Lehal Library

I smiled. “I don’t want to take your money, Roy.” “A straight flush will beat my aces full.” He pushed another stack out. “I don’t think you got it. You somehow knew there was a six of clubs there and you ought to quit while you’re ahead.” I smiled and said, “I don’t want the other five, Roy.” And then I turned over the three and four in the hole, making the straight flush in clubs. He just looked at it and said, “Isn’t that something!” On the very next hand, with Roy doing the dealing, the feeling I had was still there, very strong, the “knowing.” I didn’t even look at my hole cards. Of the four cards dealt face up to me there was a five and seven of hearts. I knew. That’s all I can tell you, I knew. “Roy,” I said, “you see that five and seven of hearts?” Roy nodded. He didn’t have the aces this time. “Well,” I said, “this last card you are going to deal is a six of hearts and that will make me a straight flush in hearts. You see, I haven’t seen my bottom cards yet, you notice?” He nodded, watching. Roy had been the dealer. The rest of the players were watching intently, expecting me to lose. Roy was an exceptional card player. The last card was dealt to me face down, and before I could pick it up, Roy said, “I got another five says it’s not the six of hearts. No, as a matter of fact, I’ll make it ten.” He shot a pack of chips forward. “I don’t want to take your money, Roy,” I said, smiling. “You are not taking it from me and I am not giving it to you,” he said. “Put it up.” I did. “Now turn over the card,” he demanded. I did, and it was the six of hearts. He looked at me with utter astonishment. He was doing the dealing. No trickery was at all possible in his frame of reference. “Moreover,” I said, “those two hole cards that I haven’t looked at yet are the three and four of hearts.” Roy looked at me. “I have twenty that says that they aren’t.” With utmost casualness I said, “I don’t want to take your money, Roy,” and turned over the two hole cards. They were the three and four of hearts.