seventy-five pounds. Then Sean dealt a strange hand.
The first caller on Sean's left raised before the draw, and was raised
in turn by the gentleman with the horsy smell, number three called and
Sean fanned his cards open.
With a gentle elation he found the seven, eight, nine and ten of
Clubs-with a Diamond six. A pretty little straight dealt pat.
'Call your twenty, and raise it twenty, ' he offered, and there was a
small stir of excitement among the onlookers.
'Call.' Number one was short of cash.
'Call,' echoed Horse Odour and his gold clinked into the pot'I'm
dropping. ' Number dime closed his cards and pushed them away. Sean
turned back to number one.
'How many cards?'
'I'll play with these.' Sean felt the first premonition of disaster.
'And you?' he asked Horse Odour.
'I'm also happy with what I have. ' TWo pat hands against his small
straight; and from the suit distribution, Sean's four Clubs, one of
them would certainly be a flush. With a queasy feeling in his stomach
Sean knew he was in trouble, knew his hand to be a loser.
Break the straight and go for the other Club, still not a certain
winner, but the only thing worth trying.
'I'll draw one. ' He tossed the six of Diamonds into the welter of
discards, and dealt to himself from the top of the pack.
'My bet.' Number one's face was glowing with confidence.
'I'll raise the maximum-another forty. Cost you eighty pounds to look
at me, boys. Let's see the colour of your money.
'I'd like to push you-but that's the limit. I'll call. ' Horse
Odour's expression was completely neutral but he was sweating in a
light sheen across his forehead.
'Let me go to the books.' Sean picked up his cards and, from behind
the other four, pressed out the corner of the card he had drawn.
It was black, he opened it a little more-a black six. Slowly he felt
the pressure build up within him like a freshly fired boiler. He drew
a long breath and opened the card fully.
'I'll call also. ' He spoke on a gusty outgoing breath.
'Full house,' shouted number one. 'Queen's full-beat that, you
bastards! ' Horse Odour slapped his cards down viciously, his red face
crumbling in disappointment. 'Goddam it-of all the filthy luck.
I had an ace-high flush. ' Number one giggled with excitement and
reached for the money.
'Wait for it, friend,' Sean advised him, and spread his cards face up
upon the table.
'It's a flush. My full house beats you,' protested number one.
'Count the pips-' Sean touched each card as he named them, 'six, seven,
eight, nine and the ten-all Clubs. Straight flush! You come second by
a day's march.' He lifted number one's hands off the money, pulled it
towards him and began stacking it in columns of twenty.
'Pretty hot run of luck you're having,' Horse Odour gave his opinion,
his face still twisted with disappointment.
