"And, moving right along..."  Lucan finishes his second clove cigarette and stubs it out in the tray before reaching for the waterglass again... taking a long, slow sip with his right hand, he sends out four more missiles with his left, each landing at the player's hand face-up and well-placed.<br/><br/>CHAIR 4: J..............XX 9s W!<br/><br/>Jim's is the first returning wildcard of the deck.  It shows an octopus rising from the sea, depicted in the style of 18th century engravings.  It reads, "You may double the ante for every hand from this point forward... if you choose."<br/><br/>Lucan lifts his eyebrows, as if to say that this card is playing with fire.  "Goodness... this could get out of hand..."  His lean, angular face tenses into the briefest smile.<br/><br/>DEALER: L...........XX Ks Js<br/><br/>At his own hand, he smirks.  "And, as unlikely as it seems, my face cards hint at a possible straight flush."  He chuckles, shaking his head.<br/><br/>CHAIR 1: S..........XX  W! W!<br/><br/>"A dangerous hand indeed, having two wild cards... Well, they were gracious to you so far, weren't they?  How about this one...?"<br/><br/>The cards depicts a half-nude geisha, depicted in the painted style of 17th century Japanese scroll work.  It reads, "<i>Cue music for a stripshow.  For every article you doff, collect your ante from the house.  Tips are not included. </i>"<br/><br/>Lucan lets that one... set in.  Moving on...<br/><br/>CHAIR 2: A............XX 7s 7d<br/><br/>The pair of seven cards criss-cross like swords on the table.  "Hm... no nudity, but a pair of sevens showing.. might not be bad..."<br/>He winks.  The gesture sears her inside.<br/><br/>CHAIR 3: C.......XX 5c 6d<br/><br/>Clucking his tongue, Lucan eyes the new hands... "this one could get ugly..." and rolls his gaze back to Sally, who is, undoubtedly, staring at the cards and trying, to make a decision.