He's a Gambling Man - [OPEN]

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

Jr. had no particular destination in mind before he entered the city. He figured when he got there he would decide whether or not he was more in the mood for a stop by the Drunken Dragon or the Tea House - there were sure to be people in either one of them. Little did the red-head know, however, that he was in for quite a big surprise as he made his way through. He remembered hearing about how these other structures showed up in the city. Seemingly out of nowhere, as if the places were simply cut away from their own universes. Just like his mecha, the E.S. Asher had simply been there, waiting for him in the hangar. Weapons like that he could understand, but why would the ship take buildings? Temples and parks?

A flash of blue caught his eye, and he turned to a building he hadn't noticed before. Or maybe he had noticed it, but it had simply been empty and easily dismissible. It certainly didn't look that way now, and for a moment Jr. just ... stared. Completely baffled by the small, but familiar blue sign next to the entrance. In a bright cyan color read the words "GAME ROOM." Just like...

Just like on the Durandal... There was a moment-- a short, short moment when he figured year right, this place can't be here. But just as quickly, he remembered how many other places showed up out of nowhere. Jr. walked up to the entrance - it felt like such a long time since he saw that sign - it was a strange, bittersweet feeling. Of all the places to show up... And then he opened the door to step inside, and it felt just like home again. This was one of his favorite places to pass the time on his foundation's enormous red (and appropriately named) flagship.

The walls were a light and happy blue, the area itself rather techy and futuristic-looking. Lined along one wall were a few slot machines, and up a small staircase to the right was an oh so familiar rounded poker table. In another corner stood what appeared to be a game. The screen flashing "A.G.W.S. Battle," Jr. recognized it as the 3D versus mecha game he remembered from home. Pretty fun, he thought, and a good way for anybody bored to pass the time if they weren't much into the luck and gambling side of things. Every once in a while a small flicker of light could be seen in the air, like that of a firefly. Environmental Bugs - tiny little nanomachines whose job it was to keep the room in shape.

Jr. walked over to sit in one of the chairs set around the poker table. It felt a little lonely in the silence without any of the troops walking around - so many of them loved coming in here to pass the time with him. And without the 100-Series, who he had taught and had been teaching how to play, they were getting so much better at it, too. He reached down to grab his omnicomm, fingers tapping away as he typed out a quick message. A place like this deserved to feel lively, just like he was used to it being.


[] OOC: Here's a reference post. o/ []

Comments

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Hmm. He pulled out a stack of approximately the same number. "Alright. Let's do this. You're dealing, right?"

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

With a nod, the dealing he did. "Just got a great idea, though. I think I'll make up a rules and how-tos list to keep on the omnicomms for anybody else who might wander by and be interested in learning. It'll save a lot of talk!"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like a plan. Although I'm sure you'd get people down here even without posted rules. People like having something to do." Zouichi looked at his cards. 9, 7, 3, 7, A. Hmm.

"I will bet... five chips?" It sounded more like a question than a statement. He had no idea how many chips he should be betting.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

While they were at it, Zouichi's unsure-sounding tone reminded Jr. of something else, so he decided to toss in a surprise lesson. As luck would have it, Jr.'s draw wasn't actually very good. He only had a pair of 4s.

"I'll raise that to twenty," he said, with an air of sounding quite sure of himself and the cards he held.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Twenty? Wait, what? Did that mean Junior was sure he'd win? Or had he merely bet the wrong initial amount? He looked back at Junior's face. Hmm. No clues there.

Well, in any case, his strategy would have to be the same, wouldn't it? He'd just have to wait and see.

"...I will take three cards," he said, putting the 3, 9, and ace back down. The odds of receiving another 7 seemed higher than attempting any other hand.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Not gonna draw any, I'll keep what I got!" he continued with that sure-sounding tone.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi frowned. He was going to keep what he had? Which meant Jr. had an excellent hand? He supposed it wasn't statistically impossible to receive a winning hand on a single draw, but it seemed very unlikely.

His cards gave him a 6, 2, and another 7. So he had three of the same number now. Which was not a bad hand, but not a spectacular one, either. Hmm.

He glanced at Jr. -- still no help -- then back at the cards. Jr. was an experienced player, who would likely know when to fold and when to continue playing. It might very well be that he had cards that were of more value than his own. If Zouichi continued playing and Jr. ended up raising the bet as he had before, he might very well lose most of his chips.

However, taking no cards at all? That would mean Jr. had a perfect hand.

"I will call," he said. He might lose, but he'd rather lose by being stubborn and standing his ground than by being unwilling to take a chance.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Alright," he said, taking a quick glance at his own hand, and then down to the chips that had been bet so far. "Hmm, my first bet was pretty comfortable for me. So I'll call."

And at that, having reached the end, Jr.'s general expression during the game changed into an impish grin. "Got a little nervous there?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

MAYBE A LITTLE

He glanced back at Jr., frowning once more. "...you were trying to make me nervous? I thought this was just a card game."

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Hey, hey, it is! But remember, you can go pretty high stakes with this game, sometimes! If it were real money, or a lot of real money, you've gotta be really careful!"

With that, Jr. tossed his hand face-up onto the table. "See? I had a pretty crappy hand, but what I did was called bluffing. Trying to make the other guy back off and fold so I'd still win with it. It's all in the expressions and action-- since I didn't wind up drawing any new cards, it seemed like I didn't have to since what I had was great enough."

/good place to wrap thread?

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Hmm. I see. So deceiving the other player about the true value of your cards is... part of the game? It isn't considered poor sportsmanship?" How strange.

"....you know, I never really considered the idea 'bluffing' before. Can we play another hand?"

Okay! o>

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's not like you're allowed to start laughing and saying 'oh man, what a great hand I have!'. Some people give it away in their face-- or try to give a certain impression in their face. What I did was a little exaggerated, but in real games it's a lot more subtle and harder to pinpoint. And in the case of raising, all's fair because it's your own stuff you're taking the chance with.

"We can play as much as you want!" Jr. added with a smile as he pushed the pile of chips in Zouichi's direction - poker was one thing he could go at for a while. Collecting the cards, he started shuffling them quickly to begin some more hands.