Bet all he had on a hand of blackjack, lost one minute, then won it back
And then gave it away, yeah the very next day.
Off to Vegas, was just a prank, the better it became, the more that he drank
Which was every night, yeah on through to daylight.
Started to work, was on the strip, runnin' wild like some kinda trip,
He was feelin' strong, yeah until he went wrong.

Got pretty good at shufflin' the deck, until he started cheatin, figured "What the heck."
Then it all started bustin' loose, ain't his fault, blame it on the juice.
And then he got his chance, a game came along, for those in the know.
Got an invitation... just had to go.
Took all he had just to get the dough.
Was gettin' really nervous, but it didn't show.

Sittin' at the table, big folk around, his hands were good, he was layin' 'em down
He was playin' smart, yeah and actin' a part.
Gettin' ready to pull his shark, got spooked by a sly remark,
So he decided to wait, but it was gettin' late.
Hours draggin' on, he was wantin' to leave,
When he looked at a player, saw a card up his sleeve,
So he decided to speak, but his voice went weak.

Another player saw what was comin' down, pulled out a gun and started pointin' it around,
Everybody ducked to the floor, ran outta bullets, couldn't find no more.
And then somebody yelled, "It's gotta stop!"
So they all stood up. For no reason at all, then they all sat down,
Picked up their cards, and then looked around.
And then placed their bets, yeah without a sound.
Just as cool as can be, but....

The game went on with one less hand, the cheater looked sad, he just lost a grand
And probably more, if you're keepin' score.
Winner pulled the pot and the silence began, looked at the cheater and the card in his hand,
It wasn't lookin' good, it was well understood.
Cheater sat there, didn't put on his hat, without a word, was killed where he sat,
Yeah he can't quit this game, life won't be the same.

On back home, put on the TV, watched the news just to check and see.
Looked just like any other Friday night, horns were blowin' cops were flashin' their lights.
It's always this way, what can you say.
Every single night, every single day,
It's just a game, goes on and on,
We all the same, the same old day,
Just a different name.
We're all as cool as can be.