On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere
  G             G                G                 D
I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to speak
   G               G               C             D?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.

He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
Knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes,
And if you don't mind me sayin', I can see you're out of aces,
And for a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow;
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light,
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression,
' said "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

Ch:
             G            G
  You got to know when to hold 'em,
C              G
  Know when to fold 'em,
C              G
  Know when to walk away
G                  D
  And know when to run.
            G     D*   G
  You never count your money
              C              G
  When you're sittin' at the table;
              G    C*         G
  There'll be time enough for countin'
D                   G
  When the dealin's done.

(up a full step)

A              A              D         A
 Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
   A                A              A               E
Is knownin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep
       A     E*       A           D              A
'Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
        D                 A              E           A
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

And when he finished speakin', he turned back toward the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep,
And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even,
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

  You got to know when to hold 'em,
  Know when to fold 'em,
  Know when to walk away
  And know when to run.
  You never count your money
  When you're sittin' at the table;
  There'll be time enough for countin'
  When the dealin's done.