The cards:

Aces = Dragons.  Can be high or low, but in the Blue Dragon Tavern, dragons are always high.  _{(Club = Red, Spade = Green, Heart = Blue, Diamond = Black.  This is for flavor and has no real bearing on the game.  In some places the dragons are Gold, Silver, Brass, and Bronze, respectively.)}

Kings = Kings

Queen = Queens

Jacks = Wizards

10, 9, 8, 7 ... as cards normally count.

Clubs = Swords

Spades = Wands

Hearts = Coins

Diamonds = Gems

Jokers = Jesters - not used in this game

---------------------------

Ante is always up to the dealer, but in the Blue Dragon Tavern it is considered bad taste to make an ante so high that a person at your table could not at least join the game and play for a few rounds of betting.

Wild Cards: The dealer can call up to two cards wild, meaning they can count for whatever the player wants.

Favored Suit:  The dealer can also call one of the four suits "favored" meaning if wands was the favored suit, a player with a pair of 5's in the wands suit would trump a player with a pair of 5's in another suit.

These calls and ante going into the pot are done prior to the dealing of cards.

----------------------------

Play is clockwise from the dealer (but that does not really matter in PbP, as we will see).

---------------------------

Money: All the money - coins, gems, trade bars, etc. - that a player is bringing to the table to use in the game and that which is won is kept on the table where all players can see it.  It can be taken off the table only once the player leaves the game.

No new money can be brought to the table (unless the player leaves for at least one hand and returns to the game).

Items to offer to the pot can come from the player's person at any time so long as the other players all agree to the value/worth of the item to the pot.

-------------------------
Rules follow normal 5 card draw poker EXCPEPT where there is an asterisk (*):

   1. Players ante up (place a small bet in the pot).

   2. Starting with the player to the dealer's left, the dealer deals each player five cards, the first two of which are face up, the rest of which are face down (*)  _{(In a normal game, all cards are dealt face down.)}

   3. Everyone picks up their cards from the table and checks out what they’ve got.

   4. There’s a round of betting, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.

   5. When the betting is done, those who are still in the hand get to trade in one, two, or three cards from their hand for new ones *(even face-up cards). If a player has an ace (a Dragon), he/she can trade in the other four cards in his/her hand, but usually has to show the ace. (You must show the Dragon).

      Note: You don’t have to trade any cards – if you’ve already got good hand, you’ll want to “stand pat” and keep the cards you were first dealt.

   6. After everyone receives their new cards, there’s another round of betting, starting to the dealer's left.

   7. After the betting is completed, players show their hands and the best hand wins the pot.

=========================================

For this to work in PbP, I will be dealing your cards, posting via private line what you have hidden, what is shown in public.

I will also post for the NPCs in a similar fashion.

This may slow the game down, and the poker game is not the central focus of this adventure, but it is a bit of fun, some money and gear can be gained and lost, and some investigation/RPing can occur, too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:32, Sun 26 Nov 2006.

Munching on one of the fried "fish fingers" dipped in "katsauce" piled on a plate next to the three garnets and a pile of silver and gold pieces in front of her, the halfling says Okay, here we go...dragons are wild and can be any suit.  A gold is all it takes to join this game.


She flips a gold onto the table's middle and deftly deals your cards, never once getting any of the red katsauce on the cards.  The way Durken is watching you, you think he'd skin her alive if she did.  If the bothers her, the hafling seems not to notice.

=================

MONEY:  3 small garnets _{(worth between 35 and 125 GPs each - Appraise checks could center in on the worth better)}  19 gold pieces and 27 silver pieces.

SHOWN CARDS: King of wands, 9 of gems

EDIT: 12/25:  Gnawing on her last fishfinger, the halfling takes a moment to look over her cards.  Showing no real expression, she lays them down and shakes her head slowly.

FOLD

Nah.  Okay, so who wants cards?

Ardo, you're up.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:58, Mon 25 Dec 2006.

Grumbling, the thin man takes one of the few coins before him and slides it into the middle of the table.

Azuth take my senses as I slept?

=========================

MONEY:  3 gold pieces, 6 silver pieces

SHOWN CARDS:  King of swords, 6 of wands

EDIT 12/25:  Traded in one card, got one card.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:02, Mon 25 Dec 2006.

The big man cracks his knuckles and then flips a gold coin into the middle of the table.

He smiles, looking at his cards.  Not bad, not bad...

You'd smile, too, if you had so many coins in front of you.

========================

MONEY:  4 gems (a garnet worth between 35 and 135 gold pieces, a piece of onyx worth between 20 and 75 gold pieces, and 2 rose quartzes worth between 10 and 50 gold pieces each - Appraise checks could help zero in on their worths), 19 platinum pieces, 46 gold pieces, and 43 silver pieces

SHOWN CARDS:  A wizard of gems and a 10 of gems

EDIT: 12/4/2006:  Bet: 1 gold piece.

EDIT: 12/27/2006: 1 card traded in and received.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:50, Thu 28 Dec 2006.

OOC: Players, please model your posts after those above.

"Money" does NOT include your first ante into the game.

Bets will go under the "shown cards" line and will make up the hand's pot.

To help the game flow, post once, keeping RPing to the start of the post, the card game details after that.

And what happens in The Blue Dragon Tavern does not always stay in The Blue Dragon Tavern...

======================================

PM from DM Mike:



Placing a gold in the ante and fifty more on the table, Elodeir waited for cards to be dealt to him, whispering a silent prayer to Tymora for his cards to be high.

========================

MONEY:  50 gold pieces
CURRENT BET: 2 gold

SHOWN CARDS:  7 of gems, 7 of coins.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:50, Tue 19 Dec 2006.

Drake slids his his gold into the pot.  He has played cards many times and learned early from his father. Maybe he will be able to gain some of those gems for himself.

Nov 28Drake sees he is up first, He taps the table, relinquishing the opportunity to lead the betting and passinging it to Amylarn to deside. ("checking" - if that is allowed)
========================

MONEY:  39 gold

SHOWN CARDS:  4 of gems, 6 of gems


======================

EDIT 12/3:

OOC: Checking/Staying is allowed.
EDIT 12/21:
Fold
This message was last edited by the player at 17:36, Thu 21 Dec 2006.

Amylarn's Cards
========================
UPDATED: 12/03/06

MONEY: 5 platinum 7 gold
CURRENT BET: 2 gold

SHOWN CARDS: 2 of coins and 2 of swords

========================
12/03/06 - Bet 2gp.
12/27/06 - Traded in 2 cards.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:58, Wed 27 Dec 2006.

"Of course you may, fair lady.  May Tymora shine upon you tonight," Elodeir answered the newcomer at the table, and offered her a smile before he received his cards.  "Ooh!  A pair!  Now, let's see if I've got any other sevens hidden under here, huh?" he said to no-one in particular, and took a look at his hidden cards.  "Hm...  Not bad at all," he mumbled, and grinned.

========================

MONEY:  50 gold pieces

SHOWN CARDS:  7 of gems, 7 of coins.


=====================

FROM DM:

Durken looks over at Elodeir's cards and nods.

Hate to say it, but your pair's got her's beat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:17, Tue 28 Nov 2006.

Cramming another fish finger dipped in katsauce into her toothy mouth, the halfling with the cards looks around the table.

Wanna let the new gal in the hand, or get bettin' and playin'?

OOC: Feel free to check out poker strategy tips if you like.  There are tons of sites on the 'net.

We'll see if our new PC can join in this hand, and then move on to the first round of bets.

Sitting gracefully, Shaeria smiles her thanks and replies, "I've got 50 here in my coin purse."  While waiting for cards she takes them out and sets them in even stacks on the table before her.


========================

MONEY:  50 gold pieces

SHOWN CARDS:  King of gems, 8 of swords



=====================
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:06, Tue 28 Nov 2006.

The halfling smiles, flipping through her cards and looks around at you all one last time.

Okay boys and ghouls - h'yuk h'yuk - dragons are wild and can be any suit.  That'll make some of us here very happy and others....well...?

She shrugs and looks to Drake (who is sitting first to her left).

It's your turn, handsome.  Toss out a bet.
This message was last updated by the player at 06:03, Sun 03 Dec 2006.

The order of seating (as best as I can manage):

                      Amylarn    Durken

                   Ardo                 Shaeria

                      Drake              Elodier
                              Krissa

The betting order for this hand:

Drake
Ardo
Amylarn
Durken
Shaeria
Elodier
Kirssa (dealer - always bets last)

--------------------------------

Feel free to use Chr. checks, Sense Motive, or Bluff checks as you like.

Playing her part, Amylarn looks down at her chest and then over at Elodeir with a curious expression. Then, as if noticing the half-elf’s cards for the first time she giggles. ”OH! A pair a cards! Aah see. Sevens bettern twos right?” She leans down to put her eyes close to the surface of the table and then lifts the edge of her cards to see the ones that are face down. To any curious looks she explains, ”If I pick ‘em up somebody might see ‘em.” and then she leans down and checks the cards again as if to make sure they were still the same as a moment ago.

---

OOC: Are we able to make sense motive checks on EACH of the other players as they make their bets? Six sense motive checks in a row? Are we trying to sense whether or not the person is bluffing with their cards? Or are we trying to get a general sense of how good they think their hand is?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Tue 28 Nov 2006.

OOC: For ease of things, let's say one Sense Motive check per hand will help you determine bluffs, value of hands, etc.

If you do the check later in the game, you may be able to tell more than if you did it earlier.

OOC: Just posting this to get the thread on the front page for me.  I see all the regions, so it has moved to page 2 on my screen.

The big blond man smiles and winks to the pretty elf new to the table.

Time moves differently for you fey folk, huh?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:38, Tue 19 Dec 2006.

OOC: NPCEd by DM Mike

The elven lass looks at her cards, then at all the coins on the table, then back at her cards.

She smiles apologetically and shrugs.

I think it best if I sit this hand out.  I want to see how the game is played first.

She pushes her cards in front of her and looks around the table.