Now, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, a program in Special English by the Voice of America.

现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。

It is surprising how many expressions that Americans use every day came from the card game of poker. For example, you hear the expression, ace in the hole, used by many people who would never think of going near a poker table. An ace in the hole is any argument, plan or thing kept hidden until needed. It is used especially when it can turn failure into success.

美国人使用的许多日常表达方式都来源于扑克牌，其数量之多令人惊讶。例如，你可能会听到许多连靠近牌桌都没想过的人使用这么一个短语：Ace in the hole。Ace in the hole指的非必要时候不公开的观点、计划或其他信息。尤其是用在这些信息可以转败为胜的时候。

In poker and most card games, the ace is the highest and most valuable card. It is often a winning card. In one kind of poker game, the first card to each player is given face down. A player does not show this card to the other players. The other cards are dealt face up. The players bet money each time they receive another card.

在扑克牌或大部分纸牌游戏中，Ace是最大也是最有价值的牌。通常代表着胜利。在一种纸牌游戏中，每个玩家拿到的第一张牌是暗牌（即正面朝下），玩家不会让其他玩家看到自己的这张底牌。其他的牌都是明牌（即正面朝上）。玩家每收到一张牌都要押上筹码。

No one knows until the end of the game whose hidden card is the winner. Often, the ace in the hole wins the game.

在牌局结束前，没人知道谁是赢家。通常，底牌是ace的玩家能赢得牌局。

Smart card players, especially those who play for large amounts of money, closely watch the person who deals the cards. They are watching to make sure he is dealing honestly. They want to be sure that he is not dealing off the bottom of the stack of cards. A dealer who is doing that has stacked the deck. He has fixed the cards so that he will get higher cards. He will win and you will lose.

聪明的纸牌玩家，尤其是下注大的玩家会密切注视庄家，以确保庄家在老实发牌，没在牌中作弊。作弊的庄家已经做牌了，他调换了纸牌以保证他能拿到最大的一副牌，这样他就能赢得牌局。

The expression, dealing off the bottom, now means cheating in business, as well as in cards. And when someone tells you that the cards are stacked against you, he is saying you do not have a chance to succeed.

Deal off the bottom这个短语现在指的是生意或牌局中的欺诈。如果一个人告诉你， the cards are stacked against you，他的意思是说你没有赢的机会。

In a poker game you do not want to let your opponents know if your cards are good or bad. So having a poker face is important. A poker face never shows any emotion, never expresses either good or bad feelings. No one can learn – by looking at your face – if your cards are good or bad.

在牌局中，你不想让你的对手知道你牌的好坏。所以面无表情(having a poker face)是非常重要的。Poker face不会表现出任何表情，不会表达出好或不好的感觉。没人能够通过观察你的面部来得知你牌的好坏。

People now use poker face in everyday speech to describe someone who shows no emotion.

人们现在在日常生活中使用poker face描述没有一点表情的人。

Someone who has a poker face usually is good at bluffing. Bluffing is trying to trick a person into believing something about you that is not true.

面无表情的人通常善于虚张声势唬人(bluffing)，Bluffing就是骗你相信谎言。

In poker, you bluff when you bet heavily on a poor hand. The idea is to make the other players believe you have strong cards and are sure to win. If they believe you, they are likely to drop out of the game. This means you win the money they have bet.

在牌局中，当你牌不好又押得很大时，你就会虚张声势唬人（bluff）。这样做是为了使对手相信你拿到很好的牌，一定会赢。如果对手们被唬住了，他们就可能会退出这局。这意味着你就能赢得他们押的赌注。

You can do a better job of bluffing if you hold your cards close to your vest. You hold your cards close to you so no one can see what you have. In everyday speech, holding your cards close to your vest means not letting others know what you are doing or thinking. You are keeping your plans secret.

如果你把牌放到胸口（hold your cards close to your vest），那么你唬人(bluffing)的效果会更好。你小心地藏着自己的牌，这样，其他人就不能偷看到你的牌。在日常生活中，holding your cards close to your vest意思是不让其他人知道你在做什么或者在想什么。你将自己的计划保密。

We are not bluffing when we say we hope you have enjoyed today’s program.