Stark admired the old cowboy's courage. He'd folded without even looking at his hole cards. Then he gave the old cowboy a thumbs-up and said with a grin, "Sorry you didn't get to see my cards, but I have a feeling you won't beat Alvin!"
The old cowboy gave him a slightly bitter smile. "As things stand, of course I can't beat him. But I still want to try. You never know—maybe a miracle will happen.
"And even if I lose, this money will go where it really ought to. What do I have to hesitate about?"
The old cowboy's words gave the atmosphere around the poker table a strangely solemn edge...
Alvin frowned at the old man, unsure what he was getting at.
Still, if he wasn't willing to go all in with a pair of tens, he'd look like a coward...
Alvin pushed all his chips into the pot and revealed his hole cards: a pair of tens. A wave of gasps rose from the crowd.
The Texan showed his cards with a smile: the seven and eight of diamonds. If he caught a nine among the last two community cards, he'd make a straight and beat Alvin, but the odds were extremely slim.
Alvin was almost awestruck by the old man's appetite for risk. He clearly wasn't deliberately trying to lose to him. It was more like he was making a last-ditch gamble...
Seeing Alvin's expression, the Texan smiled and said, "I have to give myself a chance. As a member of the Western Power Group's Board of Directors, we've had a very hard year.
"We backed the wrong side once. It wasn't my decision, but I'm part of the Energy Group all the same.
"Rather than wait for the company to become worthless, I'd rather take