Nordlys danset over Tromsø, kastet fargerike striper på snøen rundt hytta.

The nordlys danced over Tromsø, casting colorful stripes on the snow around the cabin.

Inne var det varmt og koselig.

Inside, it was warm and cozy.

En vedovn spraket i hjørnet, kastet skygger over det slitte trebordet der pokerkort lå spredd.

A wood stove crackled in the corner, casting shadows over the worn wooden table where poker cards were scattered.

Sindre, Kari og Erik satt rundt bordet.

Sindre, Kari, and Erik sat around the table.

Sindre strakk på skuldrene.

Sindre stretched his shoulders.

Han var spent.

He was excited.

Han ville vise vennene sine at han kunne spille poker uten flaks.

He wanted to show his friends that he could play poker without luck.

Kari, med sitt smittende smil, begynte å fortelle om en gang de satte fast i treet.

Kari, with her infectious smile, began telling a story about a time they got stuck in a tree.

Erik, stille som alltid, fulgte med.

Erik, as quiet as ever, listened attentively.

"Sindre, husker du da vi klatret opp i det gamle epletreet hjemme?" lo Kari.

"Sindre, do you remember when we climbed up the old apple tree at home?" laughed Kari.

Sindre følte seg distrahert.

Sindre felt distracted.

Det var akkurat slik hun alltid gjorde det. Alltid lagde tull når han prøvde å fokusere.

It was just like she always did, always making jokes when he tried to focus.

Men denne gangen bestemte han seg for å bruke det til sin fordel.

But this time, he decided to use it to his advantage.

Han lente seg tilbake og latet som om han falt helt inn i historien.

He leaned back and pretended to lose himself entirely in the story.

Mens han lo av Karis fortelling, vurderte han kortene sine.

While he laughed at Kari's tale, he considered his cards.

De var dårlige. Veldig dårlige.

They were bad. Very bad.

Spillet fortsatte, og småpotene ble større.

The game continued, and the small pots grew larger.

Kari fortsatte å dele humoristiske anekdoter, en etter en, mens hun fniste.

Kari kept sharing humorous anecdotes, one after another, while she giggled.

Erik fulgte nøye med, men sa lite.

Erik watched carefully but said little.

"Siste runde," sa Erik rolig, mens han fordelte kortene.

"Last round," said Erik calmly as he dealt the cards.

Potten var stor.

The pot was big.

Sindre visste at dette var hans sjanse.

Sindre knew this was his chance.

Kari lente seg fremover, klar til å knakke nok en vits.

Kari leaned forward, ready to crack another joke.

"Åh, Sindre," begynte hun, klar til å trigge latter igjen.

"Oh, Sindre," she began, ready to trigger laughter again.

"Husker du dritten med ketsjupflasken under skolen?"

"Do you remember the mess with the ketchup bottle at school?"

Sindre smilte bredt, selv om han hadde en dårlig hånd.

Sindre smiled broadly, even though he had a bad hand.

"Ja," svarte han mens han la ned sine siste sjetonger.

"Yes," he replied as he put down his last chips.

Kari brast i latter, like uklar som før, men Sindre spilte med.

Kari burst into laughter, just as unclear as before, but Sindre played along.

Det var hans beste bløff.

It was his best bluff.

Spenningen steg, de tre ble stille da kortene ble vist.

Tension rose as the three fell silent when the cards were revealed.

Erik ble overrasket da han så Sindres heller elendige hånd.

Erik was surprised when he saw Sindre's rather poor hand.

Kari satt målløst et øyeblikk, så lo hun høyt.

Kari sat speechless for a moment, then laughed loudly.

"Du bløffet oss alle, Sindre!" sa hun, fortsatt fnisende.

"You bluffed us all, Sindre!" she said, still giggling.

Erik nikket. "Du vant virkelig."

Erik nodded. "You really won."

Sindre samlet inn potten, og innså noe viktig.

Sindre collected the pot and realized something important.

Det handlet ikke bare om kortene, men også om å kunne bytte taktikk og ha det gøy.

It wasn't just about the cards, but also about being able to switch tactics and have fun.

I løpet av kvelden forsto han at poker var mer en strategi enn flaks.

Over the evening, he understood that poker was more about strategy than luck.

Men latter og gode minner med vennene var den største gevinsten av dem alle.

But the laughter and good memories with friends were the greatest winnings of all.