There's always that climactic moment. When you look down at your cards and you've got something good. And you look at the chips in front of you and there aren't many left. And you know it's time.

"I'm all-in," you say, averting your eyes from the competition, making them think. Making them wonder what two cards you like so much. Which two cards you're ready to do battle with.

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The person to your left decides to fold, so does the next person. Then you get a caller. He matches your short stack and you now have a chance to double up and get back into it. You throw down your pair of fives. He has an Ace and a two. The race is on.

*

The Texas Hold 'em poker craze has swept the nation, carrying the game out of smoke-filled back rooms and into the recreational lives of men and women young and old across the country.

Millions are being wagered on the game each day, in private homes, casinos, and on the Internet. An estimated $16 billion was wagered online last year alone, according to PokerMag.com.

Talking about that "bad beat" that cost you everything or the hand that saved your night has become the new thing to do at the water cooler.

"It really doesn't matter what your stature is in society, you can play poker," said Bob Behanian, 25, of Philadelphia, playing in a free tournament recently at Bryan Street Pub in Upper Darby.

The game is relatively easy to learn, but difficult to master.

It works like this:

Each player at the table gets dealt two "hole cards," followed by a round of betting. Three community cards are then dealt on the table ("the flop"). And then a fourth ("the turn") and a fifth ("the river"). There is a round of betting between each.

Make your best five-card poker hand with the seven cards. Best hand wins all the chips.

*

You have a good chance of winning this hand. His two means nothing. But you have to worry about that Ace. If an Ace comes you're gone.

Your night will be over and you'll have to sulk away, wondering if you did the right thing.

The dealer pauses for effect and then throws down three cards.

And things couldn't be worse.

There's a two and an Ace. He's got two pair. You feel the pain - it's like Ralph Wiggum when Lisa Simpson broke his heart. That same wrenching feeling caught in slow motion. But things get better when the turn comes. It's a three. Now, you can make a straight with a four or make three-of-a-kind with a five.

One card left from the dealer; six cards left in the deck that can help.

The card comes out. Not a four. Not a five.

You shake hands with the person that beat you. The man that won the race.

Poor, poor, Ralph Wiggum.

*

Much of the game's newfound popularity can be traced to ESPN.

The cable network began broadcasting the World Series of Poker in 2003 and has turned the 2004 WSOP into must-see TV for poker players.

With new "lipstick" camera technology that allows viewers to see a player's hole cards, Hold 'em tournaments between celebrities or professionals can be found on TV almost every night. From Bravo to the Travel Channel.

A new drama series based on the game, "Tilt," began airing this month. The show was created by the two men who wrote the movie "Rounders," a cult classic for poker players. After newcomer Chris Moneymaker took home $2.5 million at the 2003 World Series of Poker shown on ESPN, it was only a matter of time before things took off.

If this regular guy can win all that money playing a game that's so easy to learn, why can't anyone?

On-line gaming sites were flooded with newcomers ready to make it to Las Vegas, ready to get rich off a card game. With the game getting so much publicity, more and more games have popped up between friends and co-workers. Most players are able to get a game together at a moment's notice. Some people carry poker chips in their cars.

Bars have also gotten into the game, putting up cash prizes for free tournaments that draw plenty of new customers on otherwise dull weeknights.

*

On this night, you're on fire.

You can't lose. It seems like you're winning every hand. You try to hide the wide grin on your face. Wide grins aren't very conducive to good poker faces.

No need to worry about putting pocket fives against an ace. Tonight, you have the ace. Four times you get pocket aces. One time, someone else has pocket kings. Not a good combination for that guy.

You're catching the flushes, making straights, even full houses. This is why you play the game.

The rest of the table looks on longingly. They wish they had your chips, your luck.

You have an ace and a 10. The flop comes up jack, queen, king. You get the top straight, "Broadway" they call it. You check, someone bets. You call. He bets again, you call. You bet on the river, he raises. Poor soul. You call him all-in. He's got a 10 and a nine, the second-best straight. Poor soul.

*

Nick Miller, 25, started playing poker when he was 10. With his family, "you leave your chain on the table until you make it to the ATM machine," he said. "It was really cutthroat. I had maybe five, 10 bucks. I would have my dad or uncle spot me... I did all right. For being 10, I'd win $80 and that would be the world."

Kristin Verity, 27, of Lansdowne, said she learned to play poker from her late grandfather.

"He taught me everything I know about poker," she said, remembering the games played with pennies.

Kids have taken to the game of Hold 'em as much as many adults. High schools across the country have been forced to make new rules to stop teens from playing during the school day.

"It's creating a problem with adolescents," said Jim Pappas, president and executive director for the Pennsylvania Council on Compulsive Gambling. "We're starting to get calls from parents and school counselors." College professors have used the game to teach math theory and Hold 'em has joined keg races as a national pastime among college students.

"I think it's saturated the media," Pappas said. "You see it on three or four different TV stations every day. Kids are attracted to it."

*

You're at the final table of a 60-person tournament. You have the chip lead. Make that the chip mountain. You have double what the next highest person has.

But you start playing too tight. Then you find a hand you like. Someone else likes it better. You lose a quarter of your chips.

The blinds (pre-flop bets) start going up. It'll cost you more to play. Four players are catching up. Your great night is turning into a bad memory, a bad beat that shouldn't have happened.

The momentum has shifted. It's in your head. You have a queen and a nine of the same suit. You raise. Then someone re-raises all-in. You have to reluctantly fold. You ask to see his cards. He obliges. He had a queen and, this is the worst part, a seven.

You had him beat. Odds are, you would have won.

Your brain is a mess of emotion and misplaced adrenaline.

The chip mountain has become a small mound. Then a dirt pile. Then, even less than that.

A few hands later you get an ace and a nine.

There's always that climactic moment.

When you look down at your cards and you've got something good. And you look at the chips in front of you and there aren't many left.

And you know it's time.

"I'm all-in," you say, always ready for what's next. And the race begins.



All in for Texas Hold 'em



Ready to start preparations for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas?

Can't help you with that, but here are a few tips for starting up a game of Texas Hold 'em at your place.

* What you need: All you need are a deck of cards and a set of chips. Plastic chips are available for as little as $3 at the drugstore; casino-style clay chips are available at many stores. You're best bet is at an online auction site, where about $50 will buy a set of 500 chips with carrying case.

* How to play: Each player at the table gets dealt two "hole cards," followed by a round of betting. One card is thrown to the side ("the burn card") and three community cards are then dealt on the table ("the flop"), followed by a round of betting.

Burn another card and then deal a fourth ("the turn"). Burn one more and deal a fifth ("the river"). There is a round of betting between each.

Make your best five-card poker hand with the seven cards. Best hand wins all the chips.

Source: The Daily Times