CHAPTER 14
“ARE WE PLAYING Texas Hold’em?” I asked, naming the variant of the game beloved of casinos and frat boys the world over.
“Yeah,” Luke said.
I shuffled the cards and dealt two to each player, face down. They peeked, and betting commenced. Mark tried to hide his smile as he threw a handful of chips into the middle. He had something good.
Huey followed suit. “Come on, boys, make me rich.”
Louie tossed his cards down in disgust, muttering, “Did you shuffle these properly?”
“Bad luck, mate,” Huey said, although he didn’t sound sympathetic.
When everyone had bet or folded, I dealt three cards—the flop—face-up on the table. Mark groaned. He was terrible at this game. I could read him like a large-print book.
“I’m out,” he said when his turn came.
I dealt the fourth card, and e
