Aces and Sixes

The cards felt good in my hand, like these five cards just belonged to me. Everything at that moment felt as right as could be. Of course the fact that I held aces over sixes helped the happiness just a bit as I sat at the round poker table. Across from the plastic table with a sheet of green felt on top sat my final adversary. I knew he was bluffing, every time he had bluffed before his bright green eyes would glare at his stack of poker chips. This time I caught him at it. Staring at his chips, I just knew he was contemplating if risk was worth it.

“I’m all in.” His tone was bold. It was meant to be a warning for me to stay out.

I smiled. Smiled because I knew that the one hundred dollars on the table was soon to be mine, and I smiled even wider as his hands shoved his mountain of red and blue chips to the center of the table.

“I call.” I had accepted his challenge. This feeling I had was of luck and confidence and I knew my aces and sixes would send my opponent into tears once I revealed them.

I did respect my enemy though; he was calm, cool, and collective. Finding out how he showed he was going to bluff had been tedious but it was soon to all pay off. If I owned the moon I was positive that I would have betted it as well.

My thoughts were interrupted as I saw his hands begin to turn over his cards and reveal his losing hand. All I saw was red, a lot of red.

That night I learned that no matter how good and how right everything feels, no matter how confident you are, and no matter if you are willing to bet the moon, a flush beats aces and sixes ten out of ten times.