(There's a footnote at the end for terms... >.>)
Help me cut it down please! I know it's way super long >.<
"Silence. Camera lights flashing. The crowd intently watching. Home viewers fixed to their television screens listening as ESPN World Series of Poker Commentator Norman Chad describes the height of his poker career. The chips are down. He is all-in. Everything he has worked for rides on pocket° A's. The flop° is a three of clubs, a jack of diamonds, and a seven of hearts. Harmless. No possibilities of a flush° or straight°. The highlighted round of the night flashes before his eyes as he realizes this could be his moment."
The Ante and the Blinds
"With only three players left and one prize in mind, the stakes are high. Each player pays an ante° of 1 grand. He pays the big blind°, while the opponent to his right pays the small blind°. This brings the pot to 4.5 grand and his chips down to only 24 grand. The cards are dealt. He receives a six and four of spades. They are small, but he risks the chance for a flush. Everyone checks°. The dealer then burns° a card and reveals the flop."
In life, just as in poker, one must make sacrifices in order to even have a chance to play the game. This is true for almost all instances. Initiative, effort, and work are key elements in obtaining a chance at success. Sometimes, however, this effort is forced upon an individual in the form of a "big blind" or a "small blind" and thus, he or she is forced to "play a hand" before even knowing what it is.
The Flop
"The flop is composed of an eight of spades, a seven of spades, and an ace of clubs. One of his opponents folds°, but the other plays aggressively. The opponent to his right goes all-in-22 grand. He ponders for a moment to reevaluate his chances. The seven and eight are in his favor for either a flush or an inside straight draw°, but the ace still poses a threat. Assuming neither a spade nor a five appears, he is almost guaranteed a loss and his chips will plummet down to 2 grand in a single hand, but if either do appear, he wins a pot of a heaping 48.5 grand, regardless if his opponent ends up with pocket A's.
He calls the bet and they both reveal their hand: his six and four of spades versus his opponent's four and-to his dismay-ace unsuited°. It is now imperative that a spade or five appears. He tries to maintain composure hoping that the awaiting turn° plays in his favor."
Certainty is rare in poker as it is in life. No one ever knows exactly what the outcome of a decision might be, yet it is important to act in faith based on what we believe is true. It is normal to fear uncertainty, making wrong decisions, but it is necessary to realize that by giving in to such a fear means abandoning an array of possibilities. Some people believe in "playing it safe" only acting when a hundred percent guarantee is met, but such an assurance is uncommon. Therefore, they spend an entire lifetime watching their "chips trickle down to nothing one blind at a time" wondering what could have been as they stand at the sidelines.
However, this does not, by all means, suggest that one should engage in mindless risks. By reveling in such risks would only prove detrimental to the overall being. Rather, an individual should assess the magnitude of the risk and return. Although probabilities are never a hundred percent guarantee, it allows for a greater insight on which chances to take and which ones to avoid.
On the other hand, there are times when one should abandon numbers and trust his or her instincts. Just as he decides to play an inside straight draw, considered a bad play in the books, we must sometimes abandon logic, surrender to our feelings, and act contrary to what the mind suggests. The fact that this idea highly contradicts to the previous one only proves that life not only contains uncertainties, but also is uncertainty in itself. Rarely is there truly a right or wrong, a black or white, but most of the times life dwells in the grey. It is then up to the individual to take a stand and traverse closer to one end of the spectrum over the other.
The Turn
"'And the turn is a four of clubs! The odds are now in favor of Senninger 3 to 1,' Norman Chad exclaims to the house audience as the dealer reveals the turn. His heart sinks and his gut wrenches. He wipes the sweat off his brow. Even without knowing the calculated odds, he knows he is hanging by a thread. With his opponent's pocket A's and 4's, he realizes that in order to grab the only chance of winning the pot he needs that spade or five on the river°."
There are times when it feels like life is hanging by a thread and opposing forces are wielding "pocket A's and 4's". It is imperative, however, to persevere even when it seems fate is out of one's control. During these moments-the moments of nothingness-, an individual is all-in. He or she must take a leap of faith and hope to land on "a spade or five" for the sake of something better. Although it is naïve to think that things will always work themselves out in the end, the abandonment of hope is worse.
The River
"His heart pounds faster, harder. He does not want to see the outcome, but he cannot keep his eyes off the dealer's hands as if fixed at the hands of the master of his fate. Hoping to stop time, he holds his breath as the dealer burns the final card before the river.
'The river is a five of spades! He wins the pot with a straight flush°. What a turn of events!' Chad proclaims both with disbelief and awe. However, he does not scream nor yell, but rather he nods his head and displays a small grin across his face. There was no other gesture best suited to show both his relief and his elation towards the outcome of the round."
Just as life is filled with uncertainties, it is also filled with surprises. When one is at the lowest downturn in life, it might seem like there will not be a chance to rise back up. However, as his hand suggests, never abandon hope for nothing is ever certain until the final judgment. In situations when the odds are in one's favors, there is still a possibility that it could turn for the worse and vice-versa. It is not to say that people cannot be masters of their own fate, it only suggests that when taking risks expect the unexpected just as much as the probable outcome.
Taking risks works both ways. It can bring either unadulterated happiness, woeful desperation, or a combination of both. But without the ups and downs, the good and bad, life would only prove to be unfruitful and irrelevant.
"They reveal their hand: his pocket A's versus his opponent's K and J unsuited. The dealer flips the turn and it's a Q. His heart beats ten times faster and he can hear his own breathing. He stares at the dealer's hands once again, but this time with great anticipation. He can almost feel his moment come to light, but then the dealer reveals the river card. The home viewers fixed to their television screens awing as ESPN World Series of Poker Commentator Norman Chad describes the unraveling of events. The crowd intently gazing. Camera lights flashing. Silence."
pocket: pair of
big blind: larger of the two forced bets usually same value as the minimum bet
inside straight draw: have four cards needed for a straight, but one is missing in the middle
flop: first three cards dealt face-up
small blind: smaller of the two forced bets usually half of the minimum bet
unsuited: not having the same suit
turn: fourth card dealt face-up
flush: five cards of the same suit
check: to bet zero
river: fifth card dealt face-up
straight: five consecutive cards of any suit
burn: to discard the top card
straight flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit
ante: money placed in the pot before dealing the hand
fold: declining to bet; dropping a hand
I think it might be more powerful without putting " " marks around "play a hand."
"His heart pounds faster, harder." ---> That is a pretty cool sentence.
This is some good writing. I think it's an interesting choice... I wonder, though, if it might not be better to use the story as a metaphor for something. How about less gambling action and more metaphor. You are obviously a great writer, so I don't hesitate to challenge you to rewrite this with you in the spotlight. Let this highlight what you intend to do. When you have inspiration, write it an intro...
