Casino & Ferrokinesis

Elias quietly gathered up the cards, the whisper of friction between the cardstock and the felt barely audible over the sounds of other tables being worked nearby. He always liked that sound — it was clean, crisp, and familiar, a tiny anchor in a place where everything else felt unpredictable.

It’s Texas Hold’em. He reminded himself as he squared the deck. Not that he needed the reminder. He’d dealt this game more times than he could count, but repetition didn’t stop his nerves from prickling when he worked the high‑spending tables. These players weren’t here for fun. They were here for blood. Normally, Elias would shuffle the cards in his own style — a flourish of movement, a ripple of cards that danced between his fingers, a showy reveal that made the deck look like it was splitting into three hands at once. It was a trick he’d practiced for years, something that made him feel like he had control over the table. But tonight wasn’t a night for theatrics.

This table wanted speed. Efficiency. No wasted motion.

So, Elias kept his shuffling clean and professional, in the style that didn’t draw attention. His fingers moved with methodical precision, but he felt the tension in his knuckles anyway. The players were watching him. They always watched the dealer at tables like this. When the deck was ready, he dealt.

“Alright, gentlemen, and ladies,” Elias said, his voice calm and steady, “when you’re ready, I will reveal the first three cards in the river.” He slid two cards to each player, the soft tap of each card landing on the felt marking the rhythm of the table. The group collectively took a moment to look at their cards. Elias watched their faces — or rather, the lack of expression on their faces. They were unreadable, masks carved from stone. Finally, they nodded. Elias flipped the first three cards with a gentle grace, revealing them like a magician unveiling the next part of a trick.

“Here is our flop,” he announced. The reaction from the group was instantaneous. Every face went cold as they began to focus intently on the first three cards. Two aces—hearts and diamonds— and a jack of hearts.

This is an intense group… wonder how much they’re playing for. Elias’s hands trembled microscopically as he focused. He doubted anyone noticed, but he felt it with his ferrokinesis. There was a lot of money on this table. A lot of cards, including VIP recognition cards. A lot of pressure. He recognized some of the players now. He’d seen them on the VIP list earlier in the night — names he wasn’t supposed to say out loud, people who didn’t like being acknowledged. It was nice to see them at his table, but “nice” wasn’t the right word. It was… lucrative. Potentially. A player placed coins forward — two black chips each. Elias didn’t need to look closely to know what that meant. High stakes. High risk. High reward. The other four players matched.

“Now, our Turn.” Elias said smoothly as he flipped over the next card, two of hearts. Then comes the river. Elias told himself. The casino around them buzzed with life — laughter from a nearby bar, the clinking of glasses, the distant chime of slot machines celebrating someone’s small victory. But none of that mattered here. This table existed in its own world, a bubble of tension and expectation.

This place is nothing like others, Elias thought. At most casinos, dealers got paid by the hour. But here? Here, if Elias wanted to get paid high, he had to ensure the win of the house. The house would give him a portion of the winnings depending on how high the pot was and how many players were involved. It was a dangerous system — one that rewarded subtlety and punished mistakes.

Finally. Elias found what he was looking for. His gaze locked onto the black fang ring on the right hand of a tall gentleman sitting across from him. The sign of the house.

Alright. Elias quietly placed one of his hands under the table, letting it hang for a moment before making a subtle movement. A dark blue chip shifted by a millimeter — barely noticeable, but enough.

C’mon… You know you want to, you greedy bastard. The man’s hand finally reached out. Yes! But his fingers connected with the red coins instead. He placed two down.

Oh… how interesting that he made such a choice. Twenty thousand dollars had just been added to the pot. One of the players immediately folded. Another matched. Then the others followed in suit.Elias’s curiosity sharpened. What cards did each player have? What were they hiding behind those stone faces?

“Lastly, comes our river,” Elias said, giving the final reveal a dramatic flourish. He hadn’t been paying attention to the cards until now. But when he looked, he felt a jolt of excitement. Ace of hearts. Ace of diamonds. Jack of hearts. Two of hearts. Two of spades. A volatile mix. His attention returned to the gentleman with the black fang ring. The man’s hands trembled — just slightly — but Elias saw it. He always saw it.

Looks like I won’t have to trick shuffle the deck this time. The players went around. None folded. The gentleman looked hesitant, irked. Elias let his finger twitch, nudging a coin forward just enough to make a soft sound as it tapped the felt. The man’s hand shifted toward the red coins again. Elias nudged once more. To his disappointment, another player folded at the sight of the red coin.

“Now our reveal,” Elias said simply. The first hand was a full house — jacks over twos. The next hand was a four‑of‑a‑kind with jacks, immediately overtaking the full house. Then came the gentleman’s turn. He revealed his cards. Another four‑of‑a‑kind. But aces. High aces ruled this table.

“We have our winner,” Elias announced, “the gentleman with the quad aces.” He smiled, professional and polite, as the winnings went to the house. Inside, he felt a rush of relief. He turned to the other players, his mind turning in thought.

“That’s no small sum you’ve just lost. Feel like chasing it, or adding a little more to the evening’s excitement? Five players make every chip count — especially for me.”

The players exchanged looks — some frustrated, some calculating, some already reaching for more chips. Elias straightened the deck again, feeling the familiar weight of the cards in his hands. The night was far from over. And the house always wanted more.