high-stakes calculation?

[bosun]

the following sentneces is about organs. and i am not sure what the underlined part means exactly. please help me to get it!

Transplants become a mater of 1)high-stakes risk calculation for the doner as well as the recipient and the 2)intense emotions involved someitmes have people playing long shots.

1) what does it mean by high-stakes risk calculation?

2) what does it mean by intesne emotions?

[Coffa]

Originally Posted by bosun

the following sentneces is about organs. and i am not sure what the underlined part means exactly. please help me to get it!
Transplants become a mater of 1)high-stakes risk calculation for the doner as well as the recipient and the 2)intense emotions involved someitmes have people playing long shots.
1) what does it mean by high-stakes risk calculation?
2) what does it mean by intesne emotions?

Both the donor (not "doner") and recipient of a transplant are taking a risk. The risk involves their lives, so it is a 'high-stakes' risk (that is, one where a lot is at stake). Like a gambler deciding whether to raise a bet in a poker game, for example, they must calculate whether the risk is too high - they must make a 'high-stakes risk calculation'.

Obviously, because these are matters of life and death, the people involved will experience strong or intense emotions of fear and hope. The writer is saying that these emotions are so strong that they are tempted to take great risks ('play a long shot').