Players aim to make their fortune at the World Series of Poker.

　　玩家打算在世界扑克牌大赛赚钱发财

　　Imagine betting a million dollars on the turn of a card. That’s the kind of pressure that finalists in the World Series of Poker have to face.

　　想象在一张牌上下注百万，这就是世界扑克牌大赛决赛选手所面临的压力。

　　Every year, hundreds of amateur and professional pokers descend upon Las Vegas to play in the biggest poker tournament in the world. Last year, alone, 839 players sat down hoping to take home the top prize of $2.5 million.

　　每年都有数百位业余和职业扑克牌玩家涌向拉斯维加斯，参加世界上最大的扑克牌比赛。单单去年就有八百三十九位选手坐下来打牌，希望能把头奖两百五十万抱回家。

　　Together with the growing popularity of poker on TV and on the Internet, the number of players is increasing as well. Last year, almost a million people tuned in to EPSN to watch the World Series and the Travel Channel to view the“World Poker Tour.”"Watching people make a million-dollar decision on every hand is great TV," said a Travel Channel representative.

　　随着扑克牌在电视和网络上越来越受欢迎，玩牌的人也跟着增加。去年，约有一百万人将电视转到ESPN收看世界扑克牌大赛，还有旅游频道收看“世界扑克牌之旅”。旅游频道的一位代表说：“看人家在每一个牌局上做攸关百万美元的决定，是很精采的电视节目。”

　　One of the reasons the event has gotten so popular is that, unlike most sports, there are no qualifying rounds -- anyone with the entry fee of US$10,000 can play. In truth, though, only a few players pay the full amount themselves. The rest win their entry money by playing in smaller tournaments, called“satellites.”Last year’s winner, Chris Moneymaker, earned his seat at the World Series by winning a $40 internet tournament.

　　这项活动变得如此受欢迎的其中一个原因是，它不像其它的运动那样有资格赛，任何人只要有一万元美金的报名费都可以玩。事实上，只有少数选手自己付全额费用，其它人靠参加被称为“卫星”的小型比赛赢得入场费。去年的冠军“摇钱树克理斯”，靠网络比赛赢得的四十块钱取得世界扑克牌大赛的参赛席次。

　　While different kinds of poker games are played at the World Series, the main game is a variation called Texas Hold’em. Each player is dealt two cards (“hole cards”). Then, five more cards are dealt in the middle of the table and are shared by all the players ("community cards"). The best five-card poker hand wins. While skill plays a huge part in winning, sometimes even the most talented players can have bad luck and get knocked out of the event early.

　　世界大赛中虽然有不同的扑克牌游戏，主要的游戏是一种称为“德州，等一等”的扑克牌变化玩法，每个选手发给两张牌﹙面向下的牌﹚，然后再多发五张牌﹙共同牌﹚在桌子中央给大家，在五张牌中至少有一对点数相同的牌、而且牌型分数最高的人赢。虽然技巧对输赢影响很大，但有时连最有天份的玩家也可能走霉运，在活动中早早就被淘汰。

　　"A lot of times the better player doesn't win, and that's interesting, too," says professional player Phil Ivey, who placed third last spring, winning $637,000.

　　“有很多次比较厉害的玩家没赢，那也很有意思。”职业玩家菲尔艾维这样说，他去年春天名列第三、赢得六十万三千七百元。

　　tuned in调准电视机的频道

　　This morning, I tuned in the BBC to listen to the news.

　　今天早上，我调到BBC的频道收看新闻。

　　knock out打败；淘汰

　　Unfortunately, my son’s team was knocked out during the final match.

　　很不幸的，我儿子那一队在决赛时被淘汰。

　　[Vocabulary]

　　aim [em] v.意欲

　　bet [bAt] v.打赌

　　pressure [`prABX] n.压力

　　finalist [`faInTIst] n.决赛选手

　　descend upon phr.涌向

　　hand [hGnd] n.一局

　　representative [ˊrAprI`zAntKtIv] n.代表

　　qualifying round phr.资格赛

　　entry [AntrI] n.参加

　　earn [Sn] v.赚得

　　variation [ˊvArI`eBKn] n.变化

　　deal [dil] v.发牌

　　poker hand phr.至少有一对相同点数的牌

　　[Questions]

　　1. Is gambling illegal where you live? Do you think it should be?

　　2. Do you like to gamble? What is your favorite way to gamble?

　　3. Do you believe in luck? Are you lucky? Give some examples.

　　[Quiz]

　　1. Last year, first prize in the World Series of Poker was __________.

　　a. US$637,000

　　b. US$2,500,000

　　c. US$250,000

　　d. US$10,000

　　2. The World Series has become popular because __________.

　　a. only a few people have to pay the entry fee

　　b. Las Vegas is a vacation paradise

　　c. anyone with the entry fee can play

　　d. it was televised on ESPN and The Travel Channel

　　3.“Tune in”means ___________.

　　a. attend

　　b. focus on

　　c. adjust a receiver on electronic equipment

　　d. agree with

　　4. The main game played at the World Series is __________.

　　a. variation poker

　　b. five-card poker

　　c. Texas Hole Cards

　　d. Texas Hold’em

　　5. If you are“knocked out”of a game, you have been __________.

　　a. removed because you were beaten

　　b. surprised

　　c. thrown or punched out

　　d. stopped

　　[Answers]

　　1. (b), 2. (c), 3. (c), 4. (d), 5. (a)