The Game #49

Edward sat down at the table and looked over at Mary.  Again, he was troubled by the fact that there seemed to be no source of illumination anywhere in the room.  The ceiling of Mary’s cell was smooth and showed no signs of a fixture or even reflected light.  There was no glare on the window, either.  The thought was beginning to become unsettling and Edward had to push it from his mind as Kenny was ready to deal the next hand.

Edward was on the button and the big blind.  He dropped six-hundred dollar chips into the pot and waited for his cards.  Now that he was across from Darius rather than next to him, he might get a better read.  Darius put in the small blind as Edward turned up the corners on his hole cards; pair of jacks, hearts and spades.  Almost a slam dunk in heads up, but after the last disasterous hand, Edward was not going to assume anything.

Darius was first to act.  “Five thousand”, he said, sliding the chips into the center of the table.

Edward had not expected Darius to lead off with a bet that size.  Did he have kings or aces?  Edward studied his face, then his hands, looking for some sign that would give him an idea of what Darius was holding.  The man had a very calm demeanor.  His hands were folded on the table in front of him and his eyes were looking back at Edward as if they had been friends forever.  He was not quite smiling, but there was something about his mouth that implied a smile was not far away.  He had at least one strong card, probably an ace or a king, but Edward did not feel it was a pair.  His gut told him that Darius would have slow played anything stronger than pocket nines.

Jacks were a strong starting hand, so Edward called the bet.  He waited for the flop, not wanting to see any over cards that might pair whatever Darius was holding.  The three cards hit the felt; ten of diamonds, eight of clubs and the queen of spades.

Damn!  That queen could be a problem. thought Edward.  Darius would be first, so Edward could do nothing but wait.  Edward had a gut shot straight draw, four nines out of forty-seven cards, an eight point five percent chance.  Not odds on which Edward would bet the farm to be sure.

“Check”, said Darius, tapping the table in front of him.  Edward breathed a mental sigh of relief.  Either Darius had missed his hole cards, or he was trying to set a trap.  Either way, Edward could get to the turn for free.  He tapped the table to check as well.

Kenny burned the top  card and laid the turn card out on the table.  The jack of diamonds stared up at Edward giving him a set.  It also made it far more likely that Darius had hit a straight.  Edward waited for Darius to bet.  To his utter amazement, Darius checked again.  Edward studied him.  Was there a hesitation there, a twitch?  If Darius had been bluffing or had missed hitting one of his hole cards, then Edward was in a perfect position to take down some of his chip stack.  And if Darius was slow playing…. if he had a set of queens or the straight, then it could cost Edward.  In the end, he opted for a value bet.

“One thousand”.  Edward pushed his chips into the center.  Darius would not fold a solid hand and might even bet a small amount on a bluff.  Darius paused and studied Edward as though trying to get a read on him.

Good luck with that, thought Edward.  Edward’s opponents over the years would have told Darius that getting a read on him was nearly impossible.  Edward either froze solid and unmoving, or he was as animated as a hyperactive kid in church.  There was no correlation between his hand and his actions, the best Darius could hope for was a lucky guess.

“Call”, said Darius after a minute or so.  He slid the chips across the felt instead of picking them up.  Hesitation?  Edward couldn’t be sure.  He had not raised, so it was likely that his still had not made his hand.

Kenny dealt the turn card, the six of spades.  Edward did not hit the straight, but his set of jacks were likely the best hand.  He waited for Darius to place his bet.

The Game #48

That gut wrenching feeling hit Edward like a truck.  He looked at George, normally composed under any circumstances, but his dark brown skin had become almost as pale as Edward’s.  George had a pair of tens in his hand giving him three of a kind.  Darius had the seven-eight and the ten high strait.  Not only that, he had hit it on the turn and checked his bet.  Edward and George had grossly underestimated the man’s ability and now Martinique would pay for their mistake.

“Ten high straight”, Kenny said as he pushed the pot towards Darius.

The vibration began and George ran to the window of Martinique’s cell.

“Niqui, I’m so sorry… and I love you.”  George choked the words out and put his hands and face against the glass.  She did the same as the water began to rise in the cell.  Edward turned away.  He did not want to see another innocent victim die in front of him.  It was bad enough that he could hear George sobbing.  Eight people, eight people had died because he had not been able to stop Darius from killing them.  Now Mary was the only one left.

Edward listened as Darius’ men carried George out of the room.  The only thing keeping Edward from killing Darius on the spot was the knowledge that it would put Mary at risk.  That was the situation at the moment, but Edward began to look beyond the game, something he should have done a long time ago.  It wasn’t just about playing poker, Edward knew that.  Darius was on an ego trip, out to prove he could beat the best players in the world.  Never mind that he had a huge psychological advantage, a mind like Darius’ could justify any actions to satisfy its needs.  Edward knew that excessive ego was a huge disadvantage in poker.  It often put a player ‘on tilt’ and caused them to play poorly.  So far that had not happened to Darius, but Edward was going to start pushing in that direction.

“Congratulations, Darius.  You have made it to second place”, Edward said.  “Would you mind if I changed seats?  Now that we are heads up?”

“Pick any seat you like, Mr. Teraneau”, Darius said.  “We are due for a break at any rate.  Play will resume in five minutes.”

Darius had not responded to Edward’s jab about second place, but his voice seemed a little icy.  Edward pushed his chips to the seat that George had recently vacated.  Despite Darius assurances, Edward listened for the rumbling of the water.  The room remained quiet, the only sound was that of Kenny shuffling the cards.  Edward walked over to Mary’s cell and stood in front of the window.  Mary was sitting against the wall with the water just below her neck.  She was splashing like some deranged drummer, making the water shoot into the air.  It reminded Edward of the Blue Man Group show he and Mary had seen last year.  At first Mary had been frightened by the lights and the loud music, but after the shock wore off, she had laughed and clapped during the entire show.  For weeks afterwards, she would pound on every surface of in the house, chanting “Boom, boom, boom” as she went.  Edward allowed himself a small smile at the memory.  His success had allowed him to provide a very safe and comfortable lifestyle for him and Mary, up until now, anyway.  For the first time since he became a pro, Edward’s occupation had become a threat to both of them.

Edward turned away from the window.  Mary had not even acknowledged his presence.  Probably better that way.  She was off on another adventure in ‘Mary Land’, and it was always safe and fun there.  As Edward turned around to head for the bathroom, he paid closer attention to the room.  The ceiling was painted black and Edward was not sure how high up it went.  The walls were all lined with the same panels that covered the cell windows. 

Don’t you mean execution chambers, old boy?

Edward shook the voice out of his head.  If there was a single detail that could give him an edge, he needed to find it.  He walked slowly into the bathroom and closed the door.  The level of detail from his suite at the Bellagio was disturbing, even the second time.  Edward looked around as though admiring the work.  What he was looking for was cameras.  Surely Darius would want to keep an eye on his ‘guests’ when they were away from him?  There was no reason to hide them, but Edward did not see anything that looked remotely like a camera.  He ran the water in the sink, washed his hands and face and headed back to the table.  He looked around for more cameras in the card room, but could not find any there either.  That’s when an odd thought struck him.

“Where are the lights?”

As Edward looked around the room, he noticed that there was not a light fixture to be seen anywhere.  No windows or skylights either.  So what kept the room illuminated?  Edward decided not to ask Darius that particular question, but would see if he could discover the answer for himself.