Playing No Limit Hold 'em

With North Korea

Concerning the situation in North Korea, here is the way the game of nuclear no limit hold 'em is shaping up:

The three main players in this game are North Korea, China, and the United States. China currently has the best hand, followed by the United States, but North Korea continues to pose a threat, and repeatedly tries to bully and berate the other players in an attempt to keep them off-balance.

On Sunday, the game looked like this:

China's play has been somewhat timid, afraid that the ace on the board could prove to be their undoing and cause them to lose face. North Korea has also been an ally in this game. China believes its alliance with North Korea helps keep the United States and other players, including Japan and South Korea (not shown here), at bay.

The United States, with two pair, continues to aggressively resist North Korea's bullying tactics, but is unsure of exactly what its opponent has.

North Korea received a major boost earlier this week, when underground tremors seemed to indicate it had performed a successful nuclear test.

That "turn card" put the players in this position:

North Korea now seems intent on chasing the straight, and has upped the ante by threatening to launch a nuclear-tipped missile. The entire world community rises in alarm at the possibility. China's efforts at detente have obviously failed, causing it to lose face. China is furious and ready to support some punitive measures against its neighbor.

Today, the world may have been granted a slight reprieve. Testing is still in progress, but the tremors felt earlier may have originated from an earthquake instead of a nuclear test. North Korea may have overplayed its hand and risks losing face, but decides to play the hand out aggressively rather than checking or folding.

The threat is still real, but by upping the ante, North Korea may have tipped its hand. There is now less uncertainty as to its next move if North Korea hits on the river. The world community -- including China -- may now decide that it would be better to contain or eliminate North Korea's threat before the river card is revealed.

Stay tuned...