The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf) by Nicolette Pierce

about?”
    “If you win, I’ll go along with the wager. If I win, I won’t.”
    Since we were both all in, the dealer faced the cards up. I had a queen and ten, and Caleb had a pair of fives. I watched as Anthony dealt the flop and scrutinized the three cards. It was a nine, jack, and five. The nine and jack could help me win with a straight. Caleb scored a three-of-a-kind. If the dealer threw down a king or eight, I could still win. I sat on my shaking hands.
    “Do you want to back out?” Caleb asked. He was enjoying watching me squirm.
    “Bite me.”
    “I intend to.”
    Anthony laid down the next card called “the turn”. It was a three which didn’t help either of us. My head buzzed with nerves. Anthony placed his fingers on the card stack preparing to flip the next one called “the river”.
    It’s the river that always seems to make or break the hand. Many players with rubbish cards have sucked out on players with a solid winning hand on the river. A seasoned poker player knows to hold off on any excitement about winning the hand until the river is on the table. I hoped this was my time to suck out on Caleb. Anthony placed the card on the table . . . a nine.
    Caleb grinned. “Damn, I made a full house. I win.” He leaned close to me. “I always win.”
     

Chapter 5

    Caleb parked me at my assigned tournament table. My heart pounded in my ears. I had to survive the tournament at least until Caleb was knocked out. I made a wager with Caleb; a wager with a notorious bad-ass no-ties bachelor that wanted me for a weekend. A weekend of what? I already knew. My knees softened.
    Caleb chuckled. “Your face bleached out. Are you thinking of our weekend together? Like I said, I always win. However, I’d hate for you not to make it past the bubble. Slap your poker face on and fantasize about the rest later.”
    He playfully tugged my hair and strode to his seat which was four tables away. He positioned himself at a chair facing me. He’s right. I had to focus so I could play my best. There was ten grand on the line; my ten grand. I had to make it past the bubble.
    No one wanted to be the bubble. I had to outlive three hundred people in order to make it to the beginning of the cash award payouts. The bubble is the person who finishes in the spot right before the cash awards are paid. It’s a bitter end to the tournament. I’ve only been the bubble once. It’s not an experience I want to relive. Fortunately, I only lost five hundred on that tournament. Everyone loves the bubble . . . except the unfortunate bubble.
    The dealers took their seats and were instructed to begin. My focus snapped to attention. My mind shuffled its priorities, and I was back in business. My ten thousand was priority number one; my virtue was around there somewhere.
    Caleb’s eyes were on me. I didn’t dare look him. Instead, I glowered down the table at a bald man with gold chains and a gold front tooth. He made a move for the pot by spilling chips in. He’s going down; they were all going down.
    I played aggressively taking stabs at the pot. Then, for a few hands, I played tight by playing only winning cards. I switched back and forth until I knocked out three players. My chip stack doubled and then tripled. I was in good shape to crawl my way to the final table. The weight was lifting off my shoulders.
    After a couple hours, the tournament director consolidated the tables to keep each table full. I was now one table away from Caleb and could hear him talking.
    He liked to chitchat with the other players. It kept their guard down. Not everyone fell for it, but even if it eliminated a few players he was closer to the final table. I tried not to listen, but his smooth voice sent full body shivers rampaging through my body.
    “What are you doing this weekend?” Caleb asked a player with a backwards baseball cap.
    “I’m going to spend it in style with my winnings.”
    “Doesn’t that mean you have to win first?”
    “Yeah, but