‘I’d feel a damn sight luckier if that witch hadn’t buggered off with our loot,’ Malvery griped.
Frey slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Look on the bright side. She might have killed us.’
‘There is that,’ Malvery conceded.
‘Is . . . um . . . I was wondering, is anyone else hungry?’ Harkins enquired.
‘We should probably take Silo to a hospital,’ Jez suggested. ‘Get him a good bed and some nurses.’
Frey looked at Malvery. ‘How long before Silo’s capable of getting back to work? In your expert opinion?’
‘Three weeks, I’d say,’ Malvery said. ‘Maybe four.’
Frey scratched the back of his neck. ‘Well, what with all we’ve been through we probably deserve a little port time.’
Pinn’s eyes lit up at the prospect of booze and whores. Frey held up the bag of coins. ‘Drinks are on me tonight!’
There was a cheer from the men.
‘Jez!’ he barked.
‘Cap’n!’
‘Find us a nice, out-of-the-way port with a good hospital, lively nightlife and a place where a man can find a game of Rake.’
‘Skinner’s Gorge?’
‘Skinner’s Gorge sounds good to me.’
There was another cheer, and they slapped each other’s backs and shook hands in wild and vague congratulations. The chest full of ducats was forgotten already. They had all they needed. They were glad just to be alive.
Frey couldn’t keep down a grin. As he looked at the laughing faces of his crew, he was consumed by a surge of affection for these people, these men and women who shared his aircraft and his life. They were happy, and free, and the endless sky awaited them.
It was enough.
How to Play Rake
Rake is a variant of poker, in which the player must make the best five-card hand to win. The game has existed for centuries, since before the fall of the monarchy: the first recorded mention was as far back as 87/29 (UY3069). For most of that time it was confined to the peasantry, and was viewed as a rather vulgar pastime by the rich. It was popularised in Vardia during the First Aerium War, when the mingling of conscripted troops allowed the game to spread. Soon, even the aristocrats who commanded them had caught on, and Rake passed from the taverns and dens into the drawing-rooms of the wealthy. Since then it has become the most popular card game in Vardia.
Rake is played with a standard 52-card Vardic deck, comprising 13 cards of each of the four suits: Skulls, Wings, Fangs and Crosses. Each suit comprises (in order of value) the numbers 2-10, followed by the face cards: Priest, Lady, Duke, Ace. The Ace, the highest card, also functions as the number 1 for the purpose of runs.
The object of a hand of Rake is to achieve to best possible combination of five cards. These combinations are scored below, in order of rank. Two pair beats three-of-a-kind, Suits Full beats a run, etc.
High Card
In this case, with no combination possible, only the highest card in the hand is counted. Therefore, a player whose highest card is an Ace beats one whose highest card is only a Priest.
Pair
Two cards of the same value. In the above example, the player has two tens. A higher pair, such as Ladies, will beat him. The remaining cards are disregarded, unless two players have identical pairs, in which case the one with the highest value remaining card wins.
Two Pair
Two pairs of the same value. If two players should have two pair, then the player with the highest pair wins. If both players have the same high pair, the player with the next highest pair wins. In the unlikely event that both have the same two pairs, the remaining card comes into play: again, the player with the highest card wins.
Three-of-a-kind
Three cards of the same value. If two or more players have three-of-a-kind, the highest triplet wins. The above hand would be referred to as Three Dukes.
Run
Five cards of sequential value, but different suits. An Ace in this case can count as either a one or an Ace. If two of more players have a Run, the one incorporating the highest card wins.
Suits Full
Five cards of the same suit. They are referred to as Wings Full, Crosses Full and so on. As in a Run, in the case of two players holding Suits Full, the one whose hand incorporates the highest card wins. If it is the same, they go to the next highest, etc, until the hand is resolved.
Full Pack
A Full Pack is three-of-a-kind of one value and a pair of another. In the case of two players holding it, the higher value three-of-a-kind wins.
Quads
Four cards of the same value. The last card is disregarded. The above hand would be referred to as Four Ladies, or Quad Ladies.
Rake
Five cards of the same suit in sequential order. This is the highest scoring hand in Rake. If two people should have it, the one incorporating the highest card wins.
The Ace of Skulls
The Ace of Skulls is the most dangerous card in the game of Rake, both for the player who holds it and their opponents. A player who holds the Ace of Skulls must incorporate that card into a scoring hand of three-of-a-kind or higher, or they will automatically lose the hand. The Ace of Skulls must be part of the scoring combination (eg, one of the three cards that forms the three-of-a-kind)—it cannot be a redundant card in the hand, or the player loses. Similarly, if the player cannot manage better than High Card, Pair, or Two Pair—whether the Ace of Skulls is involved or not—the player loses. However, should the player manage to incorporate the Ace of Skulls into a scoring hand of three-of-a-kind or higher, they automatically win the hand, regardless of what their opponents are holding.
Rake is played with 2-8 players, though 6 at a table is considered optimum.
The Ante
Players make a minimum bet before the hand commences, the value of which is agreed and determined beforehand. This goes into the pot—the money available to be won—and will be taken by the victor of the hand.
The Deal
Each player is dealt three cards, face down. The player does not show these cards to anyone, but may look at them.
First round of betting
The players bet based on the cards in their hand. A player’s bet must be matched or raised by the players to their left, or they may fold, forfeit their ante and take no further part in the hand. Betting continues until all bets are even, at which point the money goes into the pot. There is no limit or restrictions to the betting in Rake. Players can choose to bet nothing, as long as nobody around the table raises them.
The Middle Cards
Now the Middle Cards are dealt. For each player at the table, one card is dealt face up, and one face down. So if there are six players, six cards are dealt face up and six face down, along the middle of the table. These are cards available to be picked up by all the players.
First Pick-up
Each player now takes one of the Middle Cards, hoping to improve their hand. The player to the left of the dealer picks up first, followed by the player to their left, until all players have picked one up. Players may take a face-up card or a face-down card. Face-up cards have the obvious advantage that the player knows their value, but they also give away information about the player’s hand to their opponents. They may also be useless to some players, who would rather take an unknown card in the hope of picking one up that helps their hand. Experienced Rake players may use their choice of cards in the pick-up to bluff and deceive their opponents, by misrepresenting the cards they hold.