Game on

"I'll take you on and win for everyone here. I'll show you I'm not some dumb whore, jackass." Cheers erupt around the table from your enthusiastic acceptance of Mike's challenge.

"Dreaming of using your winnings to open a dry cleaners? That is what you people do right? Well tough luck girl, only thing you'll be cleaning is my cock." Mike aims another racist insult in your direction, god you can't wait to beat him.

With the competitors set, Jimmy takes it upon himself to act as dealer. He shuffles the deck and deals out the cards to yourself and Mike. You take a look at your cards and are pleased to find yourself with a queen of diamonds & a jack of spades. You observe Mike as he picks up his cards, one of the reasons you've been doing so well against him so far is how bad he is at covering up his frustration when he gets a bad hand and you can tell he is not happy with the cards he's been dealt.

It'd be bad if he just folded right away but you don't want him to just see the next cards for free so you place a small raise which Mike sees. Jimmy then deals the next three cards face up onto the table. An ace of hearts, king of diamonds and five of hearts. These are not the best cards you could have had, as things stand you still only have a queen high but you are now just a ten of any suit away from a straight. You were so busy focusing on the permutations of the cards that were dealt that you didn't check to see Mike's reaction to the cards, still from how disappointed he was from his original cards you can't imagine that he had an ace or a king so you think you're safe from him having a high pair.

You decide to make a higher bet than last time and are surprised when Mike decides to make an even higher raise. Is he trying to bluff you? Trying to scare you off? You're not going to fall for it and decide to see his raise. Dealer Jimmy then deals the penultimate card out onto the table, a nine of clubs. Damn just short of the ten you need, you're still just sitting with a queen high. Even if Mike just has a pair with the five or nine he'd beat you as it stands.

You don't want to bet nothing as it would show Mike that you're not currently holding anything and give him the upper hand. You make the same bet as you did on the last round and are relieved when Mike decides not to make a raise and just sees your bet, perhaps he really was just trying to bluff you last time around. The whole Gambling Den seems to have gone silent and your match with Mike is not just being watched by those around the table but almost everyone in the Den has decided to take an interest in this high stakes game. The Den has also become a lot more crowded, it seems word of the spectacle available in the Den has gone around the camp and with few other forms of entertainment around people have come to check out the action.

In this electric atmosphere all eyes are on Jimmy as he deals out the final card onto the table, a ten of hearts. You keep your poker face but inside you are ecstatic, this is the card you have been waiting for and now you have a straight. With the amount that has been bet already on this game you decide to make a high bet, you're sure Mike has nothing but the large amount of chips available may just tempt him to play on. However to your surprise Mike doesn't just see your bet but goes all in, you have the chance to wipe him out straight away. On the other hand if he does win somehow you will have very few chips left and with the amount he'd have your eventual defeat would just be a matter of time.

He's got to be bluffing you decide, he sees you as some meek little pushover he can just bully out of the game and you're not going to fall for it. You match his bet and now all that waits is for you both to reveal your cards. It's your cards that'll be shown first and you place your queen and jack onto the table, revealing them for the first time to Mike and the crowd that has gathered. The murmurings from the crowd indicate that they think the same as you, that you've got the winning hand but the tension will remain until Mike reveals his cards.

Mike places his cards face up onto the table, you see what he's been playing with this whole time. A seven of hearts and a two of hearts, not the greatest hand to start with so you can see why his face was full of disappointment at the start. It's a different expression on his face now though and you are the one who can't hide their sadness. Mike has a flush, he's just beaten you and rakes in a huge amount of chips leaving you with scraps.

"Hope you haven't had your dinner yet slut, I've got plenty of nut to feed you." Mike taunts you and the gathered crowd congratulate him before most of the newcomers head for the exit, they feel like your defeat is a forgone conclusion from this point so the excitement of watching has ended for them. Your heart sinks as you can't help but agree with them, with Mike's chip advantage it's just a matter of time before you're defeated.