The Gambler

[Intro]
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B|-0h2---2-3-2p0-0h2---2-------| 
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D|-----------------------------| 
A|-----------------------------| 
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G|x 2 
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[Verse 1]
(add9 to the E on every 3rd beat 
throughout 1st 2 verses)
    E                          
On a warm summer's evenin' on a 
  A/E             E
train bound for nowhere,
E                                 
I met up with the gambler; we were
                   B7
 both too tired to sleep.
   E                               
So we took turns a starin' out the 
 A/E           E
window at the darkness
     A/E         E       B7      
'til boredom overtook us, and he 
          E
began to speak.

[Verse 2]
(Bass in)
         E                         
He said, "Son, I've made a life out
    A/E              E
 of readin' people's faces,
and knowin' what their cards were by
                         B7
 the way they held their eyes.
       E                           
And if you don't mind my sayin', I 
    A/E               E
can see you're out of aces.
      A/E           E            
For a taste of your whiskey I'll 
B7            E
give you some advice."

Verse 3: (strumming starts)
     E                          
So I handed him my bottle and he 
 A                  E
drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked
          B7
 me for a light.
        E                          
And the night got deathly quiet, 
      A                 E
and his face lost all expression.
                 A             
Said, "If you're gonna play the 
  E                  B7           
game, boy, ya gotta learn to play 
    E
it right.

Continues after the ad
[Chorus]
           E                     A
You got to know when to hold 'em, 
             E
know when to fold 'em,
A            E                   
know when to walk away and know 
       B7
when to run.
          E     A    E       
You never count your money when 
          A              E
you're sittin' at the table.
            E    A          E    
There'll be time enough for 
    B7                E
countin' when the dealin's done.

[Verse 4]
(Key change)
F                            Bb  
Ev'ry gambler knows that the 
           F
secret to survivin'
is knowin' what to throw away and 
                C
knowing what to keep.
       F                         
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and 
Bb              F
ev'ry hand's a loser,
        Bb                 F      
and the best that you can hope for
        C           F
 is to die in your sleep."

[Verse 5]
    F                              
And when he'd finished speakin', he
 Bb                       F
 turned back towards the window,
crushed out his cigarette and faded 
       C7
off to sleep.
    F                             
And somewhere in the darkness the 
Bb                 F
gambler, he broke even.
    Bb            F             
But in his final words I found an 
   C7               F
ace that I could keep.

[Chorus]
           F                     
You got to know when to hold 'em,
Bb             F
 know when to fold 'em,
Bb            F                  
know when to walk away and know 
        C7
when to run.
          F     Bb   F       
You never count your money when 
          Bb              F
you're sittin' at the table.
             F    Bb          F  
There'll be time enough for 
      C7                F
countin' when the dealin's done.

N.C.
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.

           F                     
You got to know when to hold 'em,
Bb             F
 know when to fold 'em,
Bb            F                  
know when to walk away and know 
        C7
when to run.
          F     Bb   F       
You never count your money when 
          Bb              F
you're sittin' at the table.
             F    Bb          F  
There'll be time enough for 
      C7                F
countin' when the dealin's done.

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| h  Hammer-on
| p  Pull-off
| ~  Vibrato