Senior Year Box Set

Equally important, the system had been designed to minimize verbal sniping and other rude behavior from players at the table. But even with these rules in place, boorish behavior can’t be stymied entirely, as evidenced by Harry’s blatant attempts to get under Ashley’s skin. The other players at the table recognized that Harry was out of line. Two of them made no attempt to hide their disgust, and even the ‘Kid,’ known for his friendly demeanor, couldn’t completely hide his annoyance.

Ashley blinked at him for a minute and then calmly called.

She counted out the correct number of chips, her face expressionless, and pushed them forward.

The next card came up; a six of clubs. Three clubs and a diamond on the board, with two kings.

Harry didn’t hesitate; he made another pot-sized bet. This was turning into a huge pot. I glanced at his remaining stack of chips and then at Ashley’s. She had a slightly larger stack than Harry did, but it was clear that this hand would make or break one of them.

Ashley ignored Harry’s smirk and checked her hole cards. She looked at the board and then at Harry. He gave her a leer that made me want to punch him. Ashley didn’t seem bothered by his antics in the least.

“Call,” she said again, just as she had previously.

Her face remained expressionless as she counted out the chips. I caught a quick look of frustration that crossed Harry’s face. He had apparently planned for his follow-up bet to be large enough to force her to fold.

The dealer turned up the final card: the deuce of hearts. It provided no visible help to either hand and likely provided no invisible help either.

Harry paused for a second before pushing his remaining chips forward.

“All in,” he announced and looked over at Ashley. “So, once again, am I bluffing or not, little girl?”

Ashley waited five seconds.

“Call,” she coolly said.

From Harry’s body language, I was sure he’d won. Ashley hadn’t given anything away. She must have had something to call his all-in. I simply had no idea of the strength of her hand by her demeanor. It was a credit to her ‘poker face,’ as they called it. I was impressed.

The other players at the table stood, clearly eager to see if someone had been eliminated to help secure them a higher payday.

“I figured you for an ace-high or queen-high flush. Good enough to beat a bluff, but in this case …”

Harry reached down and slowly turned over one of his cards. The seven of spades. Next, very slowly, he turned over the other. It was the seven of hearts. He had a full house, sevens over kings, easily beating a flush. Continuing his boorish behavior, Harry had ‘slow-rolled’ his cards to show his hand, ignoring the unwritten rules of the game. That was a breach of poker etiquette and a high insult in the professional poker world.

Ashley sat there for a second, looking at his cards and back up at his joyful face.

“I don’t have a flush.”

Harry’s grin grew wider, but Ashley didn’t stop there.

“And, unlike you, I won’t slow-roll you.”

Thereupon, she flipped her cards over to show the seven of diamonds and the king of hearts. She had a full house, kings over sevens, clearly beating Harry’s sevens over kings. The place erupted! She’d flopped the nuts and let Harry hang himself. I was impressed she hadn’t tipped her hand until he shoved all in.

Harry sat there in stunned disbelief for a moment as the cheers and applause continued around him. Then he looked over at Ashley with murder in his eyes, but Ashley calmly stared back at him as the dealer pushed her winnings towards her.

Fortunately, the tournament director appeared at Harry’s side, blocking him from coming around the table. He touched Harry’s elbow to escort him off. Harry glanced down at the manager’s hand and violently shook it off, turning to stalk away. He had to be stopped and reminded to take the microphone off his lapel. He ripped it off and threw it on the floor as he kept walking.

Ashley, on the other hand, stood and stretched, then looked over at me with a grin. She accepted the congratulations of the remaining four players at the table before skipping over to give me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“That was fantastic. I had no idea you had him all the way.”

She beamed at me, gave me another hug, and made her way back to the table.

Alas, the fairy-tale run soon ended. Three hands later, Ashley did make her flush, only to be beaten out on an all-in by the ‘Kid’ who had a full house. He reached over smilingly to shake her hand and told her he was happy to have met her.

Ashley stood with a slightly forced smile and curtsied to the table. I’d been wondering why she wore a nice dress to the table. It was a graceful move on her part, and sure to would be remembered.

To my delight, the remaining players played along as they rose and bowed back to her. That was when I saw a hint of a real smile. Their response made for a great parting tribute to her fine play throughout the tournament.