The Players and the Played.

Ethan loitered behind the bar on the clubs mezzanine floor. Cigar in his mouth puffing away, while he looked over the selection of drinks available to him. Trying to decide what his craving felt like today. Finally settling on tequila, he poured a glass. “Good afternoon sir.” A voice came from behind him, and Ethan turned to see one of the card dealer who worked at the casino. Ethan was surprised to see him. “Why are you here Jacob?” Ethan asked. “You had a game planned for today.” Jacob answered.

Ethan groaned, as he walked out from behind the bar, stopping his puffing in order to take a large gulp of tequila. Looking over the casino below. “I must have forgotten to reorganise the shifts. The others couldn’t make it.” Ethan explained. “I suppose then I should head down and just help out for the day.” The dealer replied. Ethan stopped him as he was about to turn to head back down the stairs with a raising of his hand. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you see if you can scrounge up some player from down below. Maybe find myself a few more regulars to play with. Offer two for one to get the involved.” Ethan said waving Jacob away spreading smoke in the air from his cigar.

Jacob nodded and went down the stairs. Heading for one poker table, to another on the main floor. The man picked out a few players. An older looking women, a middle age man and lastly a younger man who seemed to be accompanied with a younger women. “The proprietor would like to invite you for a game upstairs. He say that he will play double bets to any you make to make things more interesting.” Jacob would tell each of the people in turn until he had managed to find a group to lead back to Ethan on the mezzanine floor.

@Nameless

(Feel free to control NPC as you see fit :) )

Ethan saw Jacob going about making a small group, before leading them towards the stairs up to his section of the casino. Turning from the railing of the mezzanine floor, Ethan walked back to the bar putting his glass down on the poker table as he passed it. Then reaching over from this side of the bar, he grabbed the bottle of tequila once more along with an ashtray from the counter top. Heading back to a poker table he sat in the far right seat of the table. Putting the bottle down beside his glass and the ashtray next to that to hold his cigar, just after having taken a large puff before the group started appearing.

"Thank you Jacob." Ethan said in a boisterous tone looking over the group he had collected. Ethan recognised the older women, a regular often seen at the table. Though the young man he didn't nor the middle age man Though the women who took up a space behind the young man seemed familiar . Though he wasn't sure why because he could remember a game she played to go along with the face.

While Jacob would walk around to the dealer position of the table, he crouched down opening a cabinet below it. Before placing to large stacks of bill and putting them down in front of him and then passing out chips to Ethan followed by the others based off what they already had before having left their tables downstairs to join this higher stacks game. For those paying attention like Luciana, it was clear who had been having a good night. The older women had a stack larger then both Vince, while Vince's was larger then Ethan and the middle age man was the smaller. Luck or skill it would be hard to say.

"So I'm Ethan Alexander, the bar has drinks, cigarettes, and cigars for you to use at your leisure." Ethan explained waving a huge arm over towards the bar, before picking up his own cigar and breathing from it deeply. "Elijah and I feel a whiskey calling then." The middle age man said getting up from the table to head towards the bar to get one quickly. "Meredith, no for me I can't handle it." The older women introduced. Meredith then turned to look at Vince expecting him to follow. While Ethan did the same, his own gaze was brought back to the women behind him. Assuming that fact she remained standing meant she wasn't intending to join the game.

“A pleasure to meet you all.” Ethan said, once the group had finished to introduce themselves and get what drinks they had wanted. Then he clapped his hands together loudly, but with enough care to avoid damaging the cigar held between his fingers. “Let’s get down to it then.” Ethan said before turning to face Jacob. The dealer shuffled the cards in his hands, and start to deal them. Quick flicks of the wrist to send them sliding face down across the table. “The blinds are twice those of downstairs, at 20 and 40, and we slowly scale up doubling if the game start to go on too long. No additional buy ins we play with what’s on the table.” Jacob explained finishing his explanation, before pushing the dealer button in front of Meredith.

On the far side of the table. So that the starting small blinds would be on him, and then next would be Vince. Iaemor was quite to follow, placing in his small blind which would actually be equal to that of Vince’s larger blind because he had said he would match all bets at 2 for 1 for fun. Once his chips were down, he would look at his card. Before putting more chips out. “Call.” He said simply before turning to his side.

While Vince, would then have his own chance to bet. Ethan would instead turn to Lucina. With a foot, he would push the last remaining stool that went unused towards Vince because of the space between them. Close enough that she could sit quite close to Vince. “There’s no need to stand the entire night. Even if you don't play relax and enjoy yourself.” He told her confident and wide smile before turning back to the game. It was as if he wasn’t exactly worried about the game yet, trading the cigar with the glass and drinking slowly as he waited.

Ethan gave a slow nod as Luciana turned down the offer of a seat, smiling as she and Vince shared a moment of mirth between the two of them. “If you’re certain” Ethan replied, turning to the other two other gamblers at the table as they reacted to Vince call the bet. Elijah wouldn’t even hesitate before sliding his cards away, folding them towards Jacob. Followed by Meredith umming and erring, over whether she should bet or not. Eventually she put in the same amount as Vince altogether in order to call the bet.

Jacob would follow by gathering the bet so far, then continuing to deal. First burning one card, placing it face down to the side. Before dealing out another three in to the centre of the table face down. Then with a sliding of the and, he would both flip the three cards and spread them out for all of them to see at the same time. The 3 of Spades and both the Queens of Diamonds and Spades.

The bet back on him, Ethan would simply slide his card to Jacob, folding much like Elijah had before the flop. Knowing that his odds of winning the hand was quite unlikely now. Leaning back in his stool, Ethan took his cigar in his free hand, and alternated between a puff of smoke or a swig of his drink. “Let’s see if your good luck charm is as good as she looks.” Ethan directed at Vince with a hearty laugh, now that he was no longer in the hand. It wasn’t as Ethan didn’t know some time people had company at the table for luck and an attractive women was normally such as Luciana was.

“Well said.” Ethan said in response to Vince’s comments about leaving with a beautiful women. He couldn’t exactly argue with the sentiment. Give his glass a slight tip in the air, as a sort of salute to the words as well, Ethan knocked back the rest of the glass with quick flick of the wrist before putting it down to start pouring another. Smirking as he saw, Vince had Luciana decide on his bet for him and leaving her blaming Ethan’s aura for the size of the bet. Which certainly could have been one way a person might respond to it influence. She and Vince were the closest to him at the table.

Following him, Meredith unlike before would call herself immediately without hesitation, and cause another card to come down. Another Queen, this time the Queen of Hearts. Regardless of what Vince’s next bet was, if he remained in the hand. Meredith would push the remained of her chips into the the centre of the table. Seemingly confident in her hand. Which would lead Vince in a position to decide between folding while he could, or risking a huge win against the possibility of getting knocked out first from the game.

Ethan leaned against the table, propping up his chin with a large hand and looked at Vince and Lucinaa. “Just how brave do I make you feel?” Ethan teased before leaning back in his seat once more.