the girl dealt the cards quick and smooth like she was born for this
"poker first" she said "five cards each"
ren watched closely the cards slid on the table face down
"you need to know the hands" she said "lowest is high card means no pair or anything better then one pair two pair three of a kind straight five cards in sequence like 2 3 4 5 6 flush five cards same suit full house three of a kind plus a pair four of a kind straight flush five cards in sequence and same suit the best is royal flush 10 j q k a all same suit"
she pushed the cards closer "look at yours"
ren flipped quietly five cards
he saw 2 clubs 2 hearts 5 spades 8 diamonds king hearts
"you got one pair two twos" she said "good start"
then came betting "in poker you bet chips or money to force others to fold or bluff"
"bluff?" ren asked
"yeah" she smiled "pretend you got better cards than you do make others fold so you win pot without showing cards"
ren nodded trying to remember every word and every feeling he saw on her face
"watch the tells" she said "someone nervous might tap fingers or avoid eye contact confident might stare down opponents"
she pushed some chips forward "your bet"
ren hesitated but matched
round ended she showed her cards queen hearts jack hearts 10 hearts 9 hearts 8 hearts
"straight flush" she said "beats your pair"
ren wanted to lose but something inside was learning how to hide his fear how to read hers
"again" she said "you'll get better"
ren smiled barely but his eyes burned with hunger not just for food but for control
poker was more than cards
it was war without blood
and ren was ready to fight