VOA慢速英語:詞匯掌故：王牌

[00:00.00](MUSIC) [00:09.59]Now, Words and Their Stories, [00:12.85]a program in Special English [00:14.89]by the Voice of America. [00:17.82]It is surprising [00:20.16] how many expressions [00:21.75]that Americans use every day [00:24.20]came from the card game of poker. [00:27.65]For example, [00:28.64]you hear the expression, [00:30.38]ace in the hole, [00:32.28]used by many people [00:34.10]who would never [00:35.30]think of going [00:36.36]near a poker table. [00:37.85]An ace in the hole [00:39.95]is an argument, [00:41.94]plan or thing [00:43.33]kept hidden until needed. [00:45.97] It is used especially [00:47.86]when it can turn failure [00:49.50]into success. [00:51.35]In poker and most card games, [00:54.18]the ace is the highest [00:56.32]and most valuable card. [00:58.52]It is often a winning card. [01:01.31]In one kind of poker game, [01:03.95]the first card to each player [01:06.23]is given face down. [01:08.62]A player does not show this card [01:11.41]to the other players. [01:13.20]The other cards [01:14.90]are dealt face up. [01:16.94]The players bet money each time [01:19.65]they receive another card. [01:21.70]No one knows [01:23.73]until the end of the game [01:25.38]whose hidden card is the winner. [01:28.62]Often, the ace in the hole [01:31.56]wins the game. [01:33.56]Smart card players, [01:36.29]especially those who play [01:38.40]for large amounts of money, [01:40.44]closely watch the person [01:43.04]who deals the cards. [01:45.28]They are watching to make sure [01:48.47]he is dealing honestly. [01:50.32]They want to be sure [01:52.61]that he is not dealing off [01:54.81]the bottom of the stack of cards. [01:57.25]A dealer who is doing that [02:00.09]has stacked the deck. [02:02.97]He has fixed the cards [02:05.49]so that he will get higher cards. [02:08.07]He will win and you will lose. [02:12.32]The expression, [02:14.31]dealing off the bottom, [02:16.45]now means cheating in business, [02:19.64]as well as in cards. [02:21.39]And when someone tells you [02:23.88]that the cards [02:25.49]are stacked against you, [02:27.69]he is saying you do not [02:30.20]have a chance to succeed. [02:32.84]In a poker game you do not want [02:36.53]to let your opponents know [02:38.17]if your cards are good or bad. [02:41.42]So having a poker face is important. [02:46.04]A poker face never shows any emotion, [02:50.27]never expresses either good [02:52.76]or bad feelings. [02:54.51]No one can learn [02:56.75]– by looking at your face [02:58.79]– if your cards are good or bad. [03:02.58]People now use poker face [03:05.98]in everyday speech [03:07.94]to describe someone [03:09.63]who shows no emotion. [03:12.10]Someone who has a poker face [03:15.14]usually is good at bluffing. [03:18.58]Bluffing is trying [03:20.67]to trick a person [03:22.09]into believing something [03:24.03]about you that is not true. [03:26.77]In poker, you bluff [03:29.57]when you bet heavily [03:31.11]on a poor hand. [03:32.61]The idea is make [03:35.20]the other players [03:36.21]believe you have strong cards [03:38.96]and are sure to win. [03:44.43]If they believe you, [03:45.78]they are likely to drop [03:48.11]out of the game. [03:49.32]This means you win the money [03:52.05]they have bet. [03:53.75]You can do a better job of bluffing [03:57.09]if you hold your cards close [04:00.08]to your vest. [04:01.25]You hold your cards close [04:03.64]to you so no one can see [04:05.88]what you have. [04:07.17]In everyday speech, [04:09.37]holding your cards close [04:11.88]to your vest means not [04:14.02]letting other know [04:15.42]what you are doing or thinking. [04:18.22]You are keeping you plans secret. [04:21.50]We are not bluffing [04:23.55]when we say we hope you [04:25.25]have enjoyed today's program. [04:28.13](MUSIC) [04:34.45]This Special English program, [04:36.05]Words and Their Stories, [04:38.46]was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. [04:41.60]This is Bob Doughty.

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