Enigmatic Fantasies - A Bet on Fallacy [#166]

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           The casino was noisy and abuzz with activity. A blinding collection of bright lights, flamboyant clothing, and gaudy furniture colored the entire room. However, it was all a blur to the gambler as his eyes focused on the slots before him. The first reel came down as a seven, the second much the same. His heart skipped a beat as payday was within his grasp. As the gambler’s mind raced with possibilities of how to spend his soon-to-be acquired fortune, the final reel came to a stop.

           “Not again,” he bemoaned as the final reel revealed not a third seven, but a random fruit. ‘That was supposed to be my moment. My whole night was leading right up to that point,’ he looked down at his light wallet, filled with only a few small coins. ‘Shit, another trip to the ATM.’

<^>~- A Bet on Fallacy -~<^>

           “Come on, man, let’s get out of here,” his friend insisted, “everyone else already blew their $50.” The two were sat at a roulette table, but the friend wasn’t even playing.

           “Just let me finish my beer,” the gambler held up the half-finished bottle.

           “Fine,” the friend shrugged and wandered off.

           “Alright, put it all on black,” the gambler smiled and slapped down his chips. ‘I’m feeling it, this is the moment.’ The roulette ball was sent on its merry way and rolled along the spinning wheel. Within a brief moment, it slowed to a stop and slipped into a slot.

           “21 Red,” the employee announced. The gambler’s heart sank as all his money slipped away again. “For the love of,” he swore under his breath and chugged the rest of his beer. “Next time for sure. Barkeep, another beer,” the gambler hopped over to the bar with his credit card out.

           As the gambler retrieved his latest drink from the barkeep giving him dirty looks, his eyes scanned the casino floor for his next “conquest.” He’d blown it at the slots, and he was no more fortunate at roulette, then he spied an attractive sight. At one of the blackjack tables was a particularly well-dressed lady. Every inch of her body screamed rich to the gambler. From her fancy dress, her countless pieces of jewelry and her relentlessly smug expression. However, she had every reason to be smug, she was winning and winning big.

           ‘To have that kind of luck,’ the gambler thought to himself. It seemed like she won every other hand, and whatever losses she did take were paltry in comparison to what she had won. The gambler found himself staring at more than her bets, though, and he quickly realized he wasn’t the only one. ‘Looking’s free, but that won’t get me my money back,’ he told himself and set out for another table.

           As he turned to scan the room again, he spotted a craps table in the distance. The gambler smiled to himself, already imagining his luck turning around. As he made his way across the casino floor, he spared one last glance at the rich lady, but to his surprise, she was gone.

~-~

           As the gambler nursed his third beer, he had to admit to himself he was at the end of his rope. After a half-dozen rounds of craps and blackjack, he was down to his last twenty dollars. This last game of blackjack could cost him the rest of his money, and he knew it.

           ‘Come on, my luck can still turn around, this is the one,’ he affirmed to himself. He was the only player at the table currently. The others had left after his fourth consecutive loss. He noticed a familiar look in the dealer’s eyes as they shook their head at him. The gambler responded with a glare and slapping down his last few chips.

           “Room for one more?” A feminine voice asked from behind. The gambler turned back to see the lucky, rich lady sit down at the table. The dealer was quick to accommodate her.

           ‘I didn’t even hear her approach,’ the gambler thought, but his surprise was visible. However, the rich lady just smiled at him as she placed her bets. He hid his blush and suppressed several intimate fantasies that popped into his mind. The dealer shuffled the cards and set up the next game, and the gambler swallowed hard as the moment of truth arrived. The hand went by in a blur and was over before he realized it.

           “Blackjack,” the gambler mumbled to himself as he realized he was dealt an ace and a king.

~--~

           The gambler went on a hot streak, no matter what, every hand he played was a winner. The rich lady was winning too, but the man almost forgot she existed as his fortunes turned for the better. As he cracked open his fourth beer, feeling the rush of victory, he noticed someone approach him from behind.

           “What’s taking you? Come on, we’ve got to get back to the hotel,” his friend returned.

           “Come on, I’m finally on a winning streak,” the gambler replied.

           “Finally? You mean you’ve been losing this whole time? How much?” The friend inquired.

           “Not sure, but I won a couple hundred off my last twenty,” the gambler explained as he sipped his beer.

           “You’re last twenty?” The friend exclaimed, “you mean your last twenty period?”

           “Well yeah,” he shrugged, “but I’m winning now; I’ll get it all back soon.”

           “Forget it,” the friend shot a dirty look towards the beer in his hand, “if you’re doing so well, you can take a limo back to the hotel.” The friend stormed off.

           “What’s his problem?” The gambler shrugged as he went back to the game. He noticed the rich lady suppressing a laugh out of the corner of his eye but brushed it off. ‘What’s tickled her? Forget it, time to make bank.’

~--~

           “You’re kidding me,” the gambler lamented, the last of his winnings went right up in smoke. The sweet taste of victory was upon his lips, and it all slipped from his grasp in an instant. It had started small, a loss here and there between his win streaks. Then the losses became more frequent until the situation reversed. Suddenly, it was the rare win between his new losing streaks until he gambled all his money away.

           ‘Maybe, I should call my friends to pick me up,’ his eyes, drained of color, glanced at his last empty beer bottle. He wasn’t sure if it was his sixth or seventh. ‘Who am I kidding? They’ll tell me to shove it and go back to sleep.’ The gambler sighed as he picked himself up from the table and dragged himself away. He noticed that the rich lady had disappeared again, ‘probably knew when to cut her losses.’

           As the gambler continued his walk of shame, he shut out all other sights and sounds. The sound of slot machines, cheers of victory, loud music, and the bright lights dissolved into a blur. Each step became more and more of a struggle as his legs began to feel like jelly, and a nauseous sensation filled the insides of his stomach.

           “Hello? You still there?” A voice cut through the blur.

           “Huh?” He barely registered the words.

           “Attention,” someone snapped their fingers at him, finally shaking him from his funk.

          “What do you?” The gambler turned to see the rich lady. “Oh, um, hello?” He mumbled out in embarrassment.

           “Had a little too much to drink?” The woman giggled, “you’ve been wandering around the casino floor for ten minutes now, security was about to throw you out.”

           “What? Oh...crap,” he resisted the urge to swear and finally took a good look around him. This certainly wasn’t the entrance or any of the exits, it was a random corner of the casino, near a few bathrooms. He had been wandering aimlessly in a drunken stupor. “I’ll just leave then,” he replied sheepishly.

           “What’s the matter I thought you were winning?” The rich lady commented.

           “I was until,” he bit his lip, “until I wasn’t.”

           “Out of cash?”

           “That’s putting it lightly.”     

           “Such a shame, and you looked like you were having so much fun,” the lady lamented before shooting him a wry smile.

           “Is there something funny?” The gambler muttered, “what are you playing at?”

           “Well, in this casino, you can gamble with more than money,” the rich lady explained, “just not out on the main floor.”

           “If not with money, then what exactly would I be betting?” The gambler inquired, a small part of his clouded mind sent a jolt of panic through his whole body.

           “Anything and everything,” the woman answered, her grin widening.

           “Uh, I’m not sure, I’ve been having a pretty unlucky night,” he looked away. “Even if I won until morning, I doubt I’d make up half of what I lost. Besides, if I’m not betting money...”

           “Oh no, don’t worry about that,” she interrupted him. “If you win, you stand to gain more than a few hundred dollars,” the woman leaned in closer.

           “What are we talking about, thousands?” The gambler asked, trying to hide is renewed interest and discomfort.

           “Even more than that,” the rich lady whispered gently in his ear.

           “I’m interested,” he immediately replied.

~--~

           The trip to the “backroom,” as the rich lady called it, was quite long. Although, the gambler admitted it might be all the alcohol in his system screwing with his perception. He didn’t realize how big the casino was, as every door and hall seemed to lead to another massive room. Finally, they arrived at a very nondescript, albeit large, door flanked by two muscular guards in suits and sunglasses. The gambler could sense their glares through their glasses, focused entirely on him.

           “He’s with me,” the rich lady stated, and the two guards quickly opened the door for them and shepherded the pair inside. After another long winding hallway, they arrived at the destination, and the gambler’s jaw dropped. It was a lavish room, filled with people dressed just as fancily as the rich woman, but also a few dressed in far less.          

           “What is this place?” The gambler almost gagged at the sights in the room. Beneath the veil of wealth and excess was vice on the level of horror stories. Several people in the massive room, both men and women, were dressed in rags, or skimpy outfits, as well as chains. However, it didn’t stop there, even the rich were missing ears, fingers, and eyes, or displayed horrific scars and wounds.

           What topped it all off was the main focus of the room, more gambling. While the games played were the same as outside, slots, blackjack, craps, and even a few poker tables, it was the bets that were different. People were chopping off fingers and slamming down clear containers filled with organs. A few were outright throwing other people onto the tables as though they were poker chips. Losers were being carried off in chains. Some of them collapsed in their chairs and were carried away by more men in suits.

           “Dear lord,” the gambler sweated as he witnessed a large man in a posh suit slam down a massive bet. It included giant stacks of cash, several of the chained up men and women, and a few other things the gambler couldn’t recognize. However, in an instant, the large man lost his bet and saw all his possessions carried away. The man was in complete shock as the suits dragged him away screaming. They shoved him through a door that a lot of people seemed to enter but never come back out of.

           “This is where the real gambling is,” the rich lady chuckled. “And,” she gestured towards another game, “where all the real money is made.” At the other table, a young woman won a major bet at a roulette table. The lady walked away with a steel briefcase overflowing with money and jewels. “Someone just became a millionaire,” the rich lady commented, “so are you interested?”

           “Of...of,” the gambler hesitated, his pours overflowing with sweat. “Of course,” he nodded.

           “Excellent, I know the best place to start,” the rich lady slipped back into her wry smile.

~--~

           The gambler and the woman sat down at a poker table in a private room, their only witness being another pair of muscular guards in suits. The rich lady slipped right into her seat, while the man sat down nervously. The rich lady pulled out a deck of cards while one of the guards set down a massive stack of poker chips for both players.

“What exactly am I supposed to bet?” The gambler asked, “I don’t exactly have jars of organs at the ready.”     

           “That’s what the chips are for,” the rich lady explained, “bet whatever you want and use any amount of chips you think is fair. You don’t lose when you run out of chips or money, but when you run out of things to bet.”

           “And I can bet anything?” The man inquired.

           “Anything,” the woman assured, “your money, your bank accounts, your job, your home, your dog. You make a bet, and if you lose, proper arrangements will be made to repossess whatever you’ve lost.”

           “Won’t you need my signature or...?” The gambler tried to ask.

           “Nope, money makes the world go round,” she hushed him. “Now get ready to make your first bet. We’ll be playing a special variant of Texas hold’em, our friend here will be the dealer, and we’ll have equal blinds.”

           “What’s the catch?” The gambler sensed something off.

          “No catch,” the rich lady shook her head, “think of it as a friendly game of poker, with extremely high stakes. We’ll take turns placing the first bet. Oh, and the blinds are one finger, let’s start small.”

           “Ok,” the gambler gulped as the first hand of cards was dealt. His two cards were a pair of jacks, which boosted his confidence a little. ‘This might end up better than I expected,’ he nodded to himself as he placed a few chips down to represent a finger.

           “Feeling confident, aren’t we?” The rich lady giggled as the flop was dealt. The three cards were a jack, a seven and a three.

           “I’ll bet,” he placed down a couple of chips, “what’s two more fingers?”

           “I’ll call,” the woman matched his bet. The next card hit the table, and it was another seven.

           ‘I’ve got this,’ he suppressed a smile, “check.”

           “Where the bravado go?” The rich lady looked at him with a hint of disappointment, “I’ll raise, how about I offer this ring?” The woman slipped the ring off her finger and placed it with her chips.

           ‘Trying to call my bluff?’ He grinned as he called her bet. The last card was dealt, it was a ten. ‘I’ve got this in the bag,’ the gambler cheered internally, “Check.”

           “I’ll do the same,” the rich lady replied. Both players revealed their cards, and as the gambler’s eyes flashed over her cards, his heart sank. Revealed on her side of the table was a seven and a three. He had three of a kind, but she trumped him with a full house. “Ouch, tough luck,” the woman laughed as she dragged his chips away. “I’ll collect those fingers later though, you’ll need them if you want to keep playing. As for the rest, well, I’m sure your home and everything in it will cover the cost.”

           “How much was that ring worth?” The gambler exclaimed.

           “More than you’ll make in your life.” The woman’s wry smile returned, alongside an almost malevolent stare. “You’re free to back out, not that you’ll have anywhere to go.”

           “No, I’ll keep playing,” he steeled himself. The game continued, and he started off making more aggressive bets, but the plan didn’t pay off. The second round ended with his two pair against her three of a kind. The loss cost him the rest of his fingers and a kidney.

           “Still want to keep at it?” The rich lady chirped.

           “I’m not done,” the gambler replied. ‘There’s no going back at this point anyway.’ He played safe the next round, but it mattered not he ended up with a single pair while she had two pair. The failed hand cost him one of his own.

           “I’m increasing the blinds,” the rich lady stated, “let’s move from fingers to limbs.” The gambler nodded at her statement and pressed on, hungry for victory. Yet, the next hand proved no more successful.

           ‘Come on, I can get out of this,’ he told himself, ‘my luck has to turn around sooner or later.’ He sweat bullets coming into the next round and sweat far more when he lost it as well. Cards after card, hand after hand, bet after bet, he lost more and more. All his limbs, his organs, his eyes, and even his bones were gambled away. Each loss drove him further into a panic, as the room and casino felt more and more distant. His breaths became labored as if there were a hole in his chest.

           “What to quit yet?” The lady’s voice seemed almost muffled to him in his frenzy, “I’m sure you don’t. The boys in the other room will carve you up like a turkey if you do.”

           “Not done yet,” he placed his bet for the next round, all the blood in his body, “ready to fold?”

           “I was about to ask you the same question,” the rich woman countered as the cards were dealt. She beat him with a four of a kind.

           “No,” the gambler’s blood ran cold as the reality of the situation set in, “I’ve got nothing left to bet.”

           “Of course you do silly,” the woman revealed. In the gambler’s stupor, it felt like she was meters away at the end of a long table. “I told you, anything and everything can be bet here, all that’s left is to bet your life. However, short it may be now.”

           “Then it’s all in or nothing?” The gambler asked, despite already knowing the answer.

           “Like I’d let you bet any less?” The rich lady’s laugh morphed into a cackle, “throw down whatever you have left, I’ll take it like everything else.” The last cards were dealt, and the gambler checked them with fear. Much to his surprise, they were two jacks again, swallowing his fear he went all in.

           “This is it,” he mumbled aloud as the flop was dealt, it contained two jacks, one a club the other a spade and a king of spades. ‘Luck is on my side after all,’ he unconsciously grinned. As the next card was dealt, an ace of spades, his grin grew wider as his sweat finally stopped. His body was a wreck, he was exhausted and felt the first waves of a hangover ready to envelop him all at once. The gambler didn’t care; he was finally going to win.

           “Ready to lose it all?” The woman mocked him.

           “Are you?” The gambler laughed back at her as the final card was dealt, a 9 of spades. “Four of a kind, I’ll take my winnings now,” the gambler slammed his two jacks on the table.

           “Look again,” the rich lady tapped her finger on her own cards. The gambler, having been completely ignorant of her two cards until now, finally glanced down. At her finger was a queen and ten of spades, meaning she had a royal flush.

           “What?” He slumped into his chair, falling back into the same slump from before. Everything grew even more distant, except for the feeling of nausea that crawled up his throat.

           “You know you’re my favorite kind of person,” the rich lady’s voice echoed across the edge of his perception. “You can’t tell when you’re in over your head until you start to drown. You’d bet everything without even knowing the odds, all for a taste of fortune.”

           The gambler made no reply; he was frozen in shock and so lost in his own head, he couldn’t even feel his own heartbeat. His whole world had caved in on itself, and now he had nothing, not even his life or the clothes on his back.

           “Pleasure doing business with you,” the rich lady scooped up all the chips and sauntered out of the room. The gambler merely crumpled to the ground, a husk of his former self. As the woman closed the door behind her, the lights and sounds of the casino outside were cut off. Left to wallow, the gambler’s mind came to an abrupt halt, not even bothering to think as the suits dragged him away.

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Never make an important bet without knowing the odds, no matter what you stand to gain, you often stand to lose far more.

With a heavy heart I have to say posts will be slowing down for the next several months. I'm back in school and both of my classes require a lot of time investment outside of class. As such I'm going to pull back to one update a week, on Tuesdays, until the semester is over. After that I'll hopefully be able to shift back to two stories a week until the next semester.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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