Reincarnated as a Phoenix

Chapter 74 - Gambling

(Ikarus) "Read them and weep them!"

"Fuck!"

"Lucky feathery bastard"

"I swear this lass is cheating"

Immediately as I turn over my two cards on the poker table, a flurry of insults head my way from some of the other players from my winning hand. I can't help but smile when my winnings get pushed over to my side of the table, there always is something pleasant about winning against others in a game of chance. The feathery comment was clearly about my other human form, changed before I came in and no one seems to give a shit about it. That comment was just him being pissed off at losing, not racism clearly.

The thing is, I was always a really good poker player, no idea why but it's just always been a thing I've been good at. This and blackjack are really the only two gambling games I don't mind, I'm not actually all that big a fan of gambling despite my system encouraging me to do it, you can blame a childhood of companies promoting shitty loot boxes for my opinion on that. It's basically just legalized gambling for kids after all.

The reason why I like poker and blackjack is that it's not completely based on luck. Sure, there's still a lot of luck involved but you can still win with a good bluff with poker, can always card count with blackjack as well. Games like this are less chance compared to others like roulette for example.

As for that current hand, four of a kind always beats a flush after all, best hand I've had here all night so I don't know why those three strangers are complaining. Did ask to see if the other party members wanted to play, Ariza was a definite no, Zeki and the dryad are probably off doing something disgusting and I'm unsure on Petra, she said she'd join after she needed to do something but yet to see here in this casino, all alone but who cares when I'm clearing the house?

Just before I'm about to get up and move onto something else, Petra finally arrives and takes a seat across the poker table from me. She gives me a slight smile and I do the same back.

"Small blind is a hundred and large is two, minimum buy in fee is a thousand"

"Sure, I'm in"

The dealer speaks to Petra since she's a new player, the rest of us around this table already know the rules. I would say hello to my smiling blind woman but alas, gambling is no place for friendship, it might also appear we're cheating if we're at the same table but I'm unaware of the rules in this place. It is funny no one is questioning why a blind woman is able to play poker but maybe they just see her as an easy opponent.

This is one of the more expensive poker tables around here after all, parents' money coming in clutch once again. That matters little anyway, I've only been making money since I sat down here, it probably won't be long before I get asked to leave since I've already won a few thousand in profit but it doesn't hurt to play a few more games, Petra is here as well now but knowing her, we're going to clear this casino for everything it has!

The dealer takes Petra fee and starts to draw out the cards around the table, I can't help but have a little thought though.

'Let's see if my girlfriend is any good at this, I guess it's fine to use that term now...'

__________

'Petra's cheating'

No seriously, I think Petra is cheating, she's yet to make a single mistake or fuck up so far, she always seems to know when to fold, when to bluff or when to raise. She's either cheating or is a master at this game, I know she's great at everything but there has to be limits, right? Yeah, she's got to be cheating.

It's only been a good ten minutes or so and she's already taken a good third of my winnings and is basically the high roller at this table now, I'm not all that bothered losing to her but it must be looking a little suspicious to other players at this table.