Alpha State
This game system, and the setting in which it takes place, are both in active development. Everything on this site is subject to change. Please hard refresh pages when you visit to ensure you're viewing the latest versions.Some people call it luck, others call it skill. All that really matters is that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and the only thing you really gotta worry about is doing the former more than the latter. Whether you've got a hand of cards, or you're throwing dice, shooting billiards, or trying to figure out which racer will cross first, Gambling is your way through.
Fayjack
One of the more popular games around, Fayjack is like the child of BlackJack and Russian Roulette. There are rules variances between different regions, and some tables even have their own custom rules, but there are general standards.
Fayjack is played with multiple decks of standard playing cards; a "stack" is three full decks of cards, and there are usually multiple stacks. There's no dealer, but like Blackjack or Russian Roulette players take turns, usually moving clockwise. On their turn every player places a bet on the table (or adds to their existing bet), then decides whether to Hit, Stay, or Fold. Hit, you draw a card and see what happens; Stay, your bet stays on the table and you draw no cards; Fold, your total bet goes into the pot and you're out of the round. Most tables allow players only a few seconds to decide what they'll do on their turn, and if you take too long you Fold.
If your card total exceeds Fayjack (which is usually 31) you bust, your total bet goes into the pot and you're out of the game. If all other players bust or Fold, you're a winner and you get to take half the pot. If your card total equals Fayjack, you're a winner and you get to take the whole pot. If there's multiple winners, every player gets a share of the whole pot, except anyone who got a Fayjack; they get a double share. Once there's at least one winner, all unpotted bets go into the pot for the next round, and everbody starts again.
Fayjack tends to be high speed, high stress, and high stakes. It's especially popular among professional gamblers who rely on experience to keep their nerve when things start to get risky.
Playing Fayjack
Cool + Social + Gambling
Like other gambling, you could always simply play a game of it at your table. If you'd rather abstract it to speed gameplay or focus on roleplay, have each character involved in the gambling make one STK Check for each round of the game. Each round may take multiple turns, and you're effectively playing against two things: random luck of the cards you draw, and the nerve of your fellow players. Each gambling character puts money into the pot (most tables have a minimum), and then each player makes their STK Check.
| STK Check |
Result |
| > 21 |
Bust! You don't make any money at all from the round. |
| 19-21 |
Fayjack! If there's no other winners, you get the whole pot. If there are other winners divide the pot between all of you, but you get two shares of it. |
| 16-18 |
Bust! You don't make any money at all from the round. |
| 13-15 |
Winner! If there's no other winners, you get half the pot. If there are other winners divide the pot between all of you. |
| 10-12 |
Bust! You don't make any money at all from the round. |
| 7-9 |
Fold! You don't win any money from the round, but you can take up to 10% of your money back from the pot. |
| < 7 |
Bust! You don't make any money at all from the round. |
It might seem odd to see "bust" options throughout the table above, and that's intentional. Fayjack is genuinely a lot like Russian Roulette in that you're doing great until you're not. Even the most experienced players with the strongest nerve can draw fire.