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TONY STOOD OUTSIDE the Casino Cosimo. Although it was early morning, none of the casinos on the hill ever closed. Tony needed money, and the casinos were where the richest marks gathered. This wasn’t the place to fleece them though. The casino owners were protective of their chumps, and their money. They didn’t appreciate the patronage of overly-talented players. The problem was, the cards were calling too loud to ignore.
He shook his head and started down the hill. There’d be tourists along The Strip, who wouldn’t mind donating to his ante in return for a little harmless fun.
The Tourist Strip of Orsvonton ran for five blocks along the Sharaniah River. It had the character and feel of old Orsvonton, the thriving gambling town of a hundred years before. The place where optimistic city people came looking for fortunes of gold that streamed down the tributaries of the old river. The place these people returned disillusioned and destitute, ready to try their hand at anything to survive. This generally had something to do with fleecing the next wave of optimistic city people seeking their fortune.
Tony made his way to the Klinker Lounge, the biggest and most famous of the old gambling dens. It was the place where most of the foreign gamblers lurked because it was the best known of all the gambling dens on The Strip. Tony wasn’t after the easy marks, he wanted one of the hustlers. He put on his best rube face and started looking around like he’d never been there before.
A small mountain came to speak with him the moment he started looking around.
“May I help you sir?” The mountain had red hair and blue eyes that could hide any lie. He wore a tuxedo two sizes too big for him, yet still managed to make it look small.
“I heard there was some gaming to be had here,” Tony said with an overconfident tone. “Anyone you want moved?” he whispered.
“There’s a fool in the corner,” the mountain answered through gritted teeth. “He’s not just fleecing them, he’s cheating, and they know it.”
“The hairy guy in the checked shirt?” Tony said into this hand and coughed. He looked about, avoiding the man at the table in the corner.
“That’s the one.”
“Can I take his money, Stan?”
“You can do that, so long as you let me catch him out cheating.”
“Once I’ve got it, come over. He looks like he’ll make a fuss. By the way, you’re looking good. Lost some weight?”
“Yeah, Fern has me not eating. It’s some kind of special diet that her shaman recommended.”
“Well it’s working,” Tony smiled and turned to Stan. “Well thank you kindly for your advice, but I think I’ll find my game from here.”
“Enjoy your time,” Stan said and walked off.
Tony looked around the tables. It was easy to see who was new, they were looking at him with expectation. To them, Tony was obviously a rube from the country with money to take. The others just looked at him with indifference. They knew who Tony Sharpe was and what he was there for, especially since he spoke with Stan Mauney, the proprietor of the lounge.
Tony walked around the tables, losing a little money at a couple of them before he approached his target. He looked at some cards face up on the table. It was an eastern deck, so commented. “Gee, I’ve not seen those kind of cards before. Where’re they from?”
“They’re the only cards where I come from.” The man had a bushy white beard, trimmed into a square beneath his chin. His wrinkled eyes looked like the kind that showed no mercy and he wore the checked shirt of a lumberjack. The whole effect was off putting, which said to Tony that he wasn’t dealing with a common huckster. There were two chumps sitting opposite him. They’d just finished a hand and the beard was raking the coins into his pile.
The itch on Tony’s hands said he could take him.
“So these red, rectangle looking things? They’re the suit?” Tony pointed to one of the cards.
The man nodded. “They’re the suit.”
“Which suit are they? Cups or coins?”
“Diamonds.”
Tony pointed to another red card. “Don’t tell me, that one’s hearts then, is it?”
“You here to play or here for a lesson on card types.”
“Oh, I want to play. I couldn’t come to Orsvonton and not play some games of cards. Who knows, I might even win something.”
Square beard smiled and pointed to an empty seat opposite him. “Sit and play then. You might even win.”
Tony sat and smiled at the other two players. They ignored him.
“Before we start, can I have a look at the cards?”
“Why?” square beard asked.
“Well, I’ve never seen these kind before. I just want to know what I’m looking at.”
Square beard passed the deck to Tony. “Make it quick.”
Tony took the deck and looked carefully at the cards.
“So the suit that are black hearts with a thorn in them...”
“Spades,” square beard answered.
“Pity, thorny black heart. Reminds me of my ex-wife.” Tony laughed. No one else did.
“And the black clover?”
“Clubs.”
“And everything else is about the same, one to ten, then page, knight, queen and king. Is that the order?”
“Ace beats all and it’s jack, queen and king, no page.”
“Ace?”
“The ones, now give me the cards.”
As Tony returned the deck he noted the marks on its back. Tony beamed a friendly smile at the man. This guy was an amateur. “This’ll be fun,” Tony said and glanced to the other two, then behind him to where Stan was propped against the bar. “Now before we begin, I just want to know, what’s the order of the suits?”
“The what?”
“The order of the suits. I mean if I get two tens and you get two tens, which suit wins?”
“They’re all the same,” square beard snapped. “There is no order, and if we both get the same pairs, it’s the highest of the other three cards that wins. Now if you don’t want to play, then get!”
Tony took a wad of notes from his pocket. “Oh I want to play,” he said. “I don’t have many coins though. Will you accept these instead?”
The other two players began to look nervous. Square beard took his own wad from his pocket. “They’re fine.”
The man to Tony’s left made his apologies. There was now only three at the table.
Tony lost the first hand, but won the second. Square bearded man let him win. Tony could read the marks on the back of the cards too. Tony then lost the third, fourth and fifth hands before his right hand started to itch.
“I don’t seem to be having much luck,” Tony said and looked around the room, giving Stan an almost imperceptible nod before looking at square beard. “Maybe I’d be better off at another table.”
“Suit yourself,” square beard said.
“One more hand.” Tony tossed a twenty into the middle of the table.
Square beard tossed a twenty as did the other man. The cards were dealt. Tony looked at the cards in his hand. Nothing. A pair of kings. He looked at the marks on the back of the cards of square beard. He had three sixes. Tony tossed another twenty into the centre. The other man did the same. Square beard tossed a hundred.
“Now that either means you’ve got something good, or you’re trying to fool me into thinking you’ve got something good,” Tony blurted.
“Cost you to find out,” square beard told him.
Tony discarded three cards, then tossed a hundred into the centre. Square beard gave him three cards. The man beside Tony tossed a hundred into the centre and placed two cards down. As soon as he got his cards, he placed them face down, took his remaining cash and left.
“It’s just you and me now,” square beard said as he tossed a hundred and fifty into the centre and took two cards.
Tony nodded and looked at the pot. “I don’t believe you,” he said, and tossed two hundred into the centre.
“Now that’s getting pretty big. Do you think you got better than me?” Square beard tossed five hundred into the centre.
Tony looked at the pile of notes in front of square beard. He had more than enough to bet Tony out of the game so he took five hundred from what was left of his cash. It would have to do.
“What’ve you got?” Tony asked.
Square beard put down his cards. “Three sixes,” he said.
“Now that’s just not fair,” Tony pouted. “I was sure you had nothing.” Tony placed his pair of kings on the table. “I only got these two kings.”
Square beard smiled and began to reach for the money.
“Oh, and these three ones.” Tony placed three aces beside the kings.
The mouth inside the beard fell open. He shook his head. “You cheated,” he seethed.
“Don’t three sixes beat three ones?” Tony turned to Stan who was now looming over the table.
“Not usually,” Stan said and looked at square beard. “Full house beats three of a kind in any game. Even with an eastern deck.”
“There’s no way this rube could get that full house without cheating,” square beard said.
“And how would you know that?” Stan asked as two of his doormen joined him.
“Because I discarded an ace.”
Stan looked at the two cards face down on the table and nodded. “Yep, you sure did. You discarded an ace of diamonds,” he said as he turned a card over, revealing an ace of diamonds. “Problem is, I don’t see no ace of diamonds in this gentleman’s hand. I see the other three suits, but no ace of diamonds. You know what else I see? I see a two of clubs.” Stan turned the other card to reveal a two of clubs. He then spread the other cards across the table, face down. “Nine of clubs.” He turned the nine of clubs over. “Eight of spades, Queen of hearts, There’s the other six, diamonds again. I can’t figure why you didn’t see this gentleman’s full house.”
Stan stood and watched as a crowd gathered around the table. Square beard started sweating.
“You been using marked cards in my establishment,” Stan declared.
Tony silently took his winnings.
“I believe what’s left here, you owe to this gentleman,” Stan pointed to the man who left the table. “Anything else you owe, you can find a way to repay somewhere else.”
The two doormen lifted square beard from his seat and dragged him to the back of the club. Stan handed a few hundred from square beard’s money to the other player. “Take that with my apologies,” he said. “Find your friend and tell him I have money for him.”
The man nodded. “What’s going to happen to him?” he asked.
“He’s going to be tossed into the back alley and left to leave whichever way he can,” Stan answered. “I can’t have him tossed out the front, where everyone can see. It’s not good for business.”
Some of patrons headed for the front door, on their way to the alley no doubt.
“You got enough?” Stan asked Tony.
Tony nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Be careful with it,” Stan said. “I want to see you again.”
Tony nodded and left.