The Art of the Hustle

by Edward Mullen

  ***

  “Alright, is it my turn? How much did you bet?” I asked.

  “I bet five hundred.”

  “You’re still chasing your straight, aren’t you?” I replied.

  Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket. Considering the people who usually call me were in the same room as me, there was only one other person it could be. I took out my phone and looked anyway.

  “Hold on a second guys, my girl is calling me, I have to take this.”

  I excused myself from the table and walked across the living room, outside to Steve’s exquisite patio.

  “Hey, baby,” I said.

  “Hey,” she replied very stoically. The instant I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why are you being so quiet?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Are you sad?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Ashley, please can you talk to me. You don’t sound happy.”

  “It’s just… well, I’ve been thinking a lot.”

  She didn’t have to say another word, I already knew what was coming. My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.

  “Okay, and what have you been thinking about?”

  “Us.”

  “You’re scaring me, babe. What’s wrong with us?”

  “It’s just… hard, you know?”

  “I know, but it’s only a couple more years.”

  “Trevor. A couple more years is too long for me. This past year was hard enough; I can’t imagine what another two or three would be like.”

  “Alright so what are you saying?”

  “I don’t know, I just think maybe we should see other people?”

  “See other people? I don’t want to see other people. Are you seeing someone?” I swallowed hard and tried to block out the thought, but I had to ask.

  “No, but it has been over a year now and we kind of lost touch. You used to call all the time, but now I don’t hear from you for weeks. Even when I call you, you’re always busy.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “And I want to go out, but I also don’t want to feel guilty for talking to anyone, and I don’t want to have to worry about what you’re doing.”

  “You don’t have to worry about what I’m doing. I’m not doing anything.”

  “I just feel maybe we should be more open to the possibility of seeing other people.”

  “Why do you keep saying that? I don’t want to see other people.”

  “Alright well, I’m just not sure I can go another two years like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Trevor, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now.”

  “I’m not leaving you for anyone else. I’m leaving because I need to. I don’t think I can do this long distance thing anymore.”

  “Alright whatever, do what you have to do.”

  I hung up the phone and exhaled a deep breath. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I went back inside. I had experienced my fair share of pain and sorrow in my life, but nothing like this. It felt like a part of my soul was ripped out and taken away from me. I leaned against the railing and gazed up at the stars. I didn’t have to think too hard to realize there was only one way to fix this. One of us would have to drop out of school and move across the country, and that just didn’t seem realistic.

  The sliding door opened slowly and Dan stuck his head out.

  “You okay, bro?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, as I came back inside.

  “Dude, what was that all about? Is everything okay?” Steve asked.

  “That was my girl; she just broke up with me.”

  “Sorry to hear that, man. How long have you guys been dating?”

  “About five years. Six if you count last year.”

  “Don’t worry, man; maybe it’s for the best. If it is meant to be, then you guys will get back together.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

  “Hey, bro, I know you’re going through a lot right now, but do you still want in on this hand?” Jeremy asked.

  “Screw it, yeah. How much to call?”

  “Dan bet five hundred, now it’s on you.”

  “Okay, I’m all in.”

  “Dude, are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I fold,” Jeremy said.

  “I’ll call,” Steve said. “No offense, Trevor, but I’m not sure you’re thinking straight right now.”

  “How much is your all in?” Dan asked.

  “For you, $4,850,” I replied without showing any emotion.

  “Wow, that’s a lot of action,” Dan said as he pondered the call. “Okay, screw it, I’ll call.”

  “Let’s see ‘em, everybody flip their cards over.”

  The board read 10/K/Q. Steve revealed his cards, A/K suited – top pair with a high kicker. Dan had pocket jacks, not a great pair in this situation because he only had one out – any nine would complete his straight. If another jack came up, it would actually give Steve a straight so he did not want that, unless an ace followed it on the river. That would result in a three-way tie and everyone would get back what they had put in. As for me, I had 10/6 off-suit – a serious underdog with bottom pair.

  “Alright, are you guys ready for the next card?”

  “Just hurry up already,” Steve demanded.

  “Okay, the next card is…”

  Jeremy revealed 6 of diamonds, which put me in the lead with two-pair. In order for Steve to win, he would need a jack – but Dan already had two of them – or pair up again, which would trump my two-pair.

  “Okay, flipping last card…”

  The final card was a 6 of clubs, giving me a full house, and the win.

  “Oh my god, I don’t believe this!” Steve shouted. He stood up from the table and put his hands on the back of his head.

  I remained relatively emotionless. Winning a pot of that size somehow did not bring me the joy I thought it would. Five years ago, that money would have changed my life.

  “That’s not fair! Steve protested. “I want a rematch.”

  “Okay, let’s play again,” I said calmly, still in my seat.

  “The buy in is five grand this time!” Steve announced as he sat back down, eager for a chance at redemption.

  “That’s too rich for my blood,” Jeremy said.

  “Yeah, me too, count me out,” Dan said.

  “Okay, Steve, looks like it’s just you and me, heads up.”

  “Let’s make this interesting,” Steve said. “Since these guys are out, let’s raise the stakes. Ten grand buy in. Blinds are fifty and a hundred.”

  “Fine. Deal them up!” I said, like a man ready to die for his cause.

  The deck was shuffled and the cards were dealt. I looked down at my hand, I had Q/8 suited.

  “Bet,” I said simply. “I’m feeling good about this hand. In fact, it’s my lucky hand. I’ll bet… five grand,” I pushed my chips slowly toward the centre of the table.

  “Call!” Steve quickly called, showing confidence in his hand.

  “Good, I’m glad you called. I’m going to bet another five grand on the next card and I want you to call again,” I retorted back in an attempt to demonstrate the strength of my hand.

  Dan, the dealer, laid out the first three cards, 8/6/10.

  “That’s the exact flop I wanted to see, I’m all in,” I said.

  I had middle pair and I doubted the flop helped Steve in any way. There’s no way he would call with 7/9 pre-flop. Steve had become too predictable, typically only playing over-cards.

  Steve took a moment to analyze the situation. “Take your time, Steve,” I said with a cocky bravado.

  “Shut up,” he fired back as he contemplated his next move carefully.

  He eventually mucked his hand.

>   Two new cards slid in front of me. I stacked them together and flipped up one of the corners. The first card was an ace of spades. I slid the next card over, it was an ace of diamonds.

  “I’m all in,” Steve announced, as he attempted a last ditch effort to make a comeback.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Bring it on,” he replied.

  “Okay,” I said as I flipped over my cards.

  “DAMMIT!” Steve screamed out. The rest of the cards were drawn and I took down another massive pot. In the last three hands, Steve had lost around fifteen thousand dollars. My stack was looking good, sitting at twenty-five thousand dollars.

  “Don’t worry Steve, I’ll give you a rematch. What do you say, double or nothing?”

  “No way, forget it.”

  “Okay, how about this, I’ll put up my twenty-five grand. If you win, you get it all.”

  “Okay… and if I lose?”

  “If you lose, you let me pick out one of your cars and let me drive it until I finish school.”

  “Hmm, interesting proposal,” Jeremy said.

  “Which car?” Steve asked, questioning the bizarre wager.

  “A car of my choosing.”

  “And what if you crash it?”

  “I’ll drive carefully.”

  Steve didn’t say anything.

  “Look, Steve. You know you can beat me, I just got lucky on that last hand.”

  “Shut up, quit conning me!”

  “I’m not, I’m just saying. It sucks to lose like that on one hand. You must be feeling very unsatisfied right now,” I said, as I continued to bait him.

  “Okay, let’s do it. Shuffle up and deal.”

  Over the course of the next hour, we battled back and forth. Both of us were being overly cautious. Dan and Jeremy were happy just to be watching, almost as if they were witnessing a part of history in the making. The amount of money at stake would change my life. I tried not to think about it too much, but this was an epic battle, the type of poker game you would tell your grandkids about one day.

  The first hand was dealt and I got pocket 2s. Not a great hand. I would usually fold it immediately, but I wanted to outplay Steve.

  Steve looked at his hand, then up at me. “Two grand,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Call,” I said immediately.

  “Oh, man, here we go,” Dan said excitingly.

  The first three cards that were laid out were A/4/5. Steve looked down at the board, then at his cards, then up at me.

  “It’s on you, Steve,” I said.

  “Okay, I’ll bet… another two grand.” Steve splashed the pot with a fistful of chips. That was my first clue.

  I knew if Steve played poker anything like he traded stocks, he would be impatient. Impatient people get agitated over time, which in turn affects their judgment. I needed to make him more anxious, so I stalled.

  He represented top pair at that point, probably had the ace. I looked carefully at him, studied his behaviour, hoping he would reveal information to me through subconscious clues, which I could then exploit. We both sat there staring at each other for over a minute. The more time that passed, the bigger advantage I would have.

  “Are you gonna play, or are you just going to stare at me all night?” he said. That was the second clue – he didn’t have the ace, mid-pair probably.

  I didn’t answer. I just continued to study him, watching his breathing, reading his body language, looking for something, anything, which would reveal what cards he was holding. Eventually he would slip up and tell me what I needed to know. Just then, I noticed his jugular vein on the left side protrude and begin to pulsate rapidly – an obvious sign he was nervous. That was clue three, he didn’t have a pair. I focused on the vein, which made him even more uncomfortable, that’s when he revealed the fourth clue. He clasped his hands together in front of his face and tucked his thumbs inside. He was on a straight draw, representing 6/7.

  I calmly announced, “Bet – four thousand.”

  Steve quickly studied his cards and then made a rash judgment call. “Okay, I call.”

  “Oh, man, this is getting crazy,” Jeremy said.

  “Okay, are you guys ready?” Dan asked, before laying down the next card, which was a 7 of clubs.

  I was incredibly nervous at that point, but did my best to conceal it. This time I did not get lucky. I had to rely on skill alone. In order for me to outplay him, I needed to convince him my hand could beat his. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. Since I put Steve on 6/7, I figured he had just hit top pair. Now I was a serious underdog with only six cards in the whole deck that could save me. I needed any 3 to complete my straight, or one of the remaining 2s left to give me three of a kind. Suddenly I questioned why I even agreed to play this hand. Steve was the one who lost big; he should be on tilt, not me.

  “Alright, here it is, the last card for all the marbles.” The next card that was dealt was a 9 of hearts, which didn’t help either of us.

  Now it was Steve’s turn to study me. I saw his eyes dart around, looking for clues.

  There’s a saying in poker that is used as a general rule to gauge whether your opponent has a good hand or not. The saying is, ‘weak when strong, strong when weak’. It means a player who has a strong hand will try to make their opponent believe they have a weak hand, almost like setting a trap. If it works correctly, their opponent will take the bait and enter into the hand, presumably with a weaker hand. If a player conveys a strong hand, it is usually taken as a sign he is actually holding a weak hand, but wants his opponent to think it is strong in order to get his opponent to fold.

  I obviously didn’t want Steve to call, so I needed to trick him. If I played weak, I ran the risk of him calling. If I played strong, he might think I was trying to mask a weak hand and call. So the traditional ‘weak when strong, strong when weak’ would not do. I needed to use reverse psychology to trick him into thinking I was masking a mask. In order for it to work, I needed to act as if I had a strong hand, but with bad acting. If the acting was bad enough, then Steve might think I was setting a trap for him. He might think I really did have a strong hand, and then fold.

  I began my shoddy portrayal of someone holding a strong hand. Steve looked at me, then down at the board, then back up at me. He had a glimmer in his eye like he was proud of himself.

  “Aaahh, no you don’t, Trevor. You think you’re pretty sneaky, huh? You have the straight, don’t you? I’m not gonna fall for your tricks.”

  “What are you talking about, I don’t have the straight.”

  “Yeah, right! I’m way too clever to fall for that trick mister reverse psychology. You’re trying to trick me into think you have a weak hand by portraying a strong hand.”

  Without saying anything, Steve threw his cards in the centre of the table. “Fold,” he declared. He revealed his cards, showing his massive lay down, and a massive mistake.

  “Good read, man. Your 6/7 wouldn’t have beaten me,” I said, trying to affirm his decision.

  “Did you have the straight?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I did. Good lay down.”

  Steve sat back down in his chair, shoulders slumped, feeling completely conquered.

  “Which car are you going to pick, Trevor?” Dan asked, almost more excited than I was.

  “I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Hey, it’s not over yet. I still have a thousand dollars. I’m about to stage an epic comeback.”

  “Alright, hurry up and deal, let’s get this over with,” I said.

  Steve was down, but not out. He sat there twirling his lone thousand-dollar chip. I could barely see him over the mountain of chips that was in front of me. I tossed a thousand dollar chip into the pot. Steve had no choice but to call. Since there could be no more rounds of betting, the cards were dealt to us facing up. The queen of hearts and the ace of spades landed in front of me. Steve’s two cards were the 9 and 10 of clubs. We both
stood up with great anticipation. The flop was laid down slowly – 7/8/Q. I was looking good so far with top pair. Steve still had outs, but he desperately needed the jack.

  The turn card was drawn from the deck and snapped down on the felted tabletop. It was a 9 of hearts. The suspense was deafening. The 9 of hearts gave Steve another breath of life. Now any 9, 10, or jack could win him the hand and potentially put him back in the game. The final card was slowly drawn from the deck. My sweaty hands were clasped together behind my neck. As the river card was revealed, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was the queen of diamonds. Steve collapsed into his chair in agonizing defeat. I went over and shook his hand. Even though Dan and Jeremy were not in on the hand, and had both recently lost five grand to me, they were surprisingly happy for me.

  “Let’s go, Steve,” Jeremy said.

  Steve reluctantly peeled himself up and grabbed his keys. He had yet to say anything. I reminded him this was not a complete loss; after all, he didn’t lose any more money and I was not keeping the car.

  When we arrived at PP1, I casually strolled around the lot, carefully examining the exterior of each car. The first vehicle I sat in was the Hummer.

  “Hey, how’s the gas mileage on this thing, Steve,” I called out, with a huge smile on my face. Steve didn’t reply. The other guys and I were having fun toying with him.

  I walked over to the Mercedes and peered into the window. The whole time, I knew which car I was picking, but I was enjoying the process. “How’s the handling on the Lexus?”

  Again, Steve did not say anything.

  “So what do you think so far?” Jeremy asked.

  “Well, I can’t see myself taking the Hummer if I can get the Lexus, and I can’t see myself taking the Lexus if I could get the Benz. But as hard as I try, I can’t think of a single vehicle here I would rather take over the Ferrari.”

  Steve disarmed the Ferrari and I got in. “Yeah, this is the one for sure. I’ll take this one, Steve.”

  “Oh, he’s taking your favourite!” Jeremy said.

  “Whatever, I’ll just buy another Ferrari,” Steve said, resorting back to his perennial self-defense mode, where money masked his insecurities.

  “Thanks, buddy,” I said, as I took the key from him. “I promise I’ll take care of her.”

  C H A P T E R

  T H I R T Y - N I N E

  I pressed a button on the dash and the car came to life. The large engine behind me growled. I adjusted the mirrors and fastened my seat belt. I could not believe I was about to drive a Ferrari. I looked down at the little horse on the steering wheel and felt happy.

  The big steel gate of the parking garage retracted into the ceiling and I crept out in first gear. I flipped a switch and the bright headlights illuminated the darkness as I prepared for my maiden voyage.

  The paddle shifting took a little time to get used to, but after a few minutes, I felt like a pro. I merged onto the freeway with no intended destination. I promised Steve I would be careful, but as soon as I hit an open stretch of road, I had no choice but to break that promise. I gently pressed my foot down on the gas pedal and the engine screamed. The sound was almost deafening. Stationary objects whizzed by my periphery so fast I could hardly tell what they were. I kept my eyes straight ahead and took off down the deserted road, easily exceeding the legal limit.

  From the side view mirror, I could see the headlights of another vehicle accelerating toward me. I reduced my speed in case it was a cop. The car tailed me for a couple of miles then came to a stop right beside me at the next intersection. I looked over at a gorgeous girl with long straightened hair driving a brand new BMW M3. She looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back and we shared a moment together. The light turned green and she winked at me. The rear wheels of her Beemer screeched as she peeled out. When her tires finally found traction, she took off. I sat there mesmerized. I had to remind myself I was behind the wheel of a brand new Ferrari.

  “Oh it’s on,” I said to myself. I engaged the racing suspension and slammed my foot on the gas pedal. Almost instantly, I reached the maximum RPMs for the first gear and immediately shifted into second. The car continued to accelerate. I flipped the paddle and entered into third gear. My foot was still firmly on the gas. The BMW, already in fourth gear by this time, was way ahead of me. I weaved in and out of a few cars and had the Beemer within my sights. I shifted into fourth and watched the distance between us become shorter. You’re mine now, I thought.

  As I approached mind-numbing speeds, I gained considerable ground on the M3. I pulled right up beside her for a moment. She looked over at me and smiled again. This time, the smile was different. It was much more sinister. Without notice, she slammed on her brakes causing her vehicle to drop out of my sights. Through my side view mirror, I could see she had made a sharp right turn to divert her course onto the 302 exit. Within an instant, she was gone.

  I continued driving north on the freeway with the city lights behind me. Other than a few warehouses, there was not much out there. I took the next exit and veered off the main drag. I found a long stretch of open road with no traffic and no cops. It was a great place for me to get away from people and allow me a chance to think. I was feeling ambivalent. I was excited to have won over twenty-five thousand dollars in cash and prizes, but it wasn’t enough to take my mind off Ashley.

  I gave the gas pedal a slight nudge and the car accelerated instantly passed 100 kilometers per hour. My head jolted back and I was thrust deeper into the fine Italian leather.

  The more I thought about the whole situation, the more upset I became. I recalled the first time I saw her in Banff, the long walks on the beach, all the ups and downs we had shared together. As soon as things were starting to go well for me in one aspect of my life, another aspect failed miserably. How could she just end it after just one year apart? I questioned.

  I pressed my foot down even more and flipped the right paddle again. The smooth engine didn’t skip a beat as the needle climbed passed the 150 kilometer per hour mark. The gas gauge seemed to be decelerating at an equal and opposite rate. This short ride had probably cost me over thirty bucks in gas so far. The money didn’t bother me, but I remained a little concerned about running out of gas. I was now deep into the forest on the outskirts of town, surrounded by trees. The thought of being stranded out there had occurred to me more than once. How long would it take me to walk back? Would I even get cell reception out here?

  Those thoughts were quickly replaced by thoughts of Ashley. I thought about our trip to Whistler, meeting her parents, her cute smile. That will be someone else’s smile now, someone who does not leave her to go to the other side of the country for three years. How could I have been so stupid?

  A collection of fluid developed in the corner of my eye. I gave a quick squint and forced a single tear out and down the side of my cheek.

  I thought about the hot woman in the BMW. What were the odds that as soon as I was single, another woman would be presented to me? I knew it was too good to be true the moment she sped off in the other direction. Maybe I just repel women.

  I sunk deeper into a state of self-loathing. This time I didn’t hold back. “AAAAAAHHHH!” I let out a big roar that was immediately swallowed up by the powerful twelve-cylinder engine. Letting out the scream was not as effective as I thought. I seemed to have a sickness that only excessive speed could cure. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and slammed my foot down on the gas pedal. I accelerated up to 240 kilometers per hour and the adrenaline was enough to push out any sadness I was feeling. If I lost focus at this speed, I would be dead.

  I ripped around a corner feeling the massive thirty-inch tires grip the road. As soon as my tears stopped, it began to rain. A few drops of rain splattered across my windshield as if the world felt my pain and was crying back.

  The trees on either side of me whizzed by as I took the car near its limit. What was once a calm and peaceful night in the forest was now interrupted by over 600 hor
sepower. The car howled in the night like a lone wolf. The ground was getting a bit slick as the rain started to come down harder. I reduced speed, but I was still going well over 100.

  I looked up at the moon, which was now being consumed by clouds. The rain started coming down harder. I fiddled with some knobs to activate the windshield wipers, but I was having trouble. I only took my eyes off the road for a moment, but when I came around a corner and looked back at the road, I saw a huge creature standing in the middle of the road. It appeared to be a deer, but I couldn’t quite focus on it as I rapidly approached it. I was now running on pure instincts.

  Without thinking, I slammed on the brakes, causing the back end of the Italian import to drift outwards. To avoid a complete tailspin, I released my foot from the brake and down shifted into third. The car made all kinds of noises as the RPMs reached over 6000. I gave it a little gas and squeezed the steering wheel. The tires screeched, but I regained traction, and not a moment too soon. I cranked on the steering wheel just enough and avoided impact with the giant beast. It was a good thing it didn’t have antlers or else it would have peeled the top off the car like a jagged can opener.

  I brought the car to a complete stop and was now perpendicular with the road. I looked out the passenger window and saw a massive doe looking back at me almost as if to say thanks before she gracefully galloped off into the night. I took a deep breath to try to get my heart rate back to normal. That was too close for comfort. I was once again reminded of the importance of exercising caution and staying focused.

  C H A P T E R

  F O R T Y

  “The Canada Act, otherwise known as the Constitution Act, includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As you all know, the Charter protects an assortment of civil rights and obligations. Since the enactment of the Charter, the face of Canadian constitutional law has changed drastically,” the monotonous professor continued.

  The words went through my ears like dust in the wind. I had my head buried deep in my laptop. I was considering buying stock in a company and was reading some of their most recent SEC filings. It was kind of like doing law research, so I allowed myself to continue. Besides, at least I showed up to class.

  “Hey,” Dan whispered into my ear. “Don’t look now, but there’s a hot girl at three o’clock.”

  I immediately looked to my right and saw a slender woman with soft eyes and full lips. She was stunning, which was enough to make most men tremble. She had a naturally dark complexion and was impeccably dressed, obviously someone who was into fashion and did everything in her power to convey the image of self-assurance.

  “Why don’t you talk to her?” he said.

  Without hesitation, I leaned over towards her and said, “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Hey,” she replied, without as much as a smile.

  “What’s your name?” I whispered again.

  “Jessica.”

  “I’m Trevor,” I offered my name even though she didn’t ask for it. I sensed a lot of reluctance from her, not even a forced friendliness. She seemed genuinely unfriendly – hot, but unfriendly. She will make a great lawyer, I thought. I decided to leave her alone.