head. “About eighteen billion credits.”
“And you own the Monte Carlo system, right?”
“All fourteen planets.”
“Including mining rights?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” I said. “That’s your half of the bet. For my half, I’ll put up all the money I’ve won here, plus fifteen billion I’ve got on deposit at the Bank of Deluros, and the deed to all nine planets in the Taniguchi system. They discovered diamonds in the asteroid belt there last month.”
“What’s the bet?” he said, eyeing me warily.
“One hand of face-up draw, winner take all.”
“Face-up draw?” he repeated. “I never heard of it.”
“Nothing to it,” I said. “We turn all the cards face-up, and instead of dealing, we each choose five cards. Then we can discard up to four cards and draw four more. It’s just draw poker with everything face-up and out in the open.”
“We’ll tie. You’ll deal yourself a royal flush and stand pat and I’ll do the same.”
“Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll stipulate that you win all ties. My cards have to have you beat, not just tied, in order for me to win.”
“Say that again.”
I repeated it.
“And there’s no suit preference like in bridge?” he persisted. “A three of clubs is as high as a three of spades?”
“Right,” I said. “And I’ll tell you what else: I’ll go first, so you can have the advantage of seeing what I do before you commit yourself.”
Well, he spent the better part of five minutes asking me all kinds of questions, but it was just like I told him, and finally he and I signed a document agreeing to the terms I had outlined.
And that’s how I broke the bank at Monte Carlo.
“Just a minute!”!” said Three-Gun Max heatedly. “What kind of fools do you take us for?”
“The usual kind,” answered O’Grady with a smug smile.
“There’s no way you can win that bet!”
“Don’t take my word for it,” said O’Grady. “Who’s the brightest man in the Outpost?”
“Einstein.”
“Ask him.”
“He’s blind, deaf, and mute,” said Max. “And if that ain’t enough, he’s never played poker in his life.”
“Just a minute,” said Big Red. He turned to me. “Tomahawk, can you have Reggie transmit all the rules to the little computer Einstein always keeps in his hand?”
“No reason why not,” I replied.
“It’ll take him hours just to learn the rudiments of the game,” protested Max.
“You don’t know Einstein,” said Big Red confidently.
I gave Reggie his instructions, and he started whirring and humming, and so did Einstein’s machine, which then started tapping out some incomprehensible code on the palm of his left hand. After about twenty seconds Einstein smiled, the first time his facial expression had changed since he’d shown up a few months ago, and he tapped a message onto his computer’s sensors.
Reggie whirred again and then spoke in his dull monotone voice. “Einstein says O’Grady can’t lose.”
“Well, if Einstein ain’t the stupidest genius on the Frontier, I sure don’t know who’s running ahead of him!” exclaimed Max.
“You’re absolutely certain that Einstein and I are wrong, are you?” asked O’Grady.
“Damned right.”
“Are you willing to bet a hundred credits on it?”
“Real cards, just like you used on Monte Carlo?”
“Right.”
“Fresh deck, same rules?”
“Fresh deck, same rules,” agreed O’Grady.
Max pulled a hundred-credit note out of his pocket and tossed it onto his table. “You’re on.”
O’Grady sat down opposite him, and I broke open a new deck and brought it over to them.
“You go first,” said Max.
“I know.”
“And remember: I win all ties.”
O’Grady spread the deck out, face-up, so that we could see all 52 cards. I figured he’d pull himself a royal flush, or at least four aces. Instead he started sorting through them until he had pulled out all four tens.
Then he turned to Sahara del Rio, who was staring over his
“And you own the Monte Carlo system, right?”
“All fourteen planets.”
“Including mining rights?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” I said. “That’s your half of the bet. For my half, I’ll put up all the money I’ve won here, plus fifteen billion I’ve got on deposit at the Bank of Deluros, and the deed to all nine planets in the Taniguchi system. They discovered diamonds in the asteroid belt there last month.”
“What’s the bet?” he said, eyeing me warily.
“One hand of face-up draw, winner take all.”
“Face-up draw?” he repeated. “I never heard of it.”
“Nothing to it,” I said. “We turn all the cards face-up, and instead of dealing, we each choose five cards. Then we can discard up to four cards and draw four more. It’s just draw poker with everything face-up and out in the open.”
“We’ll tie. You’ll deal yourself a royal flush and stand pat and I’ll do the same.”
“Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll stipulate that you win all ties. My cards have to have you beat, not just tied, in order for me to win.”
“Say that again.”
I repeated it.
“And there’s no suit preference like in bridge?” he persisted. “A three of clubs is as high as a three of spades?”
“Right,” I said. “And I’ll tell you what else: I’ll go first, so you can have the advantage of seeing what I do before you commit yourself.”
Well, he spent the better part of five minutes asking me all kinds of questions, but it was just like I told him, and finally he and I signed a document agreeing to the terms I had outlined.
And that’s how I broke the bank at Monte Carlo.
“Just a minute!”!” said Three-Gun Max heatedly. “What kind of fools do you take us for?”
“The usual kind,” answered O’Grady with a smug smile.
“There’s no way you can win that bet!”
“Don’t take my word for it,” said O’Grady. “Who’s the brightest man in the Outpost?”
“Einstein.”
“Ask him.”
“He’s blind, deaf, and mute,” said Max. “And if that ain’t enough, he’s never played poker in his life.”
“Just a minute,” said Big Red. He turned to me. “Tomahawk, can you have Reggie transmit all the rules to the little computer Einstein always keeps in his hand?”
“No reason why not,” I replied.
“It’ll take him hours just to learn the rudiments of the game,” protested Max.
“You don’t know Einstein,” said Big Red confidently.
I gave Reggie his instructions, and he started whirring and humming, and so did Einstein’s machine, which then started tapping out some incomprehensible code on the palm of his left hand. After about twenty seconds Einstein smiled, the first time his facial expression had changed since he’d shown up a few months ago, and he tapped a message onto his computer’s sensors.
Reggie whirred again and then spoke in his dull monotone voice. “Einstein says O’Grady can’t lose.”
“Well, if Einstein ain’t the stupidest genius on the Frontier, I sure don’t know who’s running ahead of him!” exclaimed Max.
“You’re absolutely certain that Einstein and I are wrong, are you?” asked O’Grady.
“Damned right.”
“Are you willing to bet a hundred credits on it?”
“Real cards, just like you used on Monte Carlo?”
“Right.”
“Fresh deck, same rules?”
“Fresh deck, same rules,” agreed O’Grady.
Max pulled a hundred-credit note out of his pocket and tossed it onto his table. “You’re on.”
O’Grady sat down opposite him, and I broke open a new deck and brought it over to them.
“You go first,” said Max.
“I know.”
“And remember: I win all ties.”
O’Grady spread the deck out, face-up, so that we could see all 52 cards. I figured he’d pull himself a royal flush, or at least four aces. Instead he started sorting through them until he had pulled out all four tens.
Then he turned to Sahara del Rio, who was staring over his
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