Twos you can use

PLACE: Thursday night at Lil Kim's Cove.

SITUATION: Blinds at about 100/200.

IN THE POCKET: 4-2 of hearts. They're suited. Worth a call, with no one raising before the flop.

ON THE FLOP: 2-9-2.

So much for thinking about a flush. I bet 1,000, and several around me fold -- but not all.

A man immediately to the left of me calls. I'll call him Mr. B. -- a man I've gone heads-up with several times before at Lil Kim's. Most of the time, I've beaten him.

ON THE TURN: 2.

A dream come true -- only I'm first in line to bet. "2,500" I announce, choosing to turn up the heat slowly.

Mr. B says, "Richard, if you've got quads, I'm going to be p***ed." But he calls again. I say nothing. But hmmmmm -- is that a tell of what Mr. B does NOT have?

ON THE RIVER: I don't remember now. Didn't matter, anyway.

I glance at Mr. B's chip stack, and estimate how much is there. Saying I'm "all in" would seem too obvious, so....

"4,500."

"See, I don't think he's got it," another man at the table guesses out loud.

I still say nothing. Several months ago, I hit quad 7's on the river -- and when someone bet 75 (with smaller chip stacks) in front of me, I raised all-in and said, "I could be bluffing, you know. I could be bluffing right through my shirt."

That man backed down and folded. Mr. B. doesn't, and goes all-in.

"Oh, you're not going to like me...." I say quietly as I showed the 4-2 for four of a kind. I even reach my left arm around him, for a moment of consolation. "Sorry."

As Mr. B. leaves a bit surprised, he shows he had a 9. "I had to play it," he says -- and with a full house like that, I wouldn't have blamed him. But the way I was betting....?!?!

"But you're not supposed to call THAT," he adds while examining my 4-2. He leaves before I could explain how they were suited. Perfectly suited for something unexpected -- but suited.

A few minutes later, the loud and wrong guesser tells someone walking by the table: "This m***** f***** takes people OUT!!" I simply smile. I wouldn't use language like that. In fact, if I ever see Mr. B at church, I might take him again -- to dinner.