+=+ YuGiOh: Gentleman's Bluff - +1 Rep for Helpful Comments! +=+

[Deucalion]

Okay, so, a new fanfic! Yeah, my last didn't work out, I tried reviving it, but I just found I didn't like the characters nor the story anymore. So, anyway, I was watching the 1988 film "Rounders", and I had a sudden burst of inspiration. What if YuGiOh was more like poker? And so was born: Gentleman's Bluff.

 

[spoiler=Introduction]

Just over five thousand years ago, Egypt was in chaos. Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt fought a long and bloody series of wars, with thousands of casualties on both sides. The Nile was often said to glow crimson under the sun with blood of the fallen. However, eventually, a young man managed to harness the power of the monsters from a spirit realm, the Duel Monsters, and with their power, united Egypt to become the first Pharoah. He bound many of the monsters into tablets, which were used for dangerous Shadow Games, where the loser would suffer a painful death. Although the pharoahs managed to retain their rule for almost three millenia, the power of the Duel Monsters eventually corrupted and weakened much of Egypt, leading to its collapse.

 

Shortly before present date, an eccentric named Maximillion Pegasus discovered an Egyptian tomb relating to these stone tablets. He later released a card gane based on those monsters, which became an instant success, and rapidly became a large part of every day culture. Soon, like all such games, there even developed Duel Monster Cards gambling rings. However, the game was not suited to gambling, being a long, strategic game. Soon, some shady card sharks developed a new game - Gentleman's Bluff, played with Duel Monster cards. It quickly spread, until it became a feature in all major casinos, both legal ones, and those owned by the criminal organisations. There's a lot of money resting on the cards in Gentleman's Bluff, and large amounts of money have strange effects on people...

 

 

[spoiler=Gentleman's Bluff Rules]

Gentleman's Bluff is played much like Duel Monsters. All players (for there can be up to 6 at a time) start with a Deck of 40 cards. However, there are no Life Points, and each turn has a massive effect on play. The rules are below:

 

[spoiler=The Start Phase]

The Start Phase only occurs on the very first round of a Bluff. All players draw 3 cards. Then, roll a dice to see who is the First Player during the first turn.

 

[spoiler=The Bet Phase]

All players look at their hand, and both are forced to make a minimum bet. Then, the players can take it in turns, starting with the First Player, to call a higher bet. If your opponent calls a higher bet, you may either fold, or match their bet/raise their bet by betting more chips. If you folded, return your three cards to the bottom of your Deck, and then shuffle your Deck.

 

[spoiler=The Draw Phase]

All players draw until they have six cards in their hand.

 

[spoiler=The Main Phase]

In the Main Phase, the First Player goes first. Once the Turn Player has finished, the player to his right may begin.

 

The player may:

 

Normal Summon, Tribute Summon, or Set a monster.

Special Summon a monster(s).

Activate effects, such as those of "Barrel Dragon" or "Blowback Dragon".

Activate or Set Spell and/or Trap Cards of any speed. Quick-Play Spell Cards and Trap Cards cannot be activated in the Main Phase they are Set.

Manually change the Battle Position or perform a Flip Summon on a Monster Card, provided it was not Set or Summoned this turn.

 

[spoiler=The Battle Phase]

The Battle Phase is split into three parts.

 

The Start Step – Players may activate Spell/Trap Cards.

The Battle Step – All monsters which are able to attack, MUST attack as many times as possible. The Turn Player must select a player to be the subject of his attack, then select 1 of his monsters with which to attack, and 1 target monster to be attacked. Once the Turn Player has finished, play moves on to the player on his right. Players may activate Spell/Trap cards.

The End Step – Players may activate Spell/Trap Cards.

 

[spoiler=The Final Phase]

Each player finds the total Level of all the monsters on his side of the field. The player with the highest total Level wins the pot. If two players have an equal Level total, then the player who was closest in playing order to the First Player wins. All cards on the field are returned to the bottom of their owner's Decks. The Decks are then shuffled.

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

It all started with the roll of a die.

 

Spinning through the smoke-filled but well lit air, the die reached its apex, then dropped to the table, bouncing a few times. Jose grunted with satisfaction, before briefly sucking on his cigar and exhaling a thick fume of smoke.

 

“I think that's mine, boys.” His thick, drawling accent reduced it to “' think dat's mahn, bois”. “Fair an' square. Makes me der first playuh, if'n I'm not mis'taken.”

 

Al wasn't surprised. He'd been almost sure the die would have been loaded – this was Big Jose. Nor was Al fooled by his country hick accent. Big Jose was rumoured to be a fairly important mafioso in one of the larger gangs in New Checker City. Not that anyone had ever proven anything, and not that anyone would want to. Even the authorities tried to avoid the mafia where possible, especially after the infamous and gruesome Valentine killings, where three senior police officers who had been looking into mafioso related crimes had ended murdered, with no evidence as to the killers at all. No, nobody would be mad enough as to take on the mafiosos at their own game.

 

Except Al.

 

All the big mafia gangs ran their own casinos for Gentleman's Bluff, presenting legal fronts to the ordinary man on the street, and special rings for the occasional individual. It was an excellent source of income to sustain their crime – after all, the house always wins. Al Torregrossa knew all the rings, although never under name the name Al Torregrossa, because Al was a card shark. He'd enter a ring under an assumed name, various cards carefully concealed on his personage where no bumbling mafia guardsmen could find them, then cheat his way into a small fortune. After all, the house always wins – unless you cheat. On the rare occasion there was... trouble, he had back-up, in the form of his partner, Roland Bell, wielding a .44 Magnum, and never far from the getaway car – although every getaway had a different car.

 

This particular night was different, however. This was no ordinary ring, where the usual entrants were low level mobsters, who usually ended up disgraced and shamed after being played to the tune of a small fortune. This night, Al was playing one of the big boys – in fact, Big Jose. It seemed the mafiosos were getting irritated. Al suspected Jose knew that he was at this particular ring somehow – why else would he be here? However, there were also four others gathered around the table, so there was little way of telling if Jose knew which one of them was the infamous Ace of Spades, as Al was known. Currently, Al was Peter Torreli, a former prison inmate looking for some quick cash.

 

Al looked around the room carefully. He made it a point to always know the ins and outs of any location he came to, assessing possible threats and escapes. It was a small room, brightly lit by an electric chandelier above the table, but the smoke from Jose's cigar mugged the room, giving it a torrid, oppresive atmosphere. The only large objects in the room were the large playing table at which they were currently sat, the six chairs they were sitting on, and a drinks stand, offering a variety of black market liquor. There were eight people in the room – Jose, Al, four other competitors, and two security, one of whom was guarding the door, the other carefully watching the table. Neither appeared to have a weapon, but they didn't appear to need them. Both were built like tanks, with rippling arm muscles that promised pain and/or death to anyone unfortunate enough to encounter them.

 

Al then quickly surveyed the other five competitors. None of them knew him – if any had known him, then he'd have left immediately without joining the ring, for fear of being recognised. Big Jose was to be the First Player, having succesfully called the dice. Big Jose, much like the security guards, was indeed big. He wore a black evening suit, with a neatly formed grey tie, and a black bowler hat rested on his balding head. His hands were suprisingly delicate for a man of his build, appearing fairly deft and dextrous. Jose's face was thickset, like a boxer's, with a large nose and bushy eyebrows. There was a slight scar on his left temple. As Jose twirled the cigar between his fingers, Al noticed another, more proclaimed scar on his left hand. Al considered him to be the greatest threat in the room.

 

To the right of Jose, and the second person to declare play, was a woman in a crimson dress. She had long blonde hair that fell smoothly to her shoulders, and an attractive face with deep blue eyes. Al couldn't help lingering on her a few seconds longer than Jose, taking her in slowly with his gaze. However, he did consider her quite a possible danger – he'd had bad experiences with pretty casino women before.

 

The third person, and the one to Al's right, was a small, rat-faced man with mousey brown hair. He seemed nervous, occasionally chewing at his fingernail, before drumming his fingers on the table. He wore a dapper beige suit, but no hat, revealing a fairly distasteful comb-over. Al did not consider him much of a hazard, because of his slight build and apparent anxiety.

 

The fourth person was Al himself. To Al's left was the fifth person, a man in a white evening suit, with a rose in his lapel. By the way the man unconsciously looked to Big Jose, and how he seemed so relaxed in this environment, Al guessed he was another mafioso, possibly a foil for Big Jose, but it was difficult to be sure. This made him a high risk in Al's view, simply because Al disliked the unknown.

 

The sixth and final person, to the left of Big Jose, Al was surprised to see Joe Mortimer, am Eastside city developer with close connections to the mayor. Mortimer had apparently donated large amounts of money in a variety of ways to help the mayor back when he was campaigning for the postion, in return for the mayor turning the occasional blind-eye. However, Al didn't think even the mayor knew about this. Al was unsure as whether to class him as a risk or not, then decided against it. As a prominent city figure, Mortimer would probably not do too much. He had more to risk than the rest of them.

 

“Decks on der table.” instructed Big Jose. “Shuffle 'em, boyo.”

 

One of the security stepped forward and quickly shuffled each Deck, split them, and handed them, back to their respective owners.

 

“So, what's der min'mum bet? Shall we say one hundred?” Big Jose asked – not that it was a question. Everyone now understood the minimum bet was a hundred dollars, whether they liked it or not. “Good. I'm glad we agree. Now, I'll begin the Start Phase.” He drew three cards from his deck, and everyone followed suit. “Betting time, folks. You know what? I think I'm gonna raise it to two hundred. Any takers?”

 

Total Pot: $200

Jose's Amount: $200

 

“Fold.” The woman to his left returned her cards to her Deck, and then shuffled it, then put a one hundred dollar chip in the pot.

 

Total Pot: $300

Scarlet Dress's Amount: $100

 

“I'll match.” Ratty, as Al had mentally named him, placed two of the hundred dollar chips in the pot.

 

Total Pot: $500

Ratty's Amount: $200

 

“I'll fold.” Al said. Despite the fact his hand was very good – Victory Viper XX03, Pot of Greed and 7 Completed, meaning he could power up Victory Viper with 7 in order to summon plenty of Option Tokens, increasing his Field Score, with Pot of Greed for support – Al always folded on the first turn. It made people complacent, and complacent people are easy victims.

 

Total Pot: $600

Al's Amount: $100

 

“I'll raise.” said the guy in the white shirt, putting the chips in the pot. Al's suspiscion that he was a foil was practically confirmed when he saw Jose's brief smirk. “Three hundred.”

 

Total Pot: $900

Whiteshirt's Amount: $300

 

“Match.” Mortimer casually threw his chips in.

 

Total Pot: $1200

Mortimer's Amount: $300

 

“Match.” Jose placed another chip in.

 

Total Pot: $1300

Jose's Amount: $200, $100

 

“Match.” Ratty placed his.

 

Total Pot: $1400

Ratty's Amount: $200, $100

 

“Match.” said Whiteshirt, completing the Bet Phase.

 

A total pot of one thousand, four hundred dollars. And this was small stakes.

 

“Den we begin!” Jose grinned. He drew three more cards. “I summon Phantom Skyblaster, in attack mode!

 

[spoiler=Phantom Skyblaster]

Phantom Skyblaster

DARK/Fiend/4 Stars/1100 ATK/800 DEF

 

When you Normal or Flip Summon this card, you can Special Summon any number of "Skyblaster Tokens" (Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 500/DEF 500), but not more than the number of monsters you control. During your Standby Phase, you can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each "Skyblaster" monster you control. If you activate this effect, "Skyblaster" monsters you control cannot attack this turn.

 

 

 

His special ability allows me to invite a friend of his, Skyblaster Token! Then, I place two cards face-down.” Jose flicked Phantom Skyblaster onto the table face-up and used a chip as token, then put down two face-down cards, his hands moving deceptively quickly. Al was mildly impressed. That gave him a field score of 8, as he had two Level 4 monsters, which wasn't too shabby. There were also two face-downs for Ratty and Mortimer to consider. The drawling accent had also disappeared while Jose was concentrating on his moves.

 

“I'm going to summon... Enraged Battle Ox, in... attack mode, and... end my turn.” mumbled Ratty, his hand shaking as he played the card. Al was increasingly getting the feeling Ratty knew very little about this, and was in deep water. He'd made a novice move, not even using any Spells or Traps to support his Enraged Battle Ox.

 

[spoiler=Enraged Battle Ox]

Enraged Battle Ox

EARTH/Beast-Warrior/4 Stars/1700 ATK/1000 DEF

 

No effect in Gentleman's Bluff.

 

 

 

“I summon Kryuel, in attack mode, then place on first down card. Then, I end my turn.” Whiteshirt confidently placed his cards down. And why shouldn't he be confident? As a foil, he had nothing to lose. It was also a good move. He was giving Ratty an inviting target that might have the chance of leaving him open for Jose.

 

[spoiler=Kryuel]

Kryuel

DARK/Fiend/4 Stars/1000 ATK/1700 DEF

 

When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, toss a coin and call it. If you call it right, destroy 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field.

 

 

 

“I Set one monster. You feelin' lucky, boys?” Mortimer smiled. It was almost predatory. Al wasn't sure what to make of this move. Only one monster, but Mortimer seemed deadly sure of himself.

 

Al had the feeling this was going to be a long match.

[Deucalion]

Bump for comments.

[Mysty]

Very original idea for yugioh. I like it.

I do suggest that you put the chapters in spoilers, even if you only have 1 so far. This will keep the first post from getting too big so that more comments can be posted on the first page.

There really isn't much that can be changed.

[thecross]

That's an awsome idea for yugioh they would have a show for that

[bury the year]

Oh, you're not continuing your old one? D:

 

Anyhoo, I do like the new spin on Duel Monsters, particularly the Godfather-esque feel to it, but I do have a few qualms to state.

 

1) Describe the characters over the course of the story, instead of laying all of their physical info out on the table at once. It's a bit overwhelming.

2) I do believe that it's "call", not "match".

3) You should put a bit in the explanation of the Final Phase of GB about the monster's Level being called the Field Score. It confused me a bit on the first read-through.

 

Anyhoo, I have nothing major here. I love the new twist, and I'll definitely be sticking with this story.