Poker and Gambling Country Style Quiz

Answer: Ace in the Hole

"Ace in the Hole" is the title shared by both. The phrase refers to the best possible card a player can have that is not exposed in either a community card game like Texas Hold'em or a stud game like Seven Card Stud. The unexposed cards a player holds in such games is the hole. Although the Douglas movie has a poker related title, the movie had nothing to do with poker. George's song uses the phrase as a metaphor for having something in reserve for a rainy day because "life is a gamble, a game we all play".

"The Sting" is a 1979 Paul Newman and Robert Redford poker movie. "A Big Hand for the Little Lady" is a 1966 Henry Fonda and Joanne Woodward poker movie. "Queen of Hearts" is a Juice Newton crossover hit from 1981 that uses the Queen of Hearts as a metaphor for love.

George released "Ace in the Hole" as a single from his album "Beyond the Neon Moon". It was written by Dennis Adkins. It reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on Nov. 4, 1989 and did the same thing on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart one week later. It was preceded on both charts by Alabama's "High Cotton". It was succeeded on the US chart by Kathy Mattea's "Burnin' Old Memories" and on the Canadian chart by Restless Heart's "Say What's in Your Heart". It was George's 18th Number One overall and 11th in a row.

Answer: RIcky Van Shelton

The song uses poker to tell the story of how a woman's love turned a man "From a Jack to a King". Ned Miller wrote and originally released "From a Jack to a King" in 1957 but it did not chart. In 1962, the re-release reached number two on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, number three on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the UK Singles chart, and Number One on the Irish Singles chart.

Ricky Van Shelton released his version from his album "Loving Proof". It reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on March 18, 1989. It was Shelton's fifth consecutive Number One on that chart. It was preceded by Ronnie Milsap's "Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)" and succeeded by Reba McEntire's "New Fool at an Old Game".

Answer: Barbara Mandrell

Barbara Mandrell released "One of a Kind, A Pair of Fools" as a single from her album "Spun Gold". It was written by R.C. Bannon and John Bettis. It reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on Nov. 19, 1983 and did the same thing on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart one week later. It was Mandrell's sixth and final Number One on the US chart and fourth of five Number One's on the Canadian chart. It was preceded on the US chart by Lee Greenwood's "Somebody's Gonna Love You" and succeeded by Earl Thomas Conley's "Holding Her and Loving You". On the Canadian chart it was preceded by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream" and succeeded by George Jones' "Tennessee Whiskey".

The phrase one of a kind actually is not a poker term but rather a play on two well known poker terms - three of a kind and four of a kind. Two of a kind in poker is called a pair. The song tells the story of two women who find out the man they are in love with is the same man and he has been cheating on both of them with the other woman.

Answer: It's knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep

Here are the relevant lyrics:

"Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep"

The answer: "It's knowin' how much money you have when you're sittin' at the table" is actually the exact opposite of what the lyrics say. The other two I made up.

"The Gambler" was written by Don Schlitz, who himself recorded it and charted with it (number 65 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks). Kenny won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980 with the song. Chart success:
Number/Chart
1 - US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
16 - US Billboard Hot 100
3 - US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
2 - Canadian RPM Country Tracks
8 - Canadian RPM Top Singles
6 - Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks
22 - UK Singles Chart
The song spawned five TV movies starring Kenny from 1980 through 1994. It has had a huge impact on pop culture and has been covered by a variety of artists in different genres. On the US Country chart is was preceded by Charlie Rich and Janie Fricke's "On My Knees" and succeeded by Don Williams' "Tulsa Time". It was Kenny's fourth Number One on the US Country chart and the second top twenty on the US Hot 100.

Answer: Craps

Relevant lyrics:

"She's ten the hard way, I can feel it in my bones"
"Seven come eleven and she could be mine"

Both of these phrases are related to the game of craps. In craps your first roll establishes the number you have to roll again before you roll a seven or eleven. The title alludes to betting on hitting the seven or eleven rather than your number. Normally it would be bad luck to hit either of those numbers but in this case good because you would win. Therefore you want a good run of bad luck. Ten the hard way means hitting ten by rolling 5-5. The term bones is also a slang term for dice.

Clint released "A Good Run of Bad Luck" as a single from his album "No Time to Kill". It was written by Clint and Hayden Nicholas. It reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on May 7, 1994. It then reached Number One on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart on May 9, 1994. On both charts it was preceded by Faith Hill's "Piece of My Heart" and succeeded by Shenandoah's "If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)". It was Clint's eighth Number One on the US chart and 11th on the Canadian chart.

Answer: Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks released "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" as a single from his album "No Fences". It was written by Dennis Robbins, Bobby Boyd, and Warren Dale Haynes. Robbins orignally released it but only reached number 71 with it in 1987. Brooks' version hit Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on April 6 and did the same thing on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart a week later. On both charts it was preceded by Clint Black's "Loving Blind". On the US chart it was succeeded by Alabama's "Down Home" and on the Canadian chart it was succeeded by Randy Travis' "Heroes and Friends".

The title is a play on the fact that in poker two of a kind, or a pair as it is more commonly known, is the bottom half of a full house (a set or trips or three of a kind with a pair). The phrase Aces full of nines would mean three Aces with a pair of nines. If you just said Aces full it would mean three Aces with any other pair.

Answer: Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)

Tex Williams released "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" as a single. It was written by Williams and Merle Travis. It reached Number One on the then Most Played Juke Box Folk Records (now the US Billboard Hot Country Singles) on July 19 and stayed there for 15 weeks before skipping a week and returning to the top for one more week.

It was preceded by Eddy Arnold's "It's a Sin" and succeeded by Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)". The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Sammy Davis, Jr., Phil Harris, Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Jimmy Dean.

It can also be heard at the beginning of the 2006 movie "Thank You for Smoking". The description of the poker game in the song is perfect in its use of poker jargon and in describing the action of a high stakes game.

Answer: A golden fiddle

The song describes the fiddle with three different phrases - 'a fiddle of gold', a 'shiny fiddle made of gold', and a 'golden fiddle'. Although Johnny realizes it may be a sin to take up the wager he goes for it and beats the devil.

The Charlie Daniels Band released "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" as a single from their album "Million Mile Reflections". It was written by Charlie Daniels, Tom Crain, "Taz" DiGregorio, Fred Edwards, Charles Hayward, and James W. Marshall. The song reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on Aug. 25th, 1979. It also topped the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart for two weeks beginning on Sept. 8. It was a crossover and international success as well, reaching number three on the US Hot 100, number 30 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, number five on the Canadian Singles chart, number 13 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number 14 on the UK Singles and Irish charts, and number 34 on the Dutch Top 40.

Answer: Kathy Mattea

Kathy Mattea released "Walking Away a Winner" as the title single from the album of the same name. It was written by Tom Shapiro and Bob DiPiero. It was the last Top Five for Mattea on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, finishing at number three.

It reached number 16 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song describes love as a high stakes game of poker in which the singer is walking away a winner even though the relationship did not work out.

Answer: Kentucky Gambler

Merle released "Kentucky Gambler" as a single from his album "Keep Movin' On". It was written by Parton and recorded by her on her album "The Bargain Store" but she never released it as a single. Haggard hit Number One on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on January 18, 1975. On Feb. 8, it reached Number One on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was Merle's 19th of 38 Number Ones on the US chart. It was his 11th of 22 on the Canadian chart.

The song tells the story of a family man who leaves Kentucky for Reno Nevada to try his hand at gambling. He gets lucky for a while before his luck runs out and he loses everything he won. Because he abandoned his family there is no one left for him to return home to.