Madden Mischief

Yes, you could be bluffing when you see someone’s bet then you raise it 90 million, which is a form of warning your adversary they had better fold as you have the hole cards that can wipe out their entire civilization.

Now they don’t know if you’re insane enough to do it or just bluffing, but rather than take a chance, they fold, which is the poker term for surrender by agreeing to a preliminary cease fire, and now you take the pot, a victorious cease fire, from what might have been just a bluff on your part, yet a daring, exquisite one!  

In poker, “what’s in the hold” is a casual way of asking “what’s in your hole cards?”  These are the cards you have that are hidden from the other player and may just be a measly pair of threes or fours or maybe two giants, nuclear-powered aces?

Ahh Poker! 

Yes, it’s a thrilling, sometimes chilling game, poker, leading to either triumph or disaster, so it must be played masterfully by astute players, or it’s curtains not just for the loser but for a whole lot more people just watching and some betting on the game. 

We have in President Trump what many Republicans believe is the best, most highly skilled poker-playing president America has ever had, although some Democrats think he’s a wild lunatic playing with not just poker chips but with fire that could rage out of control harming millions and destroying an entire country. 

For sure, our president is daring and can be deadly if you stand in his way of performing what he sees as his duty, and the right thing to do, like arresting the president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro.   Many on both sides of the aisle consider that outcome to be a gallantly remarkable achievement as were so many other actions of his, such as our astute military so dramatically and cleverly rescuing those two downed pilots forced to bail out of their jet over enemy territory onto a dangerous mountainous region of Iran.

Productive wheeling and dealing as President Trump has been doing all over the planet doesn’t take just good luck, but years of practice and resolute determination for such successful outcomes, such as those that have occurred prior in the Middle East by his often-unorthodox methods and unique approach to diplomacy.  They have led to historic breakthroughs such as The Abraham Accords, negotiated under his administration, which has normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco . . .  such as Trump having successfully renegotiated trade agreements like the USMCA and implementing tariffs to protect American industries. 

Trump’s administration also has facilitated the release of American hostages abroad and took decisive action against ISIS leading to the territorial defeat of its caliphate.  And all this and much more is why many informed sources say our president’s actions marked a significant departure from traditional approaches to Middle East diplomacy and have reshaped regional dynamics.

So, you NATO nations better consider this next time you’re invited to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open, so a huge part of our planet doesn’t go fuel less. 

Tom Madden is a poker player himself who has risked his life going after crime stories when he was a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer before rising to nosebleed levels at major TV networks holding death-defying positions as vice president, assistant to president at NBC and before that at ABC in that city that still never sleeps, New York.  These days he’s enjoying a less risky but still a mercurial life in Florida as CEO of TransMedia Group, a PR firm serving clients worldwide which he runs along with its president, his dauntless daughter Adrienne Mazzone.