Lister glanced down at his hand; the three of clubs, the four of hearts and the six of spades. It wasn't looking good. He chewed thoughtfully on a matchstick he held between his teeth and reached for his stack of chips. Casually he slid five more onto the table.
"I'm out," said Cat from beside him. He threw his cards face-down into the middle of the desk. "Man, I've seen higher numbers on Pluto's weather forecast. You'd better watch out, Freak-Face." He looked across at Kryten. "Dormouse-cheeks is gonna win again."
"Oh now, sir," said Kryten, scoffing embarrassedly. "I assure you, I have the mechanics of this game all worked out. It's simply a matter of calculating the most profitable time to raise the stakes."
The Cat seemed confused, "Then how come he keeps winning?"
"You can't predict a game of poker," said Lister, his eyes glinting at Kryten from across the table. An entertained smile crept across his face. He spun the matchstick between his fingers. "I'm a professional. Plus, you can never beat a human at his own game." He placed the well-chewed stick back between his teeth and held it there. "I'm serious. They used to worship me back in the Aigburth Arms."
"Oh yeah?" Cat laughed, revealing his pointed white teeth. "What were you, the god of ugliness?"
"Please, sirs," said Kryten, his eyes focused on his cards. "I really must concentrate." He glanced at the pack and then back at his cards again.
"Cat's right, Kryten," said Lister. "You're not playing it properly." He picked up the topmost chip from his stack and turned it like a coin in his hand. "You keep giving the game away." Kryten looked half-offended.
"Nonsense!" he replied, placing his hand on the table. "With all due respect, sir, mechanoids are just as capable of playing this game as humans." He glanced to his ever-diminishing stack of chips. "Ah," he said, "engage Bluff Mode." He took a large percentage of the pile and placed it next to Lister's measly five. Lister smiled. Somehow, he knew he was going to win again.
