Poker got a mainstream shoutout during the biggest advertising day of the year as Beyoncé revealed and released “Texas Hold ‘Em,” a new track that will no doubt get a portion of the pop queen’s tens of millions of listeners talking about the namesake card game.
Beyoncé, one of the most popular and iconic musicians in the world, teased the new poker-themed single during a Verizon commercial that aired during the first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas that saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers during overtime in a game for the ages.
Shortly after teasing the song and another titled “16 carriages,” Beyoncé released both tracks on Tidal before they made their way onto other platforms like Spotify and YouTube.
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Poker References In New Beyoncé Single
As one might expect from someone releasing a song titled “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé made some poker references and allusions in releasing the tracks.
A minute-long video posted to Beyoncé’s Instagram shows a taxi driving down a dusty road with a Texas vanity plate that reads “HOLD ‘EM.” Meanwhile, the single’s cover art shows Beyoncé wearing a metallic heart, undoubtedly a reference to one of the four suits in a deck of cards.
Beyoncé further alludes poker in the chorus lyrics of the new track: “This ain’t Texas, ain’t no hold ’em. So lay your cards down, down down.”
Beyoncé isn’t the first music star to get inspiration from poker — Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit “Poker Face” has more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube alone — but she is one of the biggest. The Destiny’s Child alum is the 50th most listened-to artist in the world on Spotify and is widely regarded as one of the queens of pop and R&B music.
Beyoncé also announced a new album, Act II, a follow-up to her 2022 album Renaissance, that will be released on March 29.
Beyoncé is famously married to fellow A-list musician Jay-Z, who is known to be a bit of a poker enthusiast.
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*Lead photo courtesy Parkwood Entertainment