From: Susan_Schnitger@amicol.UUCP (Susan Schnitger)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: Friendly little poker games?
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:14:23 GMT
Organization: Amiga Colony BBS


Hmmm.  I disagree on who would win a no-holds barred poker game 
on the Enterprise.  Implicit in that is the fact that each of the 
players would KNOW that the others would feel free to use their 
special ability to "cheat", and thus would take all possible 
steps to cancel each other's edge.

>Data would clearly win any hand he dealt, since he could stack 
>the deck, but he would only win the ante since everyone else 
>would fold, knowing Data would win.

Possibly.  More likely, since the advantage given by Data's 
faster-than-human physical dexterity which would allow him to 
undetectably stack the deck, double deal, swap cards, etc., is 
simply too great to allow any contest to occur, he would only be 
allowed to play under the same "rules" that his fellow poker 
players impose on John Scarne (a master magician/card manipulator 
- I think it was his hands you see in "The Sting" when Newman is 
showing off his deck handling.)  Scarne is never allowed to deal. 
Scarne is never allowed to shuffle the deck.  Scarne is never 
allow to cut the deck.  Scarne is never allowed to *touch* any of 
the cards except his own hand, and that only long enough to pick 
up each card, look at its face, and then replace it on the table 
in front of him.  From then on, he must verbally specify which 
cards he wants discarded, and another player actually moves the 
cards.  Data's "edge" then is reduced to knowing the exact odds.


>Troi's being able to sense people being happy or dissappointed 
>with their cards, pales compared to Geordi knowing exactly what 
>everyone has.

But as Jorge Diaz points out, all they need do is choose a deck 
that is opaque over Geordi's VISOR frequencies to totally 
eliminate this advantage.
  
>Riker's strongest point seems to be bluffing, which would have no 
>effect on an android, or someone who knows what you have.
 
With Data and Geordi no longer "knowing" what cards Riker has, 
bluffing retains more value -- but the trouble with bluffing is 
that the more often you use it, the less effective it it.

I think both you and Jorge are dismissing Troi's powers too 
quickly.  I'm not sure that "keeping a straight mind" to mask 
emotions is a realistic possiblity for humans.  (Vulcans, sure.) 
Even if you could "mask", surely that would be tiring, and thus 
something you only concentrate on doing when you have something 
important to "mask" -- and thus your efforts at disguising your 
excitement would serve only to warn Troi that this hand, 
SOMETHING is going on.  How clearly she could distinguish between 
the excitement of a bluff with a busted flush and the excitement 
of a handful of kings I don't know, but it should at least flag 
her to be extra alert.
 
So as I see it, Geordi's out of the running.  
   
Riker will occasionally rake in an extra pot or two on successful 
bluffs -- more often, when Troi had folded a particular hand 
early.
   
Data will win an above "average" number of hands: his gains 
because of his knowledge of the odds will be offset by his 
relative lack of skill in reading/understanding the actions of 
the people at the table, but he still has an advantage over Riker 
and Geordi in that emotions will not betray him to Troi.
  
And Troi will steadily rack up the winnings, primarily by knowing 
when to cut her losses by folding immediately whenever Geordi or 
Riker get good hands and when to hang on to the end when they are 
bluffing or disappointed.  Holding that advantage over two out of 
three of her opponents would be THE decisive factor, IMHO.
    
   
On a slightly different slant, what in the world are they playing 
for???  Poker is a rather boring game UNLESS you have something 
riding on it that matters to you.  
  
We've gotten multiple lectures on how the Federation has moved 
beyond money as a motivating factor -- everything is either free 
or so cheap as to make gaining or loosing a few credits 
unimportant.
  
I suppose the chips could be tied to "time", but they are simply 
too diverse a group.  Can you see Worf deciding that he really 
doesn't feel like leading the battle today, so he'll call in his 
chips and have Deanna cover for him?  Or does the the Fed. still 
have KP or similar scut work that anyone can do and that they 
would WANT to be able to get out of?  
  
Or are they purely after "bragging rights"?

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