Latest revision as of 02:42, 9 June 2010

Dragon's Gambit

Uses the Dragon's Blessing deck from Somori/ICCardDecks

The Rules

This game is most auspiciously played by 5 people, but this is merely a custom. The game consists of any number of hands, unless otherwise agreed there is no need to have the same set of players from hand to hand.

• Before each hand the players must agree on a bid value (usually shortened to "bid").
• A hand begins when all players involved add the bid to the pot.
• The nominated dealer deals out 5 cards to each player (this should be 1 each, then 2 each, etc. starting with person to his left).
• A player may choose to pass, buy a card or fold.
  • If he buys a card, he places more money equal to the bid into the pot.
  • If he folds and he has bought at least one card, he may take one bid back from the pot.
  • If he passes, choice passes to the next player.
• Once all players pass or there are no cards remaining in the deck, hands must be revealed and the winner determined.

From 5 cards in hand, declare and reveal one of the following combinations. Some have special conditions

• Aura of Synchronised Elemental Power 1-5 of the same element as the declaring Dragon-blooded (mortals may never declare this hand). Custom dictates a short anima-flare if this hand is challenged.
• Dragons As One All 5 Dragons
• Immaculate's Stand All 5 Immaculates
• Censors Convergent All 5 Censors
• Spiral of Elemental Power 1 of Air, 2 of Wood, 3 of Fire, 4 of Water, 5 of Earth
• Aura of Elemental Power 1-5 of an element that is not the same as the declaring dragon-blooded
• Synchronised Elemental Potential Five of a Kind of an element that is the same as the declaring dragon-blooded
• Coterminous Godly Effort Straight Flush of 4,5,Censor,Immaculate,Dragon
• Coterminous Effort Straight Flush
• Fulfilled Potential Five of a Kind of an element that is not the same as the declaring dragon-blooded
• Unfulfilled Potential Four of a Kind
• Synchronised Elemental Strike Flush of the element that is the same as the declaring dragon blood
• Feint and Kill Full House
• Unsynchronised Elemental Strike Flush
• Mismatched Godly Power Straight of 4,5,Censor,Immaculate,Dragon
• Mismatched Power Straight
• Beginners Killing Stroke Three of a Kind
• Twin Feints Two Pairs
• Weak Strike Pair
• Failed Student High Card - No player declaring a Failed Student may take money from this pot. If all players declare Failed Student, the pot is held over for another hand. Any player who does not play in the second hand forfeits his money

Comments

It's Exalted poker, I know, but poker is such a Terrestrial game, isn't it? You know you want a smoke filled room with elder Dynasts discussing the way the succession should be carried out. Or maybe a tavern on the docks where a young Solar, desperate for cash, tries to move to the big money table and is seated across from a Dragon-blooded player... -- Somori

The different cards make the odds different as well. Somori, feel free to delete this comment and incorporate it into the main body of the page. In the following C(x,y) means the number of combinations of x things taken y at a time, where order does not matter. P(x,y) means taking the permutations of x things taken y at a time where order does matter. If I did this right, odds for this game work like this:

• Number of suits: 5
• Ranks in a suit: 8
• Total cards: 40
• Cards in a hand: 5
• Total possible hands: C(40,5) = 658,008
• Aura of Synchronised Elemental Power: Of all possible hands, at most one of them is this hand. Odds 1:658,008.
• Dragons As One: Exactly one hand exists, so odds 1:658,008.
• Immaculate's Stand: Exactly one hand exists, so odds 1:658,008.
• Aura of Elemental Power: For immaculates, 4 ways to choose the suit and only one way to choose the ranks. 4*1=4. Odds 1:164,502. (Note that this is four time easier to get than several other hands that it outranks.)
• Censors Convergent: Exactly one hand exists, so odds 1:658,008.
• Spiral of Elemental Power: Exactly one hand exists, so odds 1:658,008.
• Coterminous Godly Effort: 5 ways to choose the suit and only one way to choose the ranks. 5*1=5. Odds ~1:131,602.
• Coterminous Effort: 5 ways to choose the suit, 2 ways to choose the low card of the straight (straights starting with 1 or 4 form higher ranking hands). 5*2=10 hands. Odds ~1:65,801.
• Five of a Kind isn't mentioned but is possible: 5 ways to choose the suit, 5 ways to choose the ranks (five of a non-numbered kind form higher ranking hands). 5*5=25. Odds ~1:26,320.
• Unfulfilled Potential: 8 ways to choose the rank. Of the 36 remaining cards, 1 would make a five of a kind, leaving 35 possibilities for the last card. 8*35=280. Odds ~1:2,350.
• Synchronised Elemental Strike: One way to choose the suit, C(8,5) ways to choose 5 cards of that suit, minus the 4 sequential flushes of that suit that make higher ranking hands. 1*C(8,5)-4=52. Odds 1:12,654.
• Feint and Kill: 8 choices for rank of three of a kind, C(5,3) ways to choose cards of that rank, 7 ways to choose rank of pair, C(5,2) ways to choose cards of that rank. 8*C(5,3)*7*C(5,2)=5,600. Odds 1:116. (Note that with the extra suits, a full house is much more likely than any flush, unlike in poker.)
• Unsynchronised Elemental Strike: Four ways to choose the suit (a flush of another suit makes a Synchronised Elemental Strike), C(8,5) ways to choose 5 cards of that suit, minus the 16 sequential flushes of those suits that make higher ranking hands. 4*C(8,5)-16=208. Odds ~1:3,164.
• Mismatched Godly Power: One choice for the rank of the lowest card, five choices for the suit of each card, minus the 5 straight flushes already counted. 1*5⁵-5 = 3,120. Odds ~1:211.
• Mismatched Power: 3 choices for the rank of the lowest card, five choices for the suit of each card, minus the 20 straight flushes already counted. 4*(5^5)-20 = 12,480. Odds ~1:53
• Beginners Killing Stroke: 8 ways to choose the rank, C(5,3) ways to choose the suited cards of that rank. 35 choices for the fourth card that don't improve the hand. 30 for the fifth (not 34 because the fifth can't be the same rank as the fourth). Divide by permutations of the unmatched cards P(2,2). 8*C(5,3)*35*30/P(2,2)=42,000. Odds ~1:16
• Twin Feints: C(8,2) to choose the ranks, C(5,2) to choose cards of first rank, C(5,2) ways to choose cards of second rank. Of the 36 remaining cards, 6 remain that are the same rank as the two pairs, leaving 30 possibilities for the last card. C(8,2)*C(5,2)*C(5,2)*30 = 84,000. Odds ~1:8.
• Weak Strike: 8 ways to choose the rank, C(5,2) ways to choose the suited cards of that rank. Of the 38 possible cards left to make the hand, we cant use any of the same rank as the pair, nor can we make a new pair (otherwise, we'd have a better hand). This leaves 35 possibilities for the third, 30 for the fourth and 25 for the fifth. Then divide by P(3,3) (the permutations of non-matching cards). Thus (8*C(5,2)*35*30*25Somori/P(3,3)=350,000. Odds ~1:1.9

-Wordman

Yikes, I am so glad other people out there are capable math geeks. I'll leave it as a comment, to make sure I don't mess anything up but I will take on board the Aura of Elemental Power and missing Five of a Kind. Updated now. Thanks again -- Somori

If you're in the mood to rank hands by the odds, Feint and Kill should rank less than Mismatched Godly Power. A bit strange, a flush beating a full house, but that's how the math works, largely because of the additional suit. -- Wordman