Almost on cue, James received a text from Phil.
"Hey James. I'm going to set up a house game for tomorrow afternoon with Luke, Rishabh, and Trevor. I'll also invite one of the guest players we have a relationship with. It will be good practice for you to play against people of varying skills, and it will help you for the game at the end of the month."
"Sure. Thanks Phil. Anything I need to do between now and then?" James responded.
"Just get better. Oh, if you have time tonight, call a driver and come down to the KTV again. We're going to entertain the player before tomorrow's game, and it'll be good for you to learn how that's done in case Rishabh needs a hand."
"Sounds good. I'll get a driver and meet you there. What time?" James asked.
"You can start early if you need to let off some steam. We'll have the booking from five. You can eat there too." Phil sent.
---
James walked back into the now familiar KTV room.
"Sir, would you like me to call for your companions?" The manager who had escorted him in asked.
"No that's fine. I'll wait for someone else to show up first. Although, is there a food menu I can order off? I came without eating again." James responded.
The food at the premises stood heads and shoulders above the employee cafeteria, and the new James wasn't about to let even that small opportunity slip.
"For this room, there is no menu Sir. Simply tell us what you would like to eat, and it will be prepared." The manager boasted.
Anything you want to eat, System? James asked mentally.
[ As long as it's tasty, and not just carbs. ]
"Can I get a small serving of fried rice, and some kind of meat? Whatever's popular or recommended will work." James answered.
"Of course sir. It will be with you shortly. Would you like something to drink while we prepare the alcohol?" The manager asked subserviently.
"Coffee, please, and thank you." James responded. The caffeine would help him focus during the festivities and get a better understanding of the people he would play against tomorrow. It also didn't hurt to be polite. After all, you never know when a relationship may come in handy.
A brief wait later, a couple of servers came in bearing a tray of food and a small pot of coffee.
"Sir, your fried rice, a serving of our top dish, wild venison, and our famed wild-sourced kopi luwak coffee."
"Kopi Luwak?" James parroted.
"Yes sir. It's the top grade coffee beans gathered from the droppings of the palm civet. The civet picks only the best coffee beans to eat, and through the digestion process, helps to smooth the taste of the coffee and give it an unparalleled taste. Unlike other places, we source these beans from our own coffee plantations and guarantee that the beans were freely chosen, eaten, and then excreted by wild civets. Please enjoy."
That sounded disgusting. James thought to himself.
"That sounds amazing. Thank you for introducing this to me." James said instead.
"You are most welcome Sir. We serve only the best to our VIPs."
Under the penetrating gaze of the server, James poured himself a cup of coffee and gingerly sipped it.
It was surprisingly smooth and easy to drink. Compared to some of the other coffees he had tried before, this had a slightly stronger flavor profile, and a little less bitterness.
"Thank you. This is good coffee." James turned to the server and acknowledged.
"You are welcome Sir." The server smiled and left the room.
James turned back to his food and started working on it. As expected, the fried rice was hot, fragrant, and delicious, with chunks of seafood generously distributed throughout. The venison, meanwhile, was tender and not the least bit gamy. James idly wondered if they had a cook with some sort of cooking system hidden in the back.
After he was done, he sat back and savored his coffee while he waited for someone else to arrive.
May as well make the most of the benefits while he had them.
---
About half an hour later, Trevor was escorted into the room.
"Hey Trevor. Long time no see. Didn't expect you to be the next one here." James deadpanned.
"Hey yourself. How come you're sitting here alone? Are the girls on holiday or something?" Trevor said, sounding a little worried.
"No dude. I just wanted to save some energy before exhausting myself. How come you're here early?" James said.
"Like I said last time, I don't often get to come here all expenses paid, so when I do, I want to make sure I get the most out of the experience." Trevor said.
James laughed at his earnest response.
"I won't hold you back then. Go right ahead."
With James' encouragement, Trevor turned to the service manager standing at the door and nodded at him to send in the mamasan.
Several lineups later, both James and Trevor had found themselves a companion for the night.
Trevor had picked himself a petite, Caucasian female, and James had elected, much to Lili's vocal displeasure, for Lulu.
"She has bigger boobs", James responded simply to Trevor's quizzical look.
The two men engaged in some quiet time, with both heading upstairs for a quick roll in the hay before emerging.
---
As the night progressed, first Phil and then Luke had shown up to the party. They too, selected their companions and finished their absolutions.
Finally, Rishabh was escorted into the room alongside a young looking Asian male.
"It's Victor!" Phil let out a loud whoop as he got up to exchange handshakes and a quick bro-hug.
"Hey Phil. Hey guys. Thanks for inviting me over. Looking forward to the game tomorrow man. It's been a long time." Victor, the guest, said.
"Who's the sixth?" Victor asked, having noticed James sitting in the corner petting with Lulu.
"That's my new guy, James. He's got some potential, but hasn't been properly blooded yet. Since you're so close to us, I figured I'd let you get the first stab at him." Phil answered.
"Nice. Good to meet you James." Victor shouted over politely.
"Pleased to meet you too Victor." James slurred purposefully.
Over the last hour, he had slowed down on his drinking and was paying attention to each person's mannerisms. Now, with everyone's attention on him, he hid his predatory gleam from his eyes and pretended to be drunker than he really was.
After Rishabh and Victor had picked their temporary friends from the lineup, they sidled over to a corner and started making small talk.
James looked intently at Rishabh's actions. Rishabh was alternating between giving Victor time to explore the uncharted territories of his companion, and making small talk whenever Victor came up for air and water. Right when James sensed Victor was ready to consummate his temporary friendship, Rishabh proposed moving the party upstairs to separate rooms.
Rishabh was truly a master at making people feel comfortable.
Phil glanced over and made eye contact with James.
"Victor is one of the rich second generations in town and is actually decent at poker. His father owns a lot of factories and office buildings. He's a gambling junkie, so watch how Rishabh gives him action later. You got to give action to get action." Phil lectured.
[ Game Selection: A lot of professional poker and gambling is about learning how to select the right people and the right games to play in. As the God of Gamblers, you will undoubtedly be successful in any game you play. However, it is good practice to be able to identify a game in which you have an advantage, and within the game, who the players that are exploitable are. ]
[ Game Management: Once you have selected a game with good prospects, it is important to manage the action players or fish within the game. Simply put, it is sometimes desirable to gracefully lose small amounts of money to the rich bad players so that they continue playing. Think of it as sprinkling fertilizer onto the crop before you harvest. Action can be given in circumstances outside of the poker game. For example, building a relationship with the fish can make them happier and more likely to play and lose money gracefully as they may believe they are among friends. ]
James' system chimed in with more insight.
Shortly after, Victor came down the stairs with a satisfied smile on his face. Upon seeing that Rishabh was still occupied, his smile dropped a little as he went back to his corner.
Phil looked at James and gave him a subtle shake of the head.
James extricated himself from Lulu and slid over next to Victor.
"Hey Victor, looks like Rishabh is still enjoying himself. Wanted to take this opportunity to come say hello." James offered.
"Thanks man. It's nice to hang out with Rishabh and the rest of you guys. You make me feel like I belong, y'know?" Victor said graciously.
"I totally feel you. I just joined the crew recently, and I have so far to go and so much to learn." James said.
"Yeah, hey, let's play a drinking game while we chat. Do you know Liar's Dice?" Victor asked.