G                          C               G
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
  C               G                C                 D
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
   G                               C             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.


[Verse 2]

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


[Verse 3]

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


[Chorus]

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


[Transpose +2)


[Verse 4]

A                             D             A
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
   D               A              D               E
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
       A                         D              A
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
        D                 A              E           A
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."


[Verse 5]

    A                               D                       A
Now so when he finished talkin' , he turned back towards the window,
D               A             D            E
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
    A                             D                 A
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
    D            A                E                A
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.


[Chorus]

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

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