The Ninth Wave by Eugene Burdick Page B

bucks."

Hank pushed two white chips out onto the table. His fingers tightened,

he held the deck flat above the table and the cards started to fall. He

dealt three down cards and stopped with his hands in front of Hollis,

a card held in his fingers.

"Go ahead, deal," Hollis said.

"You haven't anted," Hank said.

Hollis looked down. There were seven white chips on the table. Hollis

flushed and pushed a white chip onto the table. Hank dropped him a down

card and went on with the deal

When everyone had their second card Hank put the cards down and looked

at his hole card. He raised the tip of the card so that Mike could see

it Hank had a king down and a queen up.

A man with an ace showing bet a red chip. Four of the players went

along. Hank folded. Osborne won the hand with two jacks.

The next dealer played five-card draw. Hank drew four low spades and the

ace of hearts. He discarded the ace and drew a jack of diamonds. On the

first bet after the draw he folded.

Hank lost also on the next two hands which were five-card stud. Then

Hollis was dealer.

Mike watched Hollis shuffle. He did it expertly with a gamblers' riffle;

the cards hissing through the air and then a long stream of them falling

quietly into his hand.

"It's draw," Hollis said.

He dealt the cards rapidly. Hank had a pair of treys and an ace of

spades and two other low cards. Hank held the treys and went along with

the opening bet of five dollars. He drew three face cards and did not

improve his hand. However, when the betting started he raised the first

ten-dollar bet by fifteen dollars.

Easy, boy, Mike thought. Only four hands and you've already lost about

a hundred dollars. Two treys are not much in this game.

Hollis raised Hank twenty dollars and two other boys went along. Hank

raised twenty dollars and everyone folded except. Hank and Hollis. There

was almost two hundred and fifty dollars in the pot.

Hollis won with a straight. He raked in the chips and his tanned face

was creased with a smile.

Mike bent over and whispered in Hank's ear, "Take it easy, Hank. They

don't bluff very easy. You're down a hundred bucks already."

Hank did not move his hands from the table, but he turned his head and

looked up at Mike. He answered, in a normal voice that everyone in the

room could hear.

"You've got it wrong, Mike," he said. "I have to find out who is willing

to buy a pot and who is going to really win one. Now I know."

The players looked up angrily, tried to find Hank's face in the

gloom. They looked at his hands and one of the players swore.

"We don't need any kibitzers, Freesmith," Hollis said. "Let Moore play

his own cards. After all, he's the big gambler from L.A., isn't he?"

The ring of men sitting in the gloom back of the table laughed. The

players looked up and grinned.

"Up yours, Hollis," Mike said.

"Don't be vulgar," Hollis said. "Just let the big-time gambler play his

own cards."

Mike looked down at the back of Hank's head, then down the dark reach of

his arms where the light suddenly caught the elbows and hands in intense

white detail. Hank had not moved during the conversation.

By ten o'clock Hank had lost three hundred and forty dollars and had won

only one small pot. The other players had relaxed and between deals they

began to tell short stories about summer vacations and rumours about

the fraternities. At exactly ten o'clock Hollis held out his hand.

"It's ten, Moore, and you are the big loser," he said. "How much longer

do you want to play?"

"Twelve," Hank said. "I'd like to knock off for ten minutes right now

and have a cup of coffee."

As they walked down to the coffee shop in the cellar of Encina Mike

talked earnestly to Hank.

"Look, Hank, you're in over your head," Mike said. "Play close to your

vest and if you get back even just ride along. Remember we don't have

enough money right now to pay off what you've lost."

"Don't worry, Mike," Hank said. "The big winner in a poker game is