"Mhmm, this house specialty is incredible!"
"Oh, thank you, young man. May I ask how you became blind?"
"I had a disease from a young age. Now, my view is just very blurry."
"I see. Well, do you need anything else?"
"No, no, I think that's enough."
"Alright. If you change your mind..."
As I looked deeper into the three players playing suspiciously, I noticed it. I didn't fully understand the game, but I knew the objective was to make a poker hand. Some cards were upside down while others were face-up, visible to everyone. Players swapped cards between themselves or discarded them until one would shout, "Bindu," signaling the game's end. The player with the strongest hand would win.
What caught my eye was how the three players were cheating. One of them would steal a card from someone, swap it with a friend, and then the third guy would secretly swap again to secure the desired card. They did this consistently, giving their group the best hand nearly every time. To avoid suspicion, they alternated who would win each round.
Before approaching, I needed to bide my time. If I sat next to one of the cheaters, I might sabotage their plan and set myself up for a win.
Finally, someone vacated their chair, and I made my move.
"I heard some noises. What are you all up to?"
One of the cheaters, a man with spiky black hair wearing a gray suit and red tie, looked up and grinned. "We're playing a game! It's called Bindu. You wanna join?"
"Sure, why not? I've got some extra coins."
"Well, take a seat."
"I'm blind, you see... so, uhh, where do I sit?"
An older man, about sixty, reached out and guided me to a chair. "Here you go, young lad."
"Thank you. So, how does the game work?"
The man in the gray suit spoke up again. "Well, it's a bit complicated, but the referee can explain it to you."
"Referee?" I asked, feigning confusion to sell my act.
Suddenly, a purple-white, morphed humanoid figure materialized behind me. I felt a soft touch on the back of my head, and in an instant, my vision shifted.
I was now in a void-like space tinged with purple hues. At the center stood the referee.
"Hello. I am referee number 4,370, presiding over this game. Here are the rules. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!"
"Wait, hold on. What's this place? How fast is time moving? What's going on?"
"This is called 'Game Space.' Each referee has a unique space to host games or facilitate certain scenarios. As for time, it's moving incredibly slowly outside. Maybe a second has passed."
"Can my body be harmed while I'm in this space?"
"Oh no, not at all. Don't worry."
"Alright, let's hear the rules then."
The referee began explaining:
The Game's Objective was to craft the strongest poker hand.
In each turn a player takes a card from the upside down cards I have placed on the table After viewing it, they place it face-down. Once all players have at least two cards, three new mechanics come into play.
Discarding, you may discard unwanted cards into a visible pile. Discards are face-up and can be picked by others on their turn. However, you cannot discard the first two cards you draw.
Swapping, Players can swap cards with others. Face-down cards can only be swapped with other face-down cards, and the same goes for face-up cards.
Face-Up Rule, Starting from the third round, any newly drawn card must be placed face-up for all players to see.
Do I need to draw the card's face up or face down, look at them then, place them face up? I asked.
Not quite, you must draw the card's face up.
Now then, stealing and catching.
Players can attempt to steal cards, swapping them with face-down cards from others or from the deck, now If you find someone In the act of stealing you can just shout cheater and I, the referee will confirm the accusation.
Betting,
At the start, 1,000 coins are taken from each player for the pot.
Betting phase, actually In this game you may bet whenever you want but only from the fourth round and onwards. How does it work? Players can bet on specific cards in their hand or on other's cards.
The winner not only receives the pot but also earns the cards he bet on times any matching card for example If you won with a 5 of hearts whilst having a bet of 5,000 coins on It and someone else had a 5 of diamonds with a bet of 3,000 coins you will receive 15,000 coins.
Losers unable to pay are eliminated from the game entirely, losing their chance to claim the ultimate prize: a wish.
"Isn't that true for all game's once you run out of coins you just go back?"
"Yes, but it's my duty as a referee to mention it."
Ending the Game, A player may declare "Bindu" when confident in their hand. All cards are revealed, and the strongest hand wins.
"Woah, slow down!"
"Would you like me to repeat anything?"
"Not you. I'm talking about this house specialty drink. What's in this thing? Oh god, it's disgusting!"
The referee chuckled softly.
"Was that a real laugh? Do these referees have emotions?" I wondered.
Lilith interjected, I can read your thoughts, by the way. Why would you even care?
"Just looking for a way to exploit the system, that's all. Let's win Bindu."
"Now then, are you ready to return and play the game?"
"One final question please If I may?"
"Of course please ask."
After asking my question suddenly…
In a blink, I was back at the table.
"Woah, how much time has passed?"
a young man with ginger hair and expensive clothes chuckled. "About two seconds. Isn't it cool?"
"Yeah It's incredible, well then I'm ready to play!"
The referee reappeared, summoning a fresh deck of cards.
"Alright, everyone, on the count of three, say 'Duel' so we can begin."
3... 2... 1...
"Duel!" we "all" shouted.
"Alright with about 4,000 coins I must act cautiously. I put on an act having extra coins but that's not the case at all! thanks to you lilith."
"Hmph! Blaming It on me again!"
"It's fine anyways my best case scenario Is I manage to acquire a card with a bet on It and win whilst also hoping for a matching card."
"Hold on maybe I can exploit the cheaters, the way they cheat Is by making their approach easier since they sit close to each other they can freely cheat In a scale of 2 people since only the person In the middle Is close to both but the 2 people Next to him the other cheaters are further from each other so they use the middle person as somewhat of a transaction area by sitting next to one of the cheaters I can easily bait them Into stealing one of my cards as they think I'm blind I would then swap that card back when needed since I know the path It takes making me aware of most of their cards as long as I know which ones they steal."
Mhmm, that blind kid should be an easy target and also said he had extra coins makes It even better If we can exploit him. The Grey suited man thought In his head.
Little did he know I already saw through every single thing.
"Everyone before I begin placing the cards on the deck, I have added a simple rule for our blind gentleman over there all face up cards taken or discarded please make sure to say what It Is, as for you young man I know It may be difficult but you will have to memorize the cards"
The players faces, felt annoyed. reassuring them one of the cheaters a middle-aged man with black hair glasses and a green coat "Hey let's respect our player here"
"Oh thanks" I said
"Say how'd you become blind"
"From a disease I got when I was young"
"Oh you see I'm a doctor what's the name of it?"
A name? why would you care you got your answer… crap, I should've made up a better story what should I do?? shit..
"Hey you good?" He asked
"Hey…?"
Suddenly a tiny fragment of memory appeared In my head.
"Oh, sorry headache. Uh, Leber congenital... something like that, I think?"
"Uhh yes a Leber congenital amaurosis causes blindness from a young age, could that be the reason you're participating In this New Oasis?"
"Yes.. that's.. right.. umm well Let's get back to the game?"
As the referee placed down all the card's In an instant at the table I tried to follow one card, a queen of spades. a queen that would decide this game's fate.
Alright then players, we shall start the game going counter-clockwise starting from our new player.
"My turn first perfect," I thought, suppressing a smirk. "Now to get the Queen of Spades."
I hesitated, running my hand deliberately over the deck, pretending to feel for the right card. After a moment, I "found" it, smoothly pulling the Queen of Spades into my grasp or so I thought.
I put the card Into my hand and casually asked "Hey referee can you tell me what card this is?"
Without hesitation, he teleported behind me, leaning in to whisper softly, "Six of Diamonds."
My heart skipped a beat, and a cold chill ran down my spine. Struggling to maintain my composure. I thought I could follow the shuffle, that I could predict his every move. But this was beyond what I expected. The speed, the precision... How could I miss it?"
A trickle of blood ran from my nose, but it wasn't pain that made my lips twitch into a smile. No, it was the thrill of being in over my head. I had messed up, but that only made the game more interesting. I could recover this wasn't over. Not yet.
"Anyone got a handkerchief?" I asked.