La Seleccion Strip Poker Nights - ROUND FOUR - B
“Are you two done?” Gerard got up and waved his hands in front of his teammates.
“Yes. Sorry.” they both aplogised, looking rather sheepishly at Gerard.
“All right, this blind thing. Who's in favour?”
“Gerard, maybe blind is not that good an idea.”
“I respectfully disagree, Xabi. I think it's the best idea Iker had so far, game plan wise. So, raise your hand if you want to play blind.”
Iker, David, Gerard, Alvaro and Raul all raised their hands, leaving Xabi, Joan and Juan Mata pursing their lips.
“Why don't you want to play blind?” Alvaro shoved Juanin.
“I'd rather see my cards before, thank you very much.”
“He's just a fluffy little boy, he's afraid of the big bad blind!” Raul mocked, leaning over to ruffle Juan's curls.
“You three. Enough! Gerard, you're the host, tell them to behave already!” Joan wasn't at all amused.
He hated playing blind, even in regular poker. He felt it was taking away from personal craft and relying simply on luck, which was, of course, true.
Gerard sighed, there was nothing wrong with the three musketeers enjoying themselves a bit. But he knew he had to please all his guests.
“OK, please behave, this is serious business. Or else, I’ll unleash Fabregas on you....he's a superhero, you know!”
“What's your superpower, Cesc?” Alvaro wanted to know, barely refraining his laughter.
“The power of........TICKLE!!!!” and Cesc launched himself at the closest of the three, which was Raul, and attempted to tickle him.
“Oh god, I think I'll leave if this carries on.”
“No, Joan, sorry. Sorry. Cesc can indeed tickle someone to death, one day he didn't stop in time and I peed my pant-”
“TOO MUCH INFORMATION!” Alvaro cried, covering his face and roaring with laughter.
Xabi was sideyeing Iker with a 'look what you started' face and Iker was trying to hide his annoyance at the gang.
“Maybe we should make grownups poker table and kiddies table next time.” David pitched in.
It was getting a little ridiculous. He wanted to play the damn poker, win and take Pique, or whomever lost to him and give them a good fucking. He was of course, ignoring that he had lost the first game he had played, game that Pique had won.
It took 3 more minutes before Alvaro's and Raul's sanity was restored and Cesc was shoved back away from the table and the game resumed.
Cards still down, just as he had dealt them, Gerard announced blind and asked the seven players to state their bid.
“Folding.” Joan announced.
He was refusing to play like this, out of principle.
“In.” Mata coughed his bid.
“Really.” Alvaro snorted.
“Yeah, why not.”
“In, of course.” Alvaro then said.
“In.” Iker placed his large hand on top of the cards.
“All right, in.” Xabi conceded.
He was doing it more out of the need to protect Iker than anything else. He felt completely infuriated that he wasn't allowed to enjoy the game anymore, with everyone sullying it to suit their personal agenda.
“Going for it, no doubt!” Gerard patted the cards affectionately.
“Count me in.” David mumbled.
“Going once, going twice, gone!” Raul cheered. “Turn the cards, turn the cards, turn the cards!” he started chanting, hitting the table rhythmically.
Iker had to lunge and smack Alvaro before he started chanting as well.
“God, what did I ever do to deserve such a thing!” he mocked wailed, his face showing his true feelings.
“You came to the game.” Xabi whispered in his ear.
Iker shook his head and began turning his cards, just as everyone else. He had two pairs, fours and sixes. Alvaro had three fives. David had king high straight. Juan had another king high straight, which caused a little fretting. Raul had the last remaining two jacks and two fives. Xabi had full house, aces and nines and for a second Iker looked really relieved, as this would be his third loss to Xabi, practically ensuring the final standing.
Gerard was cackling madly, having covered the cards face up with his large hand.
“Don't tell me you have a better hand.” Xabi frowned.
“Oh...just look for yourself.”
The two may have been the smallest rank, but not when someone had the whole suit. The ace of spades guarded the gloriously ironic four of a kind.
“Whoa! Never seen anyone ever win with a two four of a kind, not before an aces full house, anyway.”
In the debate that followed, it went unnoticed how evilly Iker was glaring at Gerard, as he was removing his left sock.
“My god, I think all the previous crap sessions I had are being avenged tonight. I'm winning, guys, I’m fucking winning!” Gerard chirped riotously, oblivious of the upset he was causing.
“I bet Joan had three four of a kind .” Alvaro chuckled.
“We'll never know!” Gerard commented as he picked Joan's cards before him and shuffled them with the others.
Joan frowned. He could lose a game, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It was obvious that playing blind was making everyone more excited and more relaxed. He shrugged.
“OK, do we play blind again?” Raul wondered.
“The masses have spoken, I guess we are playing the whole game blind.” Gerard explained.
And he dealt the cards again.
Iker's heart was thrumming in his chest as he noticed the looks Gerard was giving him as he dealt him each card. But he knew very well show must go on. He wanted to risk. He went in, together with 6 of them, this time only Juan Mata folding, in the disapproving glares of his friends, Raul and Alvaro.
“Cards up, now!”
Joan smiled in satisfaction at his seven high straight. At least it was decent cards. Alvaro had three of a kind again, this time three twos.
“Man, shuffle them cards better, this is a little ridiculous.” he complained.
“Didn't you see me shuffle them for 2 minutes?”
“Maybe you have greasy hands and you made the cards stick.”
Gerard didn't say anything to that, but turned over his cards. He had a diamonds flush, highest card the king of diamonds. Raul had two pairs, aces and sevens. Xabi had also two pairs, kings and queens. David revealed to have another flush, clubs, with the king as the highest card.
“Whoa. Let's see there.” Xabi felt his poker side all tingling.
Gerard smirked and spread the cards, arranging them by rank for better visibility. King of diamonds, ten of diamonds, six of diamonds, five of diamond and three of diamonds, versus the King of clubs, ten of clubs, six of clubs, five of clubs and three of clubs.
“Looks like you're evenly matched.”
“I don't think so. The diamond is the weakest suit, I win.” David stated, folding his arms across his chest.
“That's not correct at all. AT ALL. The suits are all the same, we discussed this before, when I was tied with David Silva....”
The mention of the other David made everyone uncomfortable for a minute before the debate was resumed. Joan and Alvaro, together with Xabi were of the opinion that Gerard and David were tied, while David and Juan kept trying to explain that suits were also ranked.
In all the commotion, no-one noticed Iker was taking off his other sock, the cards in front of him, a pair of jacks, half covered by his elbow and largely ignored as his teammates battled.
“Wait, wait. Who lost?”
Iker raised a hand and put forward his lousy pair. He smiled uncomfortably and collected the others' cards, beginning to shuffle them.
“Wait. Are we still playing blind?” Joan asked.
“Iker's before a final loss, I say we quit blind.” Xabi quipped, feeling rather concerned.
“Hmm....that is very true. Iker?”
“Blind.”
“Iker?” Xabi pleaded.
“Blind.”
“I think you've gone too far, Iker.” Xabi patted his arm, trying to get his lover to reason a bit.
“I know what I'm doing. Maybe I won't bet.” Iker looked white as a ghost and his voice trembled, but he spoke as determined as possible.
Gerard knew he had to intervene, he was host and technically controlled the game. For Xabi's sake, and definitely not for Iker, he would call the blind off.
“Guys. I think the blind is unnecessarily perilous at this stage. I think we all agree.”
There was mumbled consent and the cards were dealt. Barely acknowledging his three fives, Iker decided to go for it. This was his moment to lose and he wanted to be sure it happened when he was prepared for it.
“In.” he said without the littlest hesitation, keeping his eyes on the cards.
Xabi looked at his cards, it was a jack high straight. He could only hope that was good enough for Iker to lose to him.
“In.”
Joan opted out, his pair of nines was not inspiring at all. Raul thought a little and decided that his three sixes were not worth losing another clothing item, so he folded as well. Juan had nothing, so he folded too.
Alvaro inspected his two pairs and folded, aware that he would've probably gone in had it been blind. David had been blessed with a ten high straight and he went in.
“I'm in.” Gerard announced.
Iker turned his cards over, followed by Xabi. There was a glimmer of hope in both their eyes when David showed the cards he had and Iker felt the Basque's hand grabbing his. This sort of reassurance was not what he needed, but he accepted it nonetheless.
Then Gerard revealed his nines and aces full house.
“Thus, I win.” he said simply. “Iker...” he prompted the older man that just sat there with a blank expression.
“Wait. Wait a goddamn minute. We must play at least another game. Iker's lost two games to Xabi and two to Gerard...”
“Two and a half to Gerard. That one's a tie, David. And he's not lost once. It's borderline, but it's clear overall win.” Xabi explained, his heart aching.
“FINE!” David yelled, throwing his cards.
Silence dropped on the party, the only sounds being Iker's and Gerard's chairs being dragged across the floor and Cesc approaching the table, without saying a thing.
Iker bolted out bundling his clothes and Gerard followed, the door shutting louder than it should've, startling Mata and Joan that were busy finishing the Nesquick cereals.