flop (the first three cards dealt face-up), Han looked at me with interest. “Oh, sonowyou’re playing.”

“The odds are in my favor.”

“Are they,” he said with a condescending smile.

“Yes, they are.”

I had a photographic memory for numbers, and I’d memorized the basic probabilities when I’d played with Adriano and Massimo in Monte Carlo years ago.

With the cards currently showing, I was in excellent shape.

On the turn – the fourth card dealt face-up – I bet $10,000.

The other players at the table folded. Now it was just me and Han.

He squinted at me. “I can’t tell if you’re bluffing or not.”

“I never bluff.”

He grinned. “Riiiiight.”

I stared him dead in the eyes. “Ineverbluff.”

He smirked. “Let’s find out. I see your 10 and raise you 20.”

I called his bet.

The river – the fifth face-up card – didn’t help me, but it didn’t hurt me, either.

“30,000,” Han said as he tossed in some chips.

“All in,” I said, pushing everything I had into the middle of the table.

Han stared at me, his eyes boring deep into mine as he tried to figure me out.

“I never bluff,” I reminded him.

“We’ll see. I call.”

He flipped over his cards: flush.

---