Chapter Five: Gambling







     This chapter is designed to allow your characters to have the same amount 
of skill and luck when gambling as other gamblers have.  All card games are 
played using a two-step procedure.  A first roll is made using the character's 
Gambling skill; the result of this roll simulates the deal.  The player then 
has the option to roll a second time (simulating the draw, an extra card, and 
so on), which may or may not improve the hand.  This second roll simulates all 
the back-and-forth game playing that takes place after the deal.  Betting is 
done as it is in the real game - either before the deal, after it, and/or 
after the second roll, as appropriate.  All the dice rolling is done in secret 
(the GM rolls the dice for the NPCs), so the betting is done without fore-
knowledge of the other players' hands (that is, the respective quality).

     The final combined quality is used to determine who wins; the character 
with the higher quality is the winner.  If the quality of the two hands is a 
tie, the tie is resolved the following order of precedence:  character with 
the higher Gambling Skill Bonus, then character with the higher Perception.  
Note that in blackjack a tie can be resolved as a "push", with higher side 
winning and the bets staying on the table.

First Roll:

1-10:     Bad Hand
11-30:    Poor Hand
31-70:    Average Hand
71-90:    Good Hand
91-100+:  Great Hand

Second                   First Dice Result
Dice Result
                 Bad     Poor      Average       Good      Great
  
Bad              Bad     Bad         Poor       Average    Good

Poor             Bad     Poor      Average       Good      Good

Average          Poor   Average    Average       Good      Great

Good             Poor   Average      Good        Good      Great

Great          Average   Good        Great       Great     Grand


Poker

     The results of a real poker game (5 card stud or draw) would be these
equivalents: for a bad hand, the hand would rely on the high card; for a poor 
hand, the hand would have a pair, two pair, or three of a kind; for an average 
hand, either a straight or a flush; for a good hand, either a full house or 
four of a kind; for a great hand, a straight flush; and for a grand hand, a 
royal flush.

Blackjack

     The results of a real game of blackjack would be these equivalents: for a 
bad hand, the hand would be a bust; for a poor hand, the cards would have a 
value of 13, 14, or 15; for an average hand, a value of 16 or 17; for a good 
hand, a value of 18 or 19; for a great hand, a value of 20, a three card 21, 
or a blackjack; for a grand hand, a three card 21.  Note a blackjack will beat 
a three card 21.

Cheating

     A Player Character may never cheat, unless he has detected another NPC
cheating.  If you think your character's opponent is cheating, you can request 
a Perception roll to determine whether or not the opponent is cheating.  You 
may ask for this roll after each hand of cards.  If you are successful, you 
may confront him with it or cheat back.  To cheat, you lie about the quality 
of your rolls.  The difficulty of the Perception depends on the Gambling Roll 
Modifier of your opponent.  Take the Gambling Roll Modifier of your opponent 
and multiply it by three; this is the difficulty of the Perception roll.  If 
the Perception roll is a failure, the NPC has detected the attempt and will 
take any action the GM deems appropriate.  This system works in the reverse 
if the NPC discovers the characters are also cheating.