NAY to Four of a Kind

I'm not a huge gambler but I enjoy playing a little Texas Hold'em with friends once in a while. I'm talking about a live face-to-face game with real-life people, not some virtual online table with cartoon avatars wearing sunglasses. It's a great excuse to drink some beer, eat some chips and share a few laughs. There's usually a little money on the line but the bigger prize for most of us is bragging rights. It's amazing how much satisfaction you can get from knowing that you've "outplayed" an opponent and earned the right to remind them of it in cruel and demeaning ways. I say "outplayed" because Lady Luck still has a huge role in the outcome of a hand. 

Last night was one of those nights. After playing pretty well and building up a nice little stack of chips, I was dealt a pair of Kings to start the next hand. Now if you're not familiar with Texas Hold'em, that's a pretty good pair to start with. Feel free to take this opportunity to study up on the game so you can truly understand the magnitude of this story. So my pocket Kings are looking good pre-flop. The first three community cards are dealt and a pair of nines pop up along with a low card (maybe it was a four). Now I'm feeling pretty good about my two pair. Most of the other guys fold their hands, but a couple stay in. Another card is flipped and it's another nine. I'm now sitting with a Full House of KK999 which is pretty tough to beat. I bet big and chase out one more guy but one stays in. Another card is flipped but it's low and doesn't worry me ... until the only other player left goes all in. I try to imagine what he could have that makes him confident enough to bet all his chips. I convince myself that he has a Full House too but not as good as my Kings. So I call his bet.    

And then it happened. He had the fourth nine. He had Four of a Kind. Out of everyone's cards at the table and the cards left in the deck, the fourth nine was in his hand. I lost all of my chips except for the bowl of Doritos by my side. It was demoralizing. I had lost my chance at bragging rights and landed on the losing end of the highlight of the night.  

So NAY to you Four of a Kind. I realize that you're rare and special like an endangered species but if I had access to a Captain Caveman style club, I would mess you up.