Maria plays poker

It was a hot summer day, and Maria was looking for something to do. She had spent the morning lounging by the pool, but now she was starting to get bored. As she wandered through the house, she heard the sound of cards shuffling and laughter coming from the den.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Maria followed the sounds and found her friends, Dave and Rachel, sitting at the table, playing a game of cards. "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Maria asked.

"Playing poker," Dave replied, shuffling the deck. "Want to join in?"

Maria hesitated. She had never played poker before, and she wasn't sure if she would be any good at it. But the idea of spending the rest of the day alone was even less appealing, so she decided to give it a try.

As it turned out, Maria was a natural at poker. She had a knack for reading people and a cool head under pressure, and she quickly racked up a sizable stack of chips. Dave and Rachel were impressed and a little bit envious.

The three friends spent the rest of the day playing cards and having a great time. They laughed and joked, and Maria even managed to win a few hands. It was the perfect way to pass the time on a hot summer day, and they made a plan to play cards again the next time they were all together.

The next time Maria, Dave, and Rachel got together to play cards, Maria was feeling more confident than ever. She had enjoyed her previous win and was eager to see if she could replicate it.

The game started off well for Maria, and she was doing well in the first few hands. But as the game went on, things started to take a turn for the worse. Maria began to make mistakes, and her luck seemed to run out.

Before she knew it, Maria had lost everything. All of her chips were gone, and she was down to her last few dollars. Desperate to recoup her losses, Maria started to bet more and more aggressively, but it only seemed to make things worse.

As the night wore on, Maria found herself in a hole that she couldn't dig herself out of. She lost hand after hand, and by the end of the night, she was completely broke.

Feeling defeated and embarrassed, Maria went to bed, wondering how she was going to pay her bills and keep a roof over her head. The next day, she made the difficult decision to sell her house and start over somewhere new. It was a tough lesson, but one that Maria would never forget.

The end.