G                            C                 G  
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere, 
   C                 G                  C                   D  
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep. 
    G                                 C               G  
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness 
      C             G          D                 G  
'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak. 
 
          G                               C                  G  
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces, 
     C                    G                   C                 D  
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes. 
        G                                 C                   G  
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces. 
       C               G              D               G  
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice." 
 
      G                             C                    G  
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.  
 C                  G               C                D  
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light. 
         G                                  C                   G  
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression. 
                  C                      G               D 
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn 
                 G  
to play it right. 
 
CHORUS: 
            G                       C               G  
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, 
 C              G           C             D  
know when to walk away and know when to run. 
           G                              C              G  
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. 
                  C            G          D                G  
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done. 
 
 D                              C             G  
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin' 
    C                G             C                 D  
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep. 
        G                           C              G  
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser, 
         C                   G                D           G  
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep." 
 
     G                                 C                       G  
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window, 
 C                 G               C           D  
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep. 
     G                               C               G  
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even. 
     C              G                  D              G  
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.