| October 11, 2006
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:
| United
States |
|
China |
| A-K |
|
K-K |
|
Table |
|
|
A-K-4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
North
Korea |
|
|
Q-4 |
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:
| United
States |
|
China |
| A-K |
|
K-K |
|
|
|
|
A-K-4-10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
North
Korea |
|
|
Q-4 |
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...
|
