Absurdly High Stakes Game: Difference between revisions

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[[The Bet|Gambling]] is entertaining.
[[The Bet|Gambling]] is entertaining.


After all, it has to be entertaining and suspenseful, or else no one would want to do it. Unfortunately, as anyone who's watched [[Poker]] on television knows, the same things that are fun to play can be painfully boring to watch.
After all, it has to be entertaining and suspenseful, or else no one would want to do it. Unfortunately, as anyone who's watched [[Poker]] on television knows, the same things that are fun to play can be painfully boring to watch.


But luckily, storytellers have come up with a way of making gambling interesting. They do this by raising the stakes to incredibly high levels, thus making this [[Serious Business]]. For example, watching someone bet $20 at blackjack will probably not be very exciting. But if the main character is going to win millions of dollars if he wins and die if he loses, then the audience may be more interested.
But luckily, storytellers have come up with a way of making gambling interesting. They do this by raising the stakes to incredibly high levels, thus making this [[Serious Business]]. For example, watching someone bet $20 at blackjack will probably not be very exciting. But if the main character is going to win millions of dollars if he wins and die if he loses, then the audience may be more interested.
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** And when the game being played IS based on luck, [[Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty|cheating]] and [[Loophole Abuse]] is to be expected.
** And when the game being played IS based on luck, [[Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty|cheating]] and [[Loophole Abuse]] is to be expected.


Make note: This includes some versions of [[Russian Roulette]]. [[Deal with the Devil|Deals with devils]] are also common. May lead to being [[Trapped by Gambling Debts]]. If the game is televised, it is probably a [[Deadly Game]]. If you actually wager ownership of a ''person'', then you may end up [[Lost Him in a Card Game|Losing Him in a Card Game]] or gaining a [[Wager Slave]]. Related to [[The Bet]].
Make note: This includes some versions of [[Russian Roulette]]. [[Deal with the Devil|Deals with devils]] are also common. May lead to being [[Trapped by Gambling Debts]]. If the game is televised, it is probably a [[Deadly Game]]. If you actually wager ownership of a ''person'', then you may end up [[Lost Him in a Card Game|Losing Him in a Card Game]] or gaining a [[Wager Slave]]. Related to [[The Bet]].


{{examples}}
{{examples}}
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* The [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] Contest of Champions must apply.
* The [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] Contest of Champions must apply.
* An issue of Spider-Man had a somewhat lighter hearted version of this. The New York super heroes have a yearly poker game with twenty dollar stakes whith the winner sending their winnings to charity. Then along comes Kingpin with a rediculous amount of money. There's nothing really at stake more than pride and a good cause, but that doesn't mean it's any less entertaining to watch Spider-Man and Kingpin play out the final round with ludicris piles of chips each. (Spidy won.)
* An issue of Spider-Man had a somewhat lighter hearted version of this. The New York super heroes have a yearly poker game with twenty dollar stakes whith the winner sending their winnings to charity. Then along comes Kingpin with a rediculous amount of money. There's nothing really at stake more than pride and a good cause, but that doesn't mean it's any less entertaining to watch Spider-Man and Kingpin play out the final round with ludicris piles of chips each. (Spidy won.)
* Batman in the Silver age once played Russian Roulette to catch a criminal. The criminal had been playing with millionaires in the area, and the two participants each had to write out a will that left everything to the winner of the game. The gun had an extra safety catch so the criminal never lost. Batman discovered this with the aid of a mirror and won.
* Batman in the Silver age once played Russian Roulette to catch a criminal. The criminal had been playing with millionaires in the area, and the two participants each had to write out a will that left everything to the winner of the game. The gun had an extra safety catch so the criminal never lost. Batman discovered this with the aid of a mirror and won.




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== Film ==
== Film ==
* ''[[Thirteen Tzameti]]'' - A group of men play a modified version of [[Russian Roulette]] while gamblers bet huge stakes on the outcome. The film received an [[Foreign Remake|American remake]] called ''13''.
* ''[[Thirteen Tzameti]]'' - A group of men play a modified version of [[Russian Roulette]] while gamblers bet huge stakes on the outcome. The film received an [[Foreign Remake|American remake]] called ''13''.
* ''[[Three... Extremes]]'' - In the segment "Cut," a man is forced to follow a madman's directions or else one of his wife's fingers will be cut off every five minutes.
* ''[[Three... Extremes]]'' - In the segment "Cut," a man is forced to follow a madman's directions or else one of his wife's fingers will be cut off every five minutes.
* The [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] movie ''[[Casino Royale]]'' features an ''extremely'' high stakes poker game, both in dollar figures and global security.
* The [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] movie ''[[Casino Royale]]'' features an ''extremely'' high stakes poker game, both in dollar figures and global security.
** Averting the "skill-based game" bit of the trope, this was originally Baccarat in the novel. Since then, however, poker has become ridiculously popular and Baccarat has fallen into obscurity. So they changed it.
** Averting the "skill-based game" bit of the trope, this was originally Baccarat in the novel. Since then, however, poker has become ridiculously popular and Baccarat has fallen into obscurity. So they changed it.
* In ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: Dead Man's Chest'', the crew of the Flying Dutchman play liar's dice with the only thing they have left to wager - the years of service they owe to the ship. Will wagers his soul, meaning an eternity of service, against Jones to goad ''him'' into wagering the key to the chest containing his [[Soul Jar]]. {{spoiler|Will's father takes the hit for him, only for Will to reveal he just wanted to see where Jones kept the key.}}
* In ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: Dead Man's Chest'', the crew of the Flying Dutchman play liar's dice with the only thing they have left to wager - the years of service they owe to the ship. Will wagers his soul, meaning an eternity of service, against Jones to goad ''him'' into wagering the key to the chest containing his [[Soul Jar]]. {{spoiler|Will's father takes the hit for him, only for Will to reveal he just wanted to see where Jones kept the key.}}
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* In ''Intacto'', the characters play strange gambling games, with the winner's taking the losers' luck, which is a tangible resource.
* In ''Intacto'', the characters play strange gambling games, with the winner's taking the losers' luck, which is a tangible resource.
* Tarantino's short in ''[[Four Rooms]]'' involves his character betting he can light his Zippo 10 times in a row. The stakes? His thumb for a car.
* Tarantino's short in ''[[Four Rooms]]'' involves his character betting he can light his Zippo 10 times in a row. The stakes? His thumb for a car.
** See note below re: Roald Dahl's excellent short story ''The Man From the South''[http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/south.html\]. The characters in Tarantino's film actually reference the earlier ones.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_the_South\].
** See note below re: Roald Dahl's excellent short story ''The Man From the South''[http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/south.html\]. The characters in Tarantino's film actually reference the earlier ones.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_the_South\].
* The ''[[Saw]]'' series of films is based entirely around extremely dangerous, torturous games.
* The ''[[Saw]]'' series of films is based entirely around extremely dangerous, torturous games.
* ''[[Titanic]]'': [[The Protagonist|Jack]] wins his ticket on board in a poker game. The gamblers know it's a valuable thing to be betting, but only the audience knows how high the stakes really are.
* ''[[Titanic]]'': [[The Protagonist|Jack]] wins his ticket on board in a poker game. The gamblers know it's a valuable thing to be betting, but only the audience knows how high the stakes really are.
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** It should be noted that the witch doesn't cheat. He has simply gotten that good over the centuries. In fact, he will sometimes feel pity for his opponent and intentionally fold a good hand, as was in the case of an old man just wanting a few more years to see his grandkids grow up.
** It should be noted that the witch doesn't cheat. He has simply gotten that good over the centuries. In fact, he will sometimes feel pity for his opponent and intentionally fold a good hand, as was in the case of an old man just wanting a few more years to see his grandkids grow up.
* ''[[Angel]]'' season 4, early on, featured a casino that would scan customers for destinies, and (in a bit of a subversion) direct those with important ones into a no-win game to have their destiny auctioned off to the highest bidder.
* ''[[Angel]]'' season 4, early on, featured a casino that would scan customers for destinies, and (in a bit of a subversion) direct those with important ones into a no-win game to have their destiny auctioned off to the highest bidder.
* Henry Coleman From ''[[As the World Turns]]'' tends to get himself in these sorts of situations.
* Henry Coleman From ''[[As the World Turns]]'' tends to get himself in these sorts of situations.
* In episode 1.06 of ''[[White Collar]]'', "All In," Neal bets hundreds of thousands of dollars in a high-stakes Pai Gow game against a Chinese money-launderer.
* In episode 1.06 of ''[[White Collar]]'', "All In," Neal bets hundreds of thousands of dollars in a high-stakes Pai Gow game against a Chinese money-launderer.
** Especially considering he barely knows how to play, with Mozzie teaching him by watching Chinese movies centered on the game but with few artistic additions, such as the dreaded "Death Tile".
** Especially considering he barely knows how to play, with Mozzie teaching him by watching Chinese movies centered on the game but with few artistic additions, such as the dreaded "Death Tile".
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== Tabletop Games ==
== Tabletop Games ==
* A planet of [[The Empire]] in the ''[[Rifts|Phase World]]'' setting is run by a dictator with an obsession with games of chance. Every few years, he holds a big gambling festival, culminating with a challenge to one of the best players. If the guest wins the game, they get control of the planet. If they lose, they are summarily executed.
* A planet of [[The Empire]] in the ''[[Rifts|Phase World]]'' setting is run by a dictator with an obsession with games of chance. Every few years, he holds a big gambling festival, culminating with a challenge to one of the best players. If the guest wins the game, they get control of the planet. If they lose, they are summarily executed.
* In ''[[Deadlands]]'', the character type called the Huckster plays hands of poker to cast their spells, where they need to get a good enough hand..or else a demon might fry a chunk of their brain, drive them insane, or just tear their body asunder. The interesting part here being that the PLAYER is the one who plays this Absurdly High Stakes Game with his character's life.
* In ''[[Deadlands]]'', the character type called the Huckster plays hands of poker to cast their spells, where they need to get a good enough hand..or else a demon might fry a chunk of their brain, drive them insane, or just tear their body asunder. The interesting part here being that the PLAYER is the one who plays this Absurdly High Stakes Game with his character's life.
** A similar situation exists in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' and several of its descendants; with the Deck of Many Things, you declare how many cards you are going to draw from it first, and then your character has to draw the cards. If he doesn't draw his next card, it flips out of the deck on its own an hour after the last draw. Each card has some very permanent effect on the character, world, and sometimes even setting, so allowing a Deck of Many Things into your campaign is one of the easiest ways to break the story, if you have one.
** A similar situation exists in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' and several of its descendants; with the Deck of Many Things, you declare how many cards you are going to draw from it first, and then your character has to draw the cards. If he doesn't draw his next card, it flips out of the deck on its own an hour after the last draw. Each card has some very permanent effect on the character, world, and sometimes even setting, so allowing a Deck of Many Things into your campaign is one of the easiest ways to break the story, if you have one.
* The first set in the Star Trek CCG had a card called Raise the Stakes. The opponent of the player either had to forfeit or agree that the eventual winner would permanently get a card from the loser's deck. It was the first card banned from tournament play.
* The first set in the Star Trek CCG had a card called Raise the Stakes. The opponent of the player either had to forfeit or agree that the eventual winner would permanently get a card from the loser's deck. It was the first card banned from tournament play.
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' had an Ante rule, whereby after shuffling but before drawing hands, the first card in each player's deck would become an Ante card. The winner of the game gets both cards. Adding to this, [http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Anot+o%3Aplaying+o%3Afor+o%3Aante&v=card&s=cname a few cards] manipulated the ante. This was eventually dropped, since 1) nobody wanted to risk losing their cards and 2) Wizards didn't want ''Magic'' to be classified as a form of gambling in markets where such things would be frowned upon.
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' had an Ante rule, whereby after shuffling but before drawing hands, the first card in each player's deck would become an Ante card. The winner of the game gets both cards. Adding to this, [http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Anot+o%3Aplaying+o%3Afor+o%3Aante&v=card&s=cname a few cards] manipulated the ante. This was eventually dropped, since 1) nobody wanted to risk losing their cards and 2) Wizards didn't want ''Magic'' to be classified as a form of gambling in markets where such things would be frowned upon.




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* Lord Alden, undefeated [[Chessmaster]] of the continent in [[Vanguard Bandits]], is more than willing to wager his powerful [[Super Prototype|Altagrave]] [[A Mech by Any Other Name|ATAC]] against a completely new chess player.
* Lord Alden, undefeated [[Chessmaster]] of the continent in [[Vanguard Bandits]], is more than willing to wager his powerful [[Super Prototype|Altagrave]] [[A Mech by Any Other Name|ATAC]] against a completely new chess player.
* In ''[[Arcanum]]'', at one point, you need a ship. One of the options is to win one in a game of dice.
* In ''[[Arcanum]]'', at one point, you need a ship. One of the options is to win one in a game of dice.
* In ''[[Killer 7]]'', there is a climactic game of [[Russian Roulette]] between Garcian Smith and Benjamin Keane. If Garcian wins, Keane will tell him the secret to hitting on any woman with 100% success. If Keane wins, Garcian must kill the President. {{spoiler|The stakes end up being pretty meaningless anyway}}.
* In ''[[Killer7]]'', there is a climactic game of [[Russian Roulette]] between Garcian Smith and Benjamin Keane. If Garcian wins, Keane will tell him the secret to hitting on any woman with 100% success. If Keane wins, Garcian must kill the President. {{spoiler|The stakes end up being pretty meaningless anyway}}.
* The slots-o-death machine in [[Space Quest]]. You can win a relatively paltry sum, but roll three skulls and you are toast. The only way for Roger to earn enough cash for a ticket out of Ulence Flats is by [[Save Scumming]] or (in the remake) a magnet on the bottom of the machine.
* The slots-o-death machine in [[Space Quest]]. You can win a relatively paltry sum, but roll three skulls and you are toast. The only way for Roger to earn enough cash for a ticket out of Ulence Flats is by [[Save Scumming]] or (in the remake) a magnet on the bottom of the machine.
* ''Return to Zork'' has a board game called "Survivor" with really simple rules: One player controls the Wizard and the other a common peasant. The peasant can move wherever he wants, the Wizard can only move in L-formations and leaves pits when he vacates a space. The goal of the game is for the other player to be forced to move into a pit (and thus lose). You play this game twice, and the second time is ''the final boss of the game,'' with the fate of all Zork riding on the outcome.
* ''Return to Zork'' has a board game called "Survivor" with really simple rules: One player controls the Wizard and the other a common peasant. The peasant can move wherever he wants, the Wizard can only move in L-formations and leaves pits when he vacates a space. The goal of the game is for the other player to be forced to move into a pit (and thus lose). You play this game twice, and the second time is ''the final boss of the game,'' with the fate of all Zork riding on the outcome.




== Webcomics ==
== Webcomics ==
* ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' pits several contestants against each other, and heavily encouraged to kill each other off in other to ensure their own survival until the end... most of the players are hardened criminals eager to use the show as a way to get out, but not all.
* ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' pits several contestants against each other, and heavily encouraged to kill each other off in other to ensure their own survival until the end... most of the players are hardened criminals eager to use the show as a way to get out, but not all.
** [[Word of God]] has stated that the contestants are NOT required to kill anyone during the show. But, the stakes up for grabs are either death, going back to jail or freedom with a full pardon. The producers are waiting for the contestants to take advantage of the payoff of a full pardon of all their crimes.
** [[Word of God]] has stated that the contestants are NOT required to kill anyone during the show. But, the stakes up for grabs are either death, going back to jail or freedom with a full pardon. The producers are waiting for the contestants to take advantage of the payoff of a full pardon of all their crimes.
* [[Collar 6]]- Sixx makes a bet to {{spoiler|become a slave if she doesn't win a spanking contest}}.
* [[Collar 6]]- Sixx makes a bet to {{spoiler|become a slave if she doesn't win a spanking contest}}.
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** "Over the Top" has {{spoiler|Skips arm wrestling Death for Rigby's soul}}.
** "Over the Top" has {{spoiler|Skips arm wrestling Death for Rigby's soul}}.
** In "Slam Dunk", Mordecai eventually bets his computer privileges for life on a basketball game just so he can help Margaret make a website in hopes of impressing her.
** In "Slam Dunk", Mordecai eventually bets his computer privileges for life on a basketball game just so he can help Margaret make a website in hopes of impressing her.
* In the ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' episode "The Duelist and the Drifter," [[Professional Gambler]] and [[Master Swordsman]] the Duelist makes a habit of [[The Bet|betting]] swordsmen they can't defeat him and offering up his own best blade as incentive, taking theirs as trophies when they inevitably lose. When young hero Lion-O [[Throwing Down the Gauntlet|challenges]] him and tries to raise the stakes so he can win the Duelist's entire sword collection, the Duelist insists that since Lion-O has only ''one'' to offer in return, the boy should agree to give up his ''life'' if he loses. Lion-O agrees to the terms.
* In the ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' episode "The Duelist and the Drifter," [[Professional Gambler]] and [[Master Swordsman]] the Duelist makes a habit of [[The Bet|betting]] swordsmen they can't defeat him and offering up his own best blade as incentive, taking theirs as trophies when they inevitably lose. When young hero Lion-O [[Throwing Down the Gauntlet|challenges]] him and tries to raise the stakes so he can win the Duelist's entire sword collection, the Duelist insists that since Lion-O has only ''one'' to offer in return, the boy should agree to give up his ''life'' if he loses. Lion-O agrees to the terms.




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