"I'll raise you fifty," David said after stealing another glimpse at his cards--four of hearts and seven of spades. On the table were two Jacks--one of diamonds and one of clubs--and a 3 of hearts.
"I see them, man," Peter said. "You're bluffing,
again
."
"Are you sure?" David let out a nervous chuckle and looked down at his phone, where a thousand automated 2-euro spins on a slot were running.
The fourth card was a 9 of hearts.
David bit the corner of his lips and put another hundred in the pot.
"You're bluffing," Peter said and raised another hundred, which David called.
A four of diamonds was the fifth card.
"Another hundred," David stated.
"I see them," Peter said and licked his lips, "and raise you another five hundred. Ready to finally admit you're bluffing for the tenth time in a row?"
"You've got squat," David spat and called the raise because he had already put enough in the pot.
"I've got four Jacks, man," Peter opened his cards and laughed as he collected the pot. "You
really
have to learn when to stop."
"Are you playing slots while we're playing poker?" Jack asked.
"I'm up two hundred bucks, man," David said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"And you're down two thousand here," Fred pointed out. "Might want to focus on one game at a time."
"I can multitask just fine."
Suddenly, the lock of the front door turned and David glared at his friends. "The pot is ten euros, okay? Don't tell my mom what we're really betting," he whispered sharply.
"Oh, hello boys," Miranda said and giggled. Her face was flushed and her eyes slightly glazed. Her long, red hair was damp and her tight black dress was glued on her body from the sweat. "Please tell me you're not bankrupting my son
again
."
"No ma'am," Peter said. "We're playing for fun. We put ten euros each in the pot and that's it."
"You know what? I had a very good time tonight, so I'll choose to believe that. Okay, boys, I have to go to bed. Try not to play until dawn."
"You know we're all adults, right, mom?"
"The fact you're twenty doesn't mean I'm not your mother anymore. Good night, boys."
"Good night," said David's friends in unison.
"Dude," Jack whispered, "your mom's drunk."
"And so fucking hot," Peter added.
"Guys, can we focus on the game?" David spat. "I need to win my money back."
"You do know that that's not happening, right?" Peter said. "I think we should stop. Let's just have a drink and relax. Let's talk."
"No," David banged his fist on the table. "Deal the fucking cards."
"You have a problem, dude," Peter scoffed and dealt the cards. "Trust me, I enjoy making money but I think you should see a specialist."
"Oh, shut up," David dismissed him and checked the cards. Two Aces.
His heart thundered behind his ear and he did his best to maintain a cool faΓ§ade. Finally, a good hand; he had to keep his cool and make them think he was bluffing.
"What the hell?" He blinked at the fireworks on his phone's screen and the large box saying
Sensational Win
while the amount kept rising. "Holy fuck," he cackled. "I just won twenty thousand grand, guys."
"What?" All of his friends ejaculated.
"Good job, man," Frank said and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't go wasting them right away. Use that money to cover some of the holes you've opened with your gambling."
"Sure thing," he said while looking at the screen and the huge amount now available on his casino account. "Alright, guys, I'm gonna withdraw ten grand to my bank account, okay? Which means we can up the ante here and play some serious poker; what do you say?"
"I'm not gonna risk that much money...know what? I'm in," Peter said after rubbing his forehead. "Fuck it, I've won enough so far."
"You can bet however much you want," Frank said. "Doesn't mean we can't fold."
"Okay, let's play then."
He raised the big ante of four hundred by a thousand and they all called. The first three cards on the table were two fives and a Queen of spades. He had a sip of whisky and leaned back. Everybody checked; he bet another thousand. Frank folded; the other two called.
An Ace of clubs. He was ready to explode, his fucking cock was hard; he had an Ace of diamonds and an ace of clubs in his hand. He raised by two thousand. Jack folded; Peter re-raised by another thousand. He called.
Queen of hearts; if only the last Ace had come. Still, his luck had turned. Not only would he win back the money he had lost to his friends, he'd be on the black.
"All in," he responded to Peter's three-thousand raise. "Which means the five I've got left here
and
the twenty I just won. I'll withdraw the rest right away."
"You raise by twenty-five thousand?" Peter asked dumbfounded and ran his fingers through his dark-brown long hair. "Know what? I'll not just call, I'll raise you by another ten grand; it's how much my car's worth." He tossed his car keys on the pot.
"I can't call, I don't have any more money," David complained.
"Then you're out of luck. Fold," Peter shrugged.
"Cut it out, man," Frank chided his friend.
"Nope. I can afford to raise, so I raise. Poker's like capitalism; those with money always have better chances to win."
"How about this?" David said after a few moments of inner contemplation and a large pull of his drink. "I'll call your raise with my mom."
"What?" Peter chortled and rubbed his forehead.
"If you win, you can fuck my mom. She's in there right now, asleep; probably passed out drunk. You can fuck her brains out."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Miranda yelled as she entered the living room, wearing a tiny white babydoll. "I went to the kitchen to drink some water and I heard you. Are you really betting thousands of dollars? And you bet
me
?"
"Mom, it's not..." David lowered his gaze. "I have a very good hand, okay?"
"Mrs. Daniels, I wouldn't take the bet," Peter apologized. "It was David's idea, I haven't even agreed to it."
"Yes, I heard my son offering you the chance to rape me in my sleep if he loses. Know what? Take it."
"What?" David gasped.
"You were willing to let your friend rape me just so you could play. Well, if you lose, all your friends get to fuck me. How about it, son? Is your hand so good that it's worth it?"
"Oh, it is," he said. "Do you agree, Peter?"
"Hell yeah;
if
you're okay with it," he addressed Miranda.
"I'm more than okay with it, yes," she reassured him.
"Then watch and weep," David said and opened his cards. "Full house, three Aces and a pair of fives."
"Not so fast, buddy," Peter grabbed him by the forearm when he started collecting the pot. "Four fives." He opened his cards and grinned. "For once, you had a good hand and still lost everything. I'm really sorry, man. By the way, I'd rather have the money you won on that slot in cash. No reason for the tax services to get involved."
"What slot?" Miranda demanded. "Didn't I tell you to stop wasting your money on those online casinos?"
"I just won twenty grand on a slot."