Do you really want to play poker with this guy Speaker Boehner?

Perhaps Speaker Boehner didn't read what Matthew Norman said about Obama after watching him at the White House Correspondent's Dinner - knowing he'd just OK'd the plan to go after Osama bin Laden.

But no flicker in the eyes hinted at a pending decision behind imminent insomnia, and the first thought on reviewing the gag is that you really, really wouldn't want to play poker with this guy.

Obama is said to be a strong player in the tight-aggressive style, which means that he doesn't play a lot of hands or bluff much; but that when the potential return justifies the risk, he isn't scared to push all his chips in.

Maybe Boehner's been spending too much time listening to members of the frustrati who keep reinforcing the theme that Obama needs to "man up" because he doesn't strut around like a previous blowhard occupant of the White House.

I say all that because the Speaker seems to be loosing his cool a bit when it comes to playing hostage with the debt limit.

Frustrated by the logjam on Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner is increasingly pressuring President Barack Obama — in public comments and private meetings — to step up to the negotiations table and offer some real ideas.

The Ohio Republican, who helped cut the deal with Obama that kept the government open earlier this spring, is now accusing the president of “failing to lead” on the high-stakes negotiations on the debt limit and is criticizing him on foreign-trade agreements and military action in Libya.

The uptick in rhetoric from the speaker reflects how much pressure he feels from all sides. Conservative freshmen don’t want Boehner cutting friendly deals; Democrats are attacking his party for being too “radical” on deficit cuts, and the Democratic Senate has been passive, at best, on the debt limit and other major issues.

I suppose that Boehner expects something a little more dramatic from the President when he threatens to blow up the entire global economy if he doesn't get his way.

But Obama is once again demonstrating his nerves of steel in being willing to play this particular high-stakes game of chicken with the Republicans. The reason would be that he is very aware that Boehner isn't likely to challenge his masters on Wall Street who've let him know that the deal must be done.

President Obama knows who has the winning hand in this round. And he's shown that when that's the case, you don't want to bet against him.