War is hell, they say. But this one hasn’t been too bad, so far. We are deep in the jungle, the food’s not bad, the insects are a nuisance and the snakes provide good shooting practice. And I have my laptop. There are about 20 of us ‘jungle-fighters’. We spend our days patrolling this strip of dense greenery watching for enemy infiltrators, but so far we haven’t seen another soul. At night we gamble online. I taught the men the delights of this activity and I am the owner of the sole laptop except for the commander who doesn’t gamble. We get to our feet and march out leaving a pile of equipment behind us. My beloved laptop is at the bottom of the pile I look back and pray for its safety. I check my mobile phone to see that the battery is fully charged and that the mobile online gambling number is in the directory. If I can’t gamble online using my laptop, I will gamble online using my cell-phone. It’s no big deal. The enemy permitting of course, although I cannot think of anything more important than a royal flush while playing in an online poker game. We spend the night curled up high in the trees. We are separated from each other for safety’s sake so I dial up and log in on my own. I find a seat at a game of Texas Hold’em and I begin playing. I am nervous on all fronts – my commander hates me, the enemy is out to kill me and the phone company is not so reliable in this part of the world. What happens if they drop the call when I have a winning hand? I am dealt a King and a 4, no great shakes, but I decide to bet on it. I ante up and the little screen on my phone shows me the flop as King, Jack and 4. Wow! I have two pairs! Enough to almost shake me out of the tree. I raise my bet and the turn is a 7. I raise again. The river comes down – a 4. I have a full house king high. I win. A shell screams through the trees twenty yards away from me. War is hell! Posted on: January 13, 2009
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