From the 1959 Broadway production “Saratoga”
Words by Johnny Mercer
Music by Harold Arlen
The sheet music:
Lyrics
Love is a game of poker
Everything’s wild and the chips are down
One night you may draw the joker
Next night you may own the town
One look at the cards they’ve tossed you
One look at her, you decide to play
You stay, but they’ve double crossed you
And your hunch has cost you
More than you can pay
You’ve won, but oh, you’ve lost
Your heart along the way
Love is a game of poker
Anything goes and the stakes are high
Guess wrong and you go for broke, or
Guess right and you own the sky
One look at the cards they’ve tossed you
One look at him, you decide to play
You stay, but they’ve double crossed you
And your hunch has cost you
More than you can pay
You’ve won, but oh, you’ve lost
Your heart along the way
So here goes you and I
Win or lose, do or die
But it’s sure worth a try
If it’s love