poked who, now?flop...turn...wha-"You should have seen me with the poker, manI had a honey so I bet a grandJust in the nick of time I looked at his hand" - Junior's Farmby Paul McCartney & Wings

Flop -- up to the fifth card.Turn -- the sixth card. River -- the seventh card.It means my all-in bet was a good one at the time I made it (after the flop), but when he caught the flush on the turn I had no hope except to catch a full-house with a jack or a four on the river. It didn't happen, but it was the right call and I regret nothing ...

Dude...Did I just turn on Nascar or something...Adjusted his flop on the turn in the widget w/ queens high... wtf... flop... turn... midgets(always the midgets)...Perhaps Brooklyn has been crazed by the ducks, the allure of the pot, and the jacks up...

poet in the top tenWell, here are the winners. Note a poet in the top ten, representing this Oslo-based blog. I also discovered I outlasted trekkie blogger Wil Wheaton, who left the game about 45 minutes before I did. A small and unsatisfying victory.

Aha! Now I get it. Here's a thought. Is there a really exciting depiction of a card game in literature?

Well, it's non-fiction and I'm not sure I approve of all the author's moves in this book, but Positively 5th Street by James McManus is an intensely lifelike description of a Hold'Em tournament, and is probably the best read on the subject.

victoryAlso, while we're talking about blogfest competitions, our Firecracker has won the "best webcam" prize for the well-attended and philanthropically correct 2005 Blogathon. Not #264, but #1. I'm humbled.

I want to learnI've always wondered if there is a standard way to play poker. The way the big boys play, you know?Here is my understanding of the game: You ante up to get in the game. You get five cards. You bet on those five cards. You get to trade in up to three cards, or four if you are holding an Ace. Everyone bets again or folds. In the second round of betting, you can raise. What's the deal with wild cards? Do you leave the two Jokers in the deck?

FC just has one of those cam-friendly faces. It probably lines up with those Fibonacci seashells.

Jeez Bill ... the game you're describing is Five Card Draw. That went out with Chutes and Ladders and Hi-Ho Cherry-O.All the good poker games are played with seven cards -- either stud or Texas Hold Em. Hold Em has become the most popular game, although I'm equally fond of Seven-Card Stud and will play either one.Nothing is wild, no jokers -- straight 52.

UNO!Seven cards...that would explain why you mentioned the 6th & 7th cards earlier. I'll have you know, I did see the movie Maverick. Go fish.