The Dice Gambit

The year 2001 - May

Mark’s eyes caught the dice displayed in a glass box while he was examining the playing cards on the shelf. The postmodern dice that were fashionable in the '90s were gone and they were replaced by more classical and elite dice. Mark leaned over the glass box for a closer look. The dice, painted in matte colors and polished on the board, looked as if they were heirlooms of an ancient royal family. The curves on each of its surfaces were carefully opened and identical. Of course, the reason they were dazzling was that they were different and classic from all of them.

Withdrawing slightly, he placed his hands on the lid of the box and forced it to open. At the same time, he was searching around, but he failed. With Johnny's arrival, he turned his attention to him. Johnny had two decks of playing cards and a pair of '90s fashioned dice.

Mark would not use his playing cards to gamble, but it was not the case for Johnny. They were both only 17 years old and were studying at one of California's most elite colleges. For both, gambling was once a business in which only greedy people with no purpose in life got involved.

Mark in Senior Sakura class at California College; Johnny was in the Senior Chalice class at the same college. Mark had got into this school with his own efforts, earning degrees. Johnny's family, on the other hand, was a distinguished record producer, which made them rich.

When they were both in their first year of college, they met at the Drama Club. It was obvious then that Johnny had an interest in money. In Mark's eyes, he was a spoiled kid who always liked to have cash on hand. However, somehow they found common interests and became close friends within three years.

Johnny leaned towards what Mark was looking at, putting dice in his trousers pocket. Although he couldn't take a closer look because of his 1.88 height, he was as fascinated as Mark.

With a deep sigh, he straightened and tossed an arm over Mark's shoulder. "Never mind, they're trying to rip people off. They're both used for the same purpose, after all."

But Mark was a collector, not a gambler. He would invest all his money he had saved in rare items and would not hesitate to exhibit it. He had the best game boards, dice, and decks in California, perhaps in entire America.

The closer friend he became with Johnny, the more interested he became, and he went from one shop to another with him, trying to find the best pieces. He could even be considered poor compared to Johnny, Johnny had gifted him the most expensive pieces in his collection. Although he did not allow his belongings, especially his collection, to be touched, he had to break the rules for Johnny.

His collection was not just made up of familiar playing cards and dice. Yin or Yang, played by Japanese Kings in the 18th century, 124 played by Chinese rulers in the 15th century, 

124 played by Chinese rulers in the 15th century, was one of the most valuable pieces in the Life or Death collection, which came out in the early 1900s and was discontinued 3 years later.

Johnny, on the other hand, adored Mark's collection, but he wouldn't take it to play. According to Johnny, gambling was not a game that can be played without a trick. He would not play to play but he would play to win. Until now, they haven’t played for a bet; their favorite game to play together was Double Concentration. It was simple to play, short on time, and a game that Johnny couldn't cheat. Mark knew this habit of Johnny, so he chose the games himself and got pieces from his own collection.

Life or Death was the only game in Mark's collection that didn't have a rulebook. Cheating was difficult in that game, plus it was legal to cheat since there was no rule book. The absence of the rulebook required his rules to be memorized, and Mark knew them all by heart. Though Life or Death originated in the early 1900s, it had changed, improved, and formed over the centuries, it was a fortune.

With a high probability, he would be the only person to know about the existence of this game for up to 10 years. Until this time, he should have taught a big gambler this game so that it would not get mixed up in the dusty pages of history.

                        CHAPTER 2

 Yes, it would be most logical to teach this game to a gambler. After all, gambling history starts with the first human that ever lived. Gambling has wiped out some people from history. It also honored some of them. But it didn't never disappeared. A gambler should have learned this game. So nobody can forget this game. There’s nothing about the rule book of the game, so Mark and Johnny needs to create their own rules. It wasn’t hard nor easy. 

 It was easy because e everything was in their hands. It was hard because they only had the items of the game. They had to create everything from scratch. They would recreate the game.

  But they were finally able to establish rules for the game. There was play next and they started to play. Mark drew the papers and started explaining the rules. They both drew up a chair and sat down.

Mark began to speak: “There’s 3 types of cards in the game. Ignis, quod and caeli. Those 3 cards indicates the following respectively ; death, health and life. Every card has 9 subnumbers. For example, Ignis 3. Johnny put the cards on the table. Mark continued : We have a rule. There’s “”proscriptive cards””. For Ignis, 2. and 4. subnumber. For Quod, 3. subnumber. For Caeli, there’s nothing about proscriptive cards”

Then Johnny asked, “Isn’t there another rule about that?” Mark replied, “Indeed. If you take 2 proscriptive cards respectively, vica versa. The rule applies to your opponent.” There’s another type of card that is named “elimination cards” That applies for every 5th subnumber of every card. If a player takes this elimination card, the opponent of player he/she can take a random card from the player's deck and put it into the main deck on the desk. 

 The game has a point system that will determine the winner. If some player reaches 4 point, the player wins.

 Johnny sighs deeply. Mark stretches out his hand, drinks a glass of water, and continues:

"Combinations to win are ridiculously based on memorization. Let me explain right away." He reaches for the pen and the paper;

Ignis : 2,9 + Quod : 7 = 1 point

Quod : 1,9 + Caeli : 4,6 = 1 point

Ignis: 1 + Quod : 5 = -1 point

Caeli : 7 + Ignis 7 + Quod : 5 = 1 point

He wrote this point system in his form.

“There is a separate rule for the next cards. Add the subnumber of lgnis cards in you and the subnumber of quod cards.

If the answer of this transaction is equal to the lower number of one of the number of cards, half a point is added. When the total bottom number of the quod cups is subtracted from the bottom number of ignis cups, the quarter point is written if there is a caeli cup with the result. After the points are completed, the dice are rolled. Whose dice has a higher number decides who wins. 

Also, whose score is higher before the dice are rolled, one is added to the number on the dice after the dice are rolled.”

There had to be a price to make this game gamble. But they did not want this price to end in money. But they came up with an idea that could come to mind two 17-year-old boys. This idea came from Johnny. But Mark did not dispute this idea either. It was really scary.

“The first time the player loses, he has to give up 150 cc of blood. If he continues, he has to increase by 10 cc each time he loses. Like 160 in the second, 170 in the third ... "

This meant that if the person playing could not control his ego, he would die after a few games.

Johnny started talking:

“So how do we know if someone is cheating? After all, there is life in this game."

Mark replied:

“This is the reason why the game disappears from the world. There is no specific rule set and the rules are very complex. It is almost impossible for a person not to get confused while playing this game. "

  ŞEHIT TURGUT SOLAK SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

                                CHAPTER 3

     CHAPTER 3

    It was difficult,but after long efforts they were able to draft the rules. At first they tried to get the rules right and that was exactly what they wanted, and now they had to find a gambler who could understand the rules and play well. 

    Johnny had a name in his mind but Mark refused because he thought he was cheating on too much, so they thought about it for a few weeks together. They managed to make up their mind, and that person was Antonio Williams (he is the most famous gambler in their district.)

     Antonio Williams was no ordinary gambler. He was quite old and experienced in age. He was exactly the person they were looking for. The next step was to convince him. How would they do that?

 Johnny suddenly shouted: 

- I found it! 

Mark: 

- calm down, what did you find?

Johnny:

- The thing that attracts a gambler the most is money of course. We have to offer him money. Let's offer to give him some of what we earned.

     Mark wasn't sure it would make sense to offer this man money. because antonio williams was already one of the wealthiest gamblers in the area. so it didn't seem easy to convince him. but if they make him love this game okay then. They went to work to try their luck. Johnny and Mark found out that he is on the other end of the state. They set out the next morning.

         After a long journey, they reached Antonio's house. Antonio's house wasn't that great. They knocked on the door and waited for Antonio to open it.A man opened the door, but Mark and Johnny weren't sure except who he was.

    The man put a crooked smile on his face and said, "Welcome, Mark and Johnny." Mark and Johnny "Who are you?" Asked. With the same smile, the man entered, leaving the door open.

   When Antonio entered the house this way, Mack and Johnny suspected it would make sense to go inside. However, they have come a long way and their fatigue quelled their suspicions. The first thing they noticed when they entered the house was the smell of the house. The house smelled of coffee.

    They saw Antonio making coffee in the kitchen. Antonio walked into the hall with coffee in his hand and gestured for them to sit down. Mark studied Antonio as he entered. a brown T-shirt under an old jacket. his pants were blue with a pattern similar to water spots. 

     Jhonny entered and sat on the seat with Mark still standing. Mark looked angrily at Jhonny, but his interest had already shifted to coffee.

   Although not noticeable when you first entered the house, a sound similar to the sound of a drill or an iron hammer came from the house.

      The voice was coming from very deep. almost unheard of. Crazy questions were swirling in Mark's head.Why did Antonio let them in for no reason? Was this man letting in who came to his door? Maybe we are malicious. He's not a kid. He must have thought about that. Then he thought of the person from whom they got the address. He should have sent news before we arrived. Julliana knew everyone involved.

    The mad hatter sat opposite them. (Just speaking of gambling, his name was Mad Hatter.) 

 -Julliana told me about you. Once I wanted to write a rule for that game, but I couldn't find his cards anywhere.According to Julliana, you have not only cards but also rules.

Mark was nervous, sighed. Johnny:

-Not really. Nobody has it. That's why we rewrote the rules.

     They quickly explained the rules. When they were finished, the Mad Hatter turned off the listening device in his pocket. Johnny seemed to have seen this before. He noticed the children staring in astonishment,and said:

-I thought you wouldn't want to tell Julliana from the beginning. 

  Just then Julliana entered. She was wearing headphones. out of breath. She said, 

-I've finished the table and the tubes.

     The Mad-Hater jumped from his seat. 

-Great. You're so fast. Follow me. 

    They came to the soundproof workshop. In the center of the workshop was a table and two chairs, 1x1 in size, with all 4 sides (excluding the corners) drilled equally.

- Don't hesitate, sit down, said the Mad Hatter.

      He seemed to be referring to the table. but the children sat on the seats in the corner of the workshop. Mark and Johnny had been trying to figure out what was on the table ever since they got inside. When Julliana noticed this, she turned on the other lights. 

  There were a lot of metal tubes on the table. tubes were a matte silver color. It consisted of a starting tip + an additional piece. The ends were the same. "The ends fit snugly into the holes in the table." Said Julliana. Inserts were growing from left to right. But there was another tube different from the others.“Would you like to take a closer look? Julliana has worked hard for these.” He threw the tube that read 170 on it. Johnny was staring at the Mad Hatter when he caught the tube in the air. He held Mark without taking his eyes off and examining the tube. But Mark didn't want to look either.

     He stood up. Johnny understood what Mark wanted to do. He seemed to be saying don't do it. But Mark pretended not to see him. He took the head of the table and put 170 in the 3rd row. Then he took the biggest tube and put it back in its place, regretting it. Because on this glass tube it was written in red "death", not a number. That was when Johnny came after Mark. He leaned over Mark's ear and whispered:

-Even if you endured that much, you don't want to lose this time.

-You're not helping.

     Mad Hatter was impatient because gambling had become his philosophy of life.

-Is that a piece of cake? You've come this far. There is no turning back from here. If you stop playing it will not be good for you.I can guarantee you won't be able to step out of this house. Either death or game! The choice is yours. 

     Mark and Johny were shocked by this threatening attitude. Especially Mark was so scared that he almost cried. Johny gathered his courage and said: 

-We came here to play games. Of course we will play games. We are already ready. If you are ready, let's start now. 

Mad Hatter laughed with delight at these words. “Good choice boy. There is no time to waste. Lets start."

      Mark didn't like the situation at all. "What are you doing?" He looked like he said. Johnny looked quite determined. When he saw Mark looking at him with such anxiety, he gave him a stern glance. Mark nodded, expressing his disapproval. How did he become so sure of himself? Before them there was a certain guy who knew more about this game than they did. He was also someone who made a name for himself with gambling. Was he thinking of cheating? In this game? 

     When Antonio suddenly asked for the loud cards, Mark jumped up and put the cards on the table. Julliana left the iron stands on which 8 iron pipes stood upright in front of everyone.

       Would they start right away? What if they really die like the name of the game then what would happen?          Antonio had no intention of losing. He was so sure of himself that he had a confident demeanor as if he had found the trick of the game. But this was near impossible or even impossible. Because mark and Johnny thought they had arranged everything.

      Experienced gambler and brilliant young Mark, with his legs trembling with fear, settled down on the table, which seemed to be a torture device, with equipment enough to shudder even when only his eyes were seen. Julianne laid out the cards and gestured Antonio to make the first move. 

     Julianne thought he should, after all, he had been a seasoned gambler for years. Antonio, excitedly and with a mischievous smile on his face, held out his hand and took it. "Quod 1". He started the game with Health-1 card. What luck! He began to wait for his opponent's move with pleasure. Young made his first move and stared at the card he took in his hand.

     He was disappointed by the card he drew himself. This was the first indication that Mark was going to lose the game. He was sure he would be beaten first hand. Antonio could tell from his facial expression that he was pulling a bad card.

     Seeing Mark in this state of affairs, he prepared with pleasure to draw the second card. Winning this game was very simple fort he Antonio and seemed to Show that he was already winning with the cards drew.

But there was something Antonio didn't take into account. Mark wrote the rules of the game, and nobody knew this game better than him. Even if Mark had a bad start, he knew how to turn the situation in his favor. The only problem was that Mark was still afraid. This fear was delighting Antonio...

                      Chapter 4

Winning a lot of money or  just having fun can be  listed among the reasons for many gamblers to gamble, however; Antonio's  motivation for gambling is  the excitement and high adrenaline he feels while gambling. That is the feeling which Antonio cannot  give up, as the adrenaline makes Antonio's eyes wide open and his perception increases with a faster and clearer vision. From Antonio's dressing style  or the tasteless furnishing of his house, it can be   understood that he is not into money, in other words, he is not gambling for money.He is addicted to the endorphin hormone and  the adrenaline releases in his body  while he is gambling.

An ordinary gambler sometimes loses and someties wins, and his/her expectation is low when the gambler loses the game for a while and the degree of happiness is much higher when he wins the next game. Antonio's motivation for gambling is far beyond that of an ordinary gambler because he never loses his games. In order not to lose, he constantly watches his opponent , calculates the possibilities of coming cards, and challenges his brain so hard with new moves and tricks to  be realized and  and   as soon as the   the game is over and he wins,he leaves the table and heads into his bedroom because his brain and his whole body are so tired of concentrating and the tension and only then he can  fall into a peaceful and deep sleep as in the past.

            Mark has made  an eye contact with Johnny, Johhny seems  as self-confident as ever, and it is so annoying  for Mark. Mark is  amazed at how things gets to this point so quickly.Although he doesn’t want to look worried, Mark looks very worried.After all, this game is    a matter of life and death,

 one can give up everything at the end of this game, there is a big emptiness at the end of this game.Mark shievers with fear.  He is curious about  how Johnny looks so impassive, careless, and content with himself as always he does ,which is again very annoying for Mark. Mark notices that he  is  playing life or death with the famous gambler Antonio at the table, which takes long days for Julianna to design the table that is more like a torture table than a gambling table and Mark feels like  he is in a nightmare.It is all Johnny's fault that he reacts everything  without thinking as usual, his self-confidence is also enough to drive Mark crazy.

 Mark is so nervous because  he picks two bad cards  successively and then he tries to comfort himself  by reminding himself that he has set the rules of the game, and he  somehow manages to master the game. Mark's brain is processing  so fast that he jumps from one thought to another , he also   can  detect the slightest noise and smell around him. He is so aware of his heartbeats, his blinking, and his breath,as if the time has stopped and  he can  clearly perceive everything around him and even the smallest movement of everybody as if he were examining them with a microscope.

He burst into tears because luck was on their side now.Two forbidden cards came in a row .At first, Ignis 4 worried him.But he had no chance of losing now, thanks to the Ignis 2 that came later.Everybody noticed the joy and hope on Mark's face who thought he could advance with the card from the table ambitiously.Mark watched with curiosity as the expressions turned into disappointment.He was staring at the card and he stayed like that for a while.The card Antonio drew was also the last move of the game.There was an expression on everyone's face now as if an atomic bomb had fallen on the table.

There was an expression on everyone's face now as if an atomic bomb had fallen on the table.Nobody was talking and the silence, the cuckoo clock that was still working despite being damaged reported that it was noon and the silence ended.While our two characters who came back to life after that silence were looking at each other, Antonio tried to take his jacket off so he could give his blood.While Johnny was watching him happily, Mark suddenly stopped Antonio and he said:

-If you all agree, I have another punishment idea.Antonio, tell us how you got to these days.

    Johnny couldn't make sense of this idea but he didn't argue.

Julianne seemed to like the idea, although she was confused.First, Antonio wanted to oppose but then heaccepted it because of the thing Julianne whispered to his ear.And he started telling:

-I was a smart and successful kid who got most of the things he wanted. My family's wealth has helped me overcome obstacles. I met my wife during college and I was sure that we were going to spend our years together from the first time I saw her. We met at a collector shop, we both had reputation about this but that was the first time we saw each other. In this respect, when I look at you, I see my own youth Mark. 

You’re clever, happy and you like rare things. Anyways. We decided to get married less than 1 year after we graduated from college and we did.Everything was great, we had 2 kids. We even had a dog. So we were like an example of a happy family. The 7 years I spent with Jane were worth my entire life. If I were to act with my current mind, I would prefer spending a few days with Jane instead of the adrenaline I get from gambling. The fact that I started to forget the days we spent together and the good memories of our marriage started to disappear are the main reasons I stopped enjoying my life and became addicted to gambling.

And now you’re going to ask me “What happened when everything was great?”He stopped talking and seemed so sad. Both Mark and Johnny were surprised that Antonio had a story like this. Telling the past exhausted and upset Antonio and made him feel emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. All these things he told were heavy on him. He was confused and strucked by old memories. He took a deep breath and kept telling :