Card Sharks by Liz Maverick Page B

called ‘the turn,’ or ‘Fourth Street.’ You all look at your best cards, and then if you’re still in, you play in the third betting round. Then it’s the same thing with ‘the river,’ the fifth—and final—community card also known as ‘Fifth Street.’ You look at your combined stuff, your best five, and you bet or you muck.” He shrugged. “That’s really it. Do you wanna play some hands?”
    At the same time Marianne uttered, “Yes,” and Bijoux uttered, “No.” The girls looked at each other and Bijoux sighed and surrendered. “I’ll do it,” she whispered, “But only because it will give us added poker cred when we finally play with the big boys.”
    They played for a while, Marianne getting more and more into the game itself, Bijoux getting more and more restless beside her.
    Finally, they took a breather and things seemed to break up a bit. Marianne tossed her cards in the center of the table and let Bijoux pull her to the side. “Bijoux,” Marianne said in a voice full of wonder. “This is going to be the most fun I’ve ever had trying to get a date.”
    A worried expression came over Bijoux’s face. “Well, don’t forget to focus on the task at hand. I mean, if you take all the money, I don’t think the men will want to go out with us.”
    The smile on Marianne’s face widened.
    â€œOh, no. Marianne, be good. Keep the focus where it needs to be.”
    â€œI thought the whole point was money. You only wanted to play to find a rich guy with money. If we can make the money ourselves, what do we need the guys for?”
    â€œWell, I can think of at least one other good reason to have a guy around.”
    Bijoux folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the ground. “You’re forgetting something very important.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œWe’re doing this to meet men, not to win money.”
    â€œI don’t want to lose my money.”
    â€œWell, you can hardly believe that I do. You need to think of it as an investment in the future.”
    â€œIf you win money, you won’t have to marry rich.”
    â€œDon’t look so pleased with yourself,” Bijoux said, choking on laughter. “I don’t want to think about how much poker I’d have to play—and win—in order to bypass the whole multimillionaire-husband thing. It would not be a pretty sight. You’d probably find me in a polyester leisure suit with a walker in an Indian casino off a desolate highway in Arizona trying to persuade the floor guy to give me a coupon so I could eat lunch.”
    Marianne let herself fall back against the wall. “That is quite possibly the most depressing thing I’ve heard out of your mouth in a very long time. I see this is serious. I don’t want to be responsible for what you just described. Let’s go meet some men.” She turned to the gamer boys. “Gentlemen, it’s been an honor and a pleasure. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us.”
    The kids all looked a little crestfallen as the girls stood up and collected their things.
    â€œYou’re not coming back, are you?” the host kid asked.
    Marianne looked at Bijoux, then back at the boys. “Um, no. But thank you so much for everything.”
    â€œCan we take your picture?” he asked. The others perked up immediately, hopeful expressions plastered across their faces. Bijoux winced. But fair was fair as far as Marianne was concerned. She still felt a little guilty about her initial impulse to make these guys pay for the sins of boys in her own junior high days. And the change she’d just won off them rattling in her pocket proved they had paid, somewhat. They handed Marianne and Bijoux each one end of their gaming club banner, and the guys all filled in between them.
    After the photo-op, the host kid