There was no serious grudge between them. The hostility Bobby had first felt was fading. But in its place was a keen competitive yearning. party poker articles For Baldwin, this second poker confrontation held all the drama of an important athletic event. He had never psyched himself higher. There would be no audience, but he could hear a ghostly crowd screaming for his victory. Cheers heaped upon cheers, all spirit-like and known only to himself. So he marched into Mark’s house with a single purpose. His gait was brisker than usual. He was going to be a hero in his own eyes. This he knew. This was certain. It was as if the demolition of Mark in the kitchen battlefield of poker was a thing already done. He had convinced himself he would win. All that remained was to get it done. It was the same Hoyle deck they’d used last time. They even sat in the same chairs, although without Charlie and the others there, they might have seated themselves anywhere.
Just as before, they agreed to nickle ante with a quarter limit. Each boy started with $5 worth of chips. This time they added the stipulation that it would be freeze-out. The game couldn’t end until someone won all the chips on the table. “That might take hours, though,” Mark pointed out. It was Saturday morning at eleven o’clock, and they had a whole day to waste. “Might,” Bobby agreed. But secretly he thought Mark’s comment absurd. Baldwin was determined to win the chips in as short a time as possible. “Cut. High card deals, ” said Mark. And he promptly beat Bobby’s seven with a ten. That was just about the last good thing that happened to the somewhat cocky Mark. First hand. Bobby caught a third six and shot down a pair of aces. Next hand. Bobby started with paired kings, and they held up. Third hand. Mark tried for a, party poker bonus flush and paired aces. Not good enough to beat Bobby’s eights and sixes. And then the fourth and final hand. Mark had two jacks after three cards, finishing with jacks-up and losing to Baldwin’s flush.
