James was happily engrossed in a game of Taxus Poker at an illegal casino
that evening. Beside him sat a young lady with short hair who was dresse
d in revealing attire. Judging from the casino
chips on the table, it looked like they had been winning a lot.
"I have a pair of Queens. Show your hand!" A man with a hooked nose who s
at opposite James
revealed his hand
"You dare challenge me with just à pair of Queens? Keep your eyes open, b
uddy. I've got Three of a Kind James grinned, flipping his cards over to
show a pair of sixes. Since there was a six in one
of the five community cards, they made a set of three sixes, also known a
s three of a kind.
The rules of Taxus Poker are simple. There were five community cards, and
each player was dealt two hole cards. These can then be combined in any
way to form the best five–card hand. The
highest–
ranking hand is a Royal Flush, followed by Four of a Kind, Full House, Fl
ush, Three of a
Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and finally, a High Card.
*James, you've won again! You're amazing!" The lady with short hair cheer
ed excitedly, admiration evident in her eyes.
Hahaha! Well, luck isn't the only factor in a game of Taxus Poker. It's a
matter of skill too. I can
see through all his tricks! There's no way I'd lose to him!" James bragge
d gleefully.
"I say, based on your chips, you've probably won at least a million dolla
rs, haven't you, James?"
The young lady asked as her eyes shone brightly.
"More or less. Here, this is for you." James pressed a chip worth 20 thou
sand dollars into her hand
with a chuckle.
"Thank you, James!" The young lady flashed him a radiant smile before pla
nting a kiss on his
cheek
"Come on, let's go enjoy ourselves!" James reached out to hook an arm aro
und the lady's neck. He was happy with how much he'd won and was ready to
leave to enjoy the rest of the night.
"You have a winning streak tonight, James. Why don't you play some more w
hile you're winning?
It's a good opportunity for you to make some more money while Lady Luck i
s on your side!" The young lady did not seem to want to leave yet.
"Oi, rascal! Are you running off after winning just so little? What a los
er! Would you dare play another game with me?" The man with the hooked no
se who sat opposite James taunted.
"This is a golden opportunity, James. Think of all the money you can win
off of him. You shouldn't miss the chance!" The young lady persuaded him
in a hushed whisper.
"You've got a point there." James nodded and looked at the man with a smi
rk. "It looks like you enjoy losing money. I'll see to it that you walk o
ut without a single cent today! Deal the cards!" With a wave of his hand,
another round commenced.
Half an hour later.
"Oops, a Straight. I think I've won again." The man opposite James showed
his hand, revealing a set of Straight.
"Damn it! I lost again!" Losing his temper, James threw the pair of Kings
in his hand on the table. With beads of sweat on his forehead and red, b
loodshot eyes, he looked irritated.
Just half
an hour ago, he had been basking in the joy of winning continuously, maki
ng himself more than a million dollars without breaking a sweat. But now,
it seemed as though Lady Luck had frowned on him, and he had lost everyt
hing that he had won earlier in the evening. What
terrible luck!
"Again!" Unwilling to accept defeat, James gestured for the dealer to sta
rt a new round.
"You're out of chips, James." The young lady reminded him.
"What?" James looked down at the table to see that he had indeed run out
of chips.
"Hahaha! Is that all you've got? What a cheapo!" The man with the hooked
nose ridiculed James, Get lost then if you haven't got any more money. Qu
it making an embarrassment of yourself here!"
"The fuck did
you just say?" James slammed his hands on the table as he bolted straight
up in his seat, fury written on his face.
"What? Did I say anything wrong? Don't act like you're a big shot if you
don't have the money, loser! " Then, with a contemptuous expression, he c
alled out to the young lady, "Hey, hot stuff, what are you doing with a l
oser like that? Why don't you join me instead? I'll make sure you have th
e best of
everything!"
"You-
!" James was so vexed that he ground his teeth together. But there was no
thing much he
could do.
"James, I heard that they allow players to borrow money from them here. D
o you want to give it a try?" The young lady asked.
"Let's do it! I'll win back everything I lost tonight!" James roared. He
could never look past the other man's taunts. Especially not in front of
a woman he fancied.
"Sure. I'll get it done immediately." With a quick nod, the young
lady got up and left. Not long later, she came back with two million doll
ars worth of chips and a promissory note.