[Verse]
             
On a warm summ

              
er's evening o

             
n a train boun

      
d for nowhere
             
I met up with 

              
a gambler, we 

             
were both too 

         
tired to speak
             
So we took tur

              
ns a-starin' o

             
ut the window 

       
at the darknes

s
             
'Til boredom o

             
vertook us and

           
 he began to s

peak.
             
He said, "Son,

              
 I've made a l

             
ife out of rea

              
din' people's 

  
faces,
             
Knowin' what t

              
heir cards wer

              
e by the way t

              
hey held their

  
 eyes,
             
And if you don

              
't mind me say

              
in', I can see

             
 you're out of

  
 aces,
             
And for a tast

             
e of your whis

             
key I'll give 

            
you some advic

e."
             
So I handed hi

              
m my bottle an

             
d he drank dow

              
n my last swal


low;
             
Then he bummed

              
 a cigarette a

              
nd asked me fo

      
r a light,
             
And the night 

              
got deathly qu

              
iet, and his f

             
ace lost all e

  
xpression,
             
' said "If you

             
're gonna play

              
 the game, boy

             
, ya gotta lea

              
rn to play it 

  
right.

[Chorus]
             
You got to kno

              
w when to hold

             
 'em, Know whe

       
n to fold 'em,
             
Know when to w

             
alk away And k

             
now when to ru

n.
             
You never coun

            
t your money  

              
When you're si

             
ttin' at the t

 
able;
              
There'll be ti

             
me enough for 

            
countin' When 

              
the dealin's d

 
one.

[Verse]
             
Every gambler 

              
knows that the

             
 secret to sur

 
vivin'
              
Is knownin' wh

              
at to throw aw

              
ay and knowin'

                                                          
 what to keep
             
'Cause every h

            
and's a winner

             
, and every ha

                                                     
nd's a loser,
             
And the best t

             
hat you can ho

              
pe for is to d

            
ie in your sle

                                                  
ep." 

[Chorus]
             
You got to kno

              
w when to hold

             
 'em, Know whe

       
n to fold 'em,
             
Know when to w

             
alk away And k

             
now when to ru

n.
             
You never coun

            
t your money  

              
When you're si

             
ttin' at the t

 
able;
              
There'll be ti

             
me enough for 

            
countin' When 

              
the dealin's d

 
one.

[Verse]
             
And when he fi

              
nished speakin

             
', he turned b

              
ack toward the

    
 window,
              
Crushed out hi

              
s cigarette an

              
d faded off to

   
 sleep,
             
And somewhere 

             
in the darknes

             
s, the gambler

           
, he broke eve

n,
             
But in his fin

             
al words I fou

              
nd an ace that

          
 I could keep.

  

[Chorus]
             
You got to kno

              
w when to hold

             
 'em, Know whe

       
n to fold 'em,
             
Know when to w

             
alk away And k

             
now when to ru

n.
             
You never coun

            
t your money  

              
When you're si

             
ttin' at the t

 
able;
              
There'll be ti

             
me enough for 

            
countin' When 

              
the dealin's d

 
one.