Know When to Hole 'Em

Gambling was commonplace and socially acceptable in the Old American West, so it’s only natural that a guy like John Marston would occasionally press his luck in Red Dead Redemption. Poker and Blackjack are popular activities in the saloons that John visits, but he’s not limited to cards by any means. He also has the opportunity to bet on arm wrestling, horseshoes, liar’s dice, and five finger filet. He can lose considerable sums of cash if he wagers incorrectly, and his very life will be at risk if he’s caught cheating. Many people relied on gambling to make a living on the Frontier, and disputes that arose from cheating or deception would often result in death. John can potentially get away with cheating if he wears a special suit with a hidden pocket, but he best prepare for a duel when things inevitably go south.

A tireless professional unfazed by morality, Oswald is an enigma even to his creators. Little is known about his past, but few individuals on this list are more committed to the gambling theme than Oswald. Almost every facet of his character is informed by playing cards in one way or another. He uses cards to slash his opponents, and many of his special moves were named after specific suits. Appropriately enough, his “Ace” maneuver will either deliver an incredible amount of damage or leave him exposed to a counter-attack. When pushed to the point of desperation, he uses a move called “Joker” which sees him throwing an entire deck at his opponent. Even his color scheme is a reference to cards. With his white hair, black suit, red shirt, and yellow tie, Oswald would fit right in with a family of face cards.

With his tailcoat and folded sleeves, Spider looks like a gambler and he fights like one too. He arms himself with playing cards, and his signature move requires a combination of luck and knowledge of five-card poker. The effectiveness of his attacks are largely determined by what cards he holds. Spider is introduced as an ally in Mega Man X: Command Mission and appears to sacrifice himself at one point. It’s later revealed that it was all an act and that Spider was actually the villainous Colonel Redips in disguise! In an effort to gather intelligence on the Rebellion, Redips started spelling his name backwards and pretended to befriend X and Zero. He probably should have put more thought into his fake name, but it’s hard to argue with results. The move illustrated both his willingness to take risks and the effectiveness of his poker face.

Within moments of being introduced in Dragon Quest VIII, Angelo incites a bar fight by cheating at a card game. While the bar is being torn apart, he quietly sneaks out back and starts flirting with a hot chick that he just met. Angelo’s fondness for alcohol and gambling defines him in many ways, but he’s also a Templar Knight who is responsible for protecting the abbey he grew up in. His fellow knights look down on him for his lifestyle choices, but there’s more to his personality than his selfish exterior suggests. He wears a mask of indifference and comes across as condescending at times, but he’s loyal to his friends and goes to great lengths to protect the people he cares about. He staves off ceremonial duties, however, and prefers to spend his time swindling villagers and chasing skirts.

Known as the ultimate gambler and the queen of liars, Celestia “Celeste” Ludenberg is famed for her ability to manipulate others. With a cold heart and a cunning personality, the loligoth gambler can lie with a straight face and will do anything it takes to win. She began gambling at a young age and would even put her own life on the line for a chance to accumulate more money. Celeste believes that luck is built into every human from the moment of conception. What others call fate, she calls life. Although she is known for her intelligence, Celeste feels that adaptability is the key to survival. Unfortunately for her, she was neither adaptable nor lucky enough to get away with murder. I guess it’s true what they say about gambling: sometimes you win, and sometimes your crimes are exposed before you are hit by a firetruck.

Twisted Fate was born to a nomadic race that swindled people out of their money in gambling tents. When a group of disgruntled men came to extract their revenge, Twisted Fate protected his family and drove the angry mob away. In response to his act of bravery, his people chose to exile him for breaking the “code of the river” or some bullshit. From that point on, Twisted Fate became a vagabond who survived by hustling patrons of gambling dens. The “Master of Cards” made many enemies in his travels, but he also captured the imagination of the people and became a folk hero. When he’s not parting fools from their gold, Twisted Fate uses his magic cards in battle. The cards can increase his attributes, be thrown as projectiles, or predict the future of his foes. He rarely takes things seriously. After all, it’s not gambling if you can’t lose.

A member of the nefarious Organization XIII, Luxord conducts secret experiments and forces his opponents to play elaborate games of chance. He speaks at length about the importance of luck and can work gambling metaphors into any conversation, but the so-called “Gambler of Fate” controls his own destiny through an uncanny ability to manipulate time. When he’s drawn into battle, Luxord arms himself with cards of various sizes. The razor-sharp cards can be thrown like projectiles, but they can also create defensive barriers or warp reality as we know it. Luxord can turn his enemies into cards and will even turn himself into a card in order to blend in with his surroundings! Luxord’s experiments occasionally fail, but he treats all of his missions as games. To him, life is a game, and he has all the time in the world to play it.

Mr. King Dice is the right-hand man of the Devil and the manager of his casino. His main responsibility is making sure his boss gets paid, and he acts as a gatekeeper on the overworld. Although he has a dice-for-a-head and hangs out in a gambling house, he doesn’t take chances with his own life. Before Cuphead and Mugman can fight him, King Dice makes them participate in an elaborate game of chance. The game is slanted in the house’s favor of course, so our heroes will have to contend with several henchmen before taking on King Dice directly. (These henchmen are all based on common casino-related objects like poker chips, roulette wheels, and skeletal horses.) When King Dice finally shows his hand, he attacks with rows of oversized cards that cannot be avoided. Ya betta’ believe this dice is loaded!

Rio Rollins Tachibana is the main character in Tecmo’s Pachislo Sengen series. After appearing in a number of casino-themed games, her adventures were further explored in her very own anime. Rio is the most popular dealer at the world-famous Howard Resort casino, and she constantly finds herself involved in games of chance – ranging from poker to Russian roulette and everything in between. In 2010, the well-endowed dealer finally made her debut outside of Japan in Dead or Alive Paradise. Incidentally, when she’s not dealing cards, she spends most of her time relaxing on the beach. She rubs shoulders with the rich and famous and is said to bring good luck to gamblers simply by walking by them. This sounds like a negative quality for her line of work, but Rio is still recognized as the world’s most valuable casino dealer.

Setzer is defined by loose morals and an insatiable thirst for adventure. His natural charisma is apparent to all, but he’s also a social outcasts who lives outside the laws and norms of society. He gambles, in part, to distract himself from his tragic past, but his thrill-seeking habits were developed at a young age. Setzer thrives on risk and has the scars to prove it! He races airships, kidnaps renowned opera singers, and occasionally allows his decisions to be dictated by a coin toss. His airships are adorned with gambling tables, and he arms himself with unorthodox weapons like dice and playing cards. He also relies on chance in battle, and his special “Slot” ability can lead to random outcomes. Setzer knows that his number is going to be up eventually, but he enjoys playing the odds and is more than willing to ante up his own life.