31st Century Entertainment

Four-Card Drax

The convolutions dear to League hearts are evident in its favorite card game, Four Card Drax.  Especially favored by the military, Drax needs just 52 cards to play.  There are even Drax tables at the Cave on Kyeinnisan, an independant planet between the Protectorate and Regulus that is also known as "The Gambler's World."

Traced back to an ancient card game called Poker (which is still played), Drax itself is quite old, being played before the formation of the Free Worlds League.  It lends itself very well to high-stakes gambling.  Legend has it that Corey Chang once won HighPoint Traders from Hugo Schmatz on the last turn of a Drax card.  While history does not record what became of Schmatz, rumor persists that he remained at the Cave to improve his game and to win his company back.

Equipment

The deck consists of 52 cards, divided into four suits: House Marik (Spades), House Steiner (Diamonds), House Kurita (Clubs) and House Davion (Hearts).  Cards rank, from low to high: 1 (Ace), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Lancer (Jack), Rifleman (Queen), Regent (King).

Deal

The first card is dealt face down (the "hole" card).  After each player receives an up card, there is a round of betting.  Then, another card is dealt to each person, followed by another round of betting, until all players have four cards.

Rules

Regent All cards increase value by one
Rifleman All cards decrease value by one
Lancer of House Marik or Kurita All cards in suit increase value by one
Lancer of House Steiner or Davion All cards in suit decreaee value by one

Hands are judged according to their rank (see sidebar).  The top three cards—the Lancer, Rifleman, and Regent—have no value but change the value of the cards in the player's hand.  If a player receives a Lancer, Rifleman or Regent as a hole card, he keeps it face down; it will affect his cards.  If he receives one of these cards face up, he sets it aside and receives another card.  He will continue setting any of these cards aside until he receives a normal card, 1-10.  These cards, although set aside, will still affect his hand; he is obliged to keep them in sight where other players can see them.

The cards' effects are cumulative.  For example, if the player receives two Regents, all cards in his hand will increase by two.

When a Regent, Rifleman, or Lancer pushes a card over 10 or below 1, the card's value goes "round the corner", from 1 to 10 or from 10 to 1.

RANKING OF THE HANDS

(From low to high)
  1. Nothing
  2. One Pair
  3. Two Pair
  4. Three of a kind
  5. Sequence of four, mixed suits
  6. Drax (Sequence of four, same suit)
  7. Four of a Kind

If the hands of two or more people have the same rank, the higher cards win.  For example, if two people have four of a kind, four 9s will win over four 3s.  If nobody has at least one pair, the highest card wins.

The sudden shifts of fortune, as a Regent drops on the last deal or a Lancer is flipped as the hole card, make Four-Card Drax a suspenseful game, demanding alertness from its participants.