Line #139 Main/ParanormalGamblingAdvantage


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3	%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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6
7	->''"I recall that Master Giiett once remarked that an individual skilled in the force could make a comfortable living as a gambler..."''
8	-->-- '''Jedi Master Kai Hudorra''', ''ComicBook/StarWarsRepublic''
9
10	By definition, gambling is an uncertain enterprise. There are odds you can calculate and factors you can consider in the outcome, to be sure. But assuming you don't have insider intel on a rigged event, there's no guarantee that you'll be a winner in betting or gambling. Meaning that it's an unreliable way to make money.
11
12	If you have PsychicPowers or some other way of telling the future, however, the equation changes. In theory, then, you can increase your winnings to your heart's desire. Alternately, you might have a magical gift, superpower, or arcane bit of technology that can bring the same result. WindsOfDestinyChange may come into play as a talent of the character. The ability to sense [[LivingLieDetector deception]] or [[TheEmpath emotional states]] may come into play in games where bluffing is a key component.
13
14	In practice, things are more complicated, especially if the author wants to deliver AnAesop about how {{cheaters never prosper}}. A character who uses their abilities to [[DoWellButNotPerfect make just enough money to get by]] might do better in the long run.
15
16	A sub-trope of MundaneUtility, in that gambling in itself is a common activity in RealLife. Compare to MuggleSportsSuperAthletes, where people use superpowers in games of physical skill rather than luck and probability. Related to CompoundInterestTimeTravelGambit, which uses similar inside knowledge for savings and investments. Compare BornLucky, in which a character always wins at gambling because they were, well, born lucky.
17
18	!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	!!Foresight/vision examples
23
24	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25	* ''Manga/BungoStrayDogs'': Ace and Fyodor are locked in a room and play a game of 'higher or lower'. Fyodor wins after guessing every single card correctly, and the executive remembers hearing Fyodor say he can trap people in his mind, causing Ace to realize that is how the other man won so decisively. [[spoiler:Subverted, since it was part of a ruse to make Ace think they were in a mental world, and Fyodor simply memorized the backs of the cards]].
26	* In ''Manga/DropkickOnMyDevil'', Jashin-chan is able to roll whatever number she wants on a die. Upon seeing it her summoner/roommate Yurine thinks to herself that such a power could make a lot of money, but Jashin-chan herself is too dumb to realize it, despite frequently gambling all her money away on pachinko machines.
27	* ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin'': As a child, Lalah was used by a group of crooks for her PsychicPowers to help them cheat at casinos. At a roulette table, Lalah traces the correct numbers on the gambler's back to let him win his bets. Eventually, she gets fed up and starts tracing the wrong numbers to make the gambler lose all his money. The next time Lalah is seen, she has a large bruise on the side of her face.
28	* In an early episode of ''Anime/SailorMoon'', Rei used her psychic power to cheat at a lottery and win the grand prize, a pair of cruise tickets.
29	* ''Manga/SpyXFamily'': A raffle is rigged by the raffle holder so that his girlfriend gets the grand prize for a two-person cruise, with only both of them knowing that the winning ticket is stuck to the top of the box on the inside. Anya, who is in line before said girlfriend, uses her {{telepathy}} to read the raffle holder's mind and promptly fishes out the winning ticket from the box, earning the cruise trip for her and adoptive father Loid.
30	* ''Manga/YuGiOh'':
31	** Pegasus cheats at Duel Monsters by reading his opponent's mind. Yugi and Yami, two souls in one body, beat him by switching out every turn, preventing him from guessing their strategy.
32	** Ishizu cheats at Duel Monsters by seeing the future. Kaiba beats her by [[ScrewDestiny defying her predicted victory]].
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Comic Books]]
36	* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': One issue establishes that many casinos employ low-level psychics to scan customers and make sure they don't have powers. One casino rigs their major poker tournaments by hiring a psychic who can read other player's minds to see their cards. Fortunately, Daredevil is [[DisabilityImmunity immune]] because he [[HandicappedBadass can't see his cards]], and plays by using his SuperSenses to read when other people are bluffing, in another example of this trope. Unfortunately, to maintain his cover, he can't let the psychic know that he's blind, and he ends up fighting the psychic in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind.
37	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
38	** ''ComicBook/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' volume 2, issue #21 shows Peter using his SpiderSense to win in an annual superhero poker game for charity.
39	** In one storyline, a dying Peter considers using his spider-sense to make a fortune in Las Vegas.
40	** In ''ComicBook/TheChameleonConspiracy'', Jamie Tolentino has been using the Clairvoyant computer to win games at The Palace. He made sure to lose just enough games so as not to draw attention to himself and reveal his advantage. Unfortunately, the computer has been running low on power, and Jamie's very real losses have resulted in him being in debt to Chance, who knows about the Clairvoyant.
41	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': In ''[[ComicBook/WolverineAndTheXMenMarvelComics Wolverine and the X-Men]]'', the Jean Grey School needs some quick funds to keep the school running, so Logan forces the telepathic Quentin Quire accompany him to what's basically an intergalactic Las Vegas. Such a place safeguards against cheating by using a telepath detecting, [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale who soiled itself before dying]] when it detected Quentin, who is [[PowerLevels Omega-level]].
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
45	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': One strip has Lois Lane tell ComicBook/{{Superman}} they're playing cards with the neighbors that week, and if Clark doesn't use his XRayVision, they won't bring the kryptonite.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Fan Works]]
49	* This is how Kaiba realizes that Joey's ghost is not a hallucination in ''Fanfic/BeingDeadAintEasy''. Kaiba is the only living person who [[ISeeDeadPeople can see Joey's ghost]], and since he recently witnessed Joey's sudden and violent death protecting Kaiba, he chalks up Joey's hauntings as hallucinations. It's only when Kaiba plays a game of Duel Monsters and Joey accurately tells Kaiba his opponent's hand does he acknowledge that something supernatural is going on.
50	* A ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic by Creator/AAPessimal sees a luckless addicted gambler have an epiphany. He has heard that the goddess, She Who Cannot Be Named, known as the Lady, is capricious. If called by name, she brings misfortune and doom -- the opposite quality to the one she is invoked for. He takes the logic a step further. For every God there is an Oh God, an Anti-God. The Discworld runs on opposites. Therefore, there must also be a goddess of Ill-Fortune and Bad luck out there. If... The Lady... brings bad luck when her true name is invoked. Then The Other Lady must logically be constrained to give good fortune and good luck when invoked. the Gambler discovers She is called [[SdrawkcabName Anutrof]]. It works. Placing trust in the goddess Anutrof brings unfailing good luck. Right up to the day when she manifests in person.
51	* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/380107/gambling-foals "Gambling Foals"]], Pinkie Pie uses her 'Pinkie Sense' to win money on a gambling wheel. (She doesn't last long before being escorted to the owners.)
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
55	* In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', Biff Tannen steals Doc Brown's [=DeLorean=] and delivers a [[TimelineAlteringMacGuffin sports almanac from the future]] to his younger self, creating a new timeline where Biff becomes an all-powerful billionaire. Also counts as TimeTravelForFunAndProfit.
56	* In ''Film/BlackbeardsGhost'', Blackbeard helps Steve gamble at a roulette table by moving the ball to the number he picks.
57	* ''Film/{{Dreamscape}}'': Alex Gardner uses his psychic abilities to make money by betting on horse races.
58	* ''Film/Next2007'': Chris Johnson uses his ability to see the future to work as a psychic and to win big in the casinos he frequents and works in, as well as to avoid the security team when he has a vision of being detained for cheating.
59	* In ''Film/XTheManWithTheXRayEyes'', the protagonist uses his XRayVision to clean up at the blackjack table. Turns out it's easy to win if you always know what card is next. However, he's far too obvious (to the point of calling out the next card before it's flipped) and he gets kicked out by security.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Literature]]
63	* ''Literature/BadMonkeys'': Annie, a trainer for the Organization, is a [[ObfuscatingInsanity crazy-acting]] homeless woman who makes enough money to live by buying scratch tickets, as she has an unerring ability to pick batches of them with big winners. Narrator Jane Charlotte tries to repeat this strategy after Annie dies, to no success.
64	* ''Literature/CiaphasCain'': Caractacus Mott is a savant, a mostly-cybernetic CoolOldGuy with implants that make him a living repository of obscure and sometimes trivial knowledge, used by Inquisitor Amberley Vail as part of her duties for the Imperium, and used less officially by Cain to decimate gambling establishments all over the galaxy thanks to his incredible skill at counting cards.
65	* The first chapter of ''Lost Legacy'' by Creator/RobertAHeinlein, "Ye Have Eyes to See With", has a character who "made his stake for law school" as a professional gambler courtesy of being able to see both sides of his opponent's cards if he could see either side.
66	* ''Literature/MaximumRide'': Angel uses her mind-reading powers to cheat at poker.
67	* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's short story "Project Nightmare", two people with psychic abilities use them to win at gambling: a soldier nicknamed "Two-Gun" and a professional gambler called "Even-Money Karsch".
68	* In ''Literature/RevoltingRhymes'', the seven dwarves are ex-jockeys with a gambling addiction. Snow White steals the queen's mirror, allowing them to know the winning horse every time.
69	-->''The Mirror made the bookies pay.\
70	Each Dwarf and Snow-White got a share,\
71	And each was soon a millionaire,\
72	Which shows that gambling's not a sin\
73	Provided that you always win.
74	* Paul, a child in D. H. Lawrence's short story "The Rocking-Horse Winner", receives a hobbyhorse that tells him the names of real winning horses. He and the family gardener make good winnings this way, and the boy tries to use his gift to win his mother's love. [[spoiler:The exertion winds up killing him.]]
75	* In ''Literature/TrueTalents'', Cheater cheats at poker by using his telepathy to read the other players' minds and learn their hands.
76	* ''Literature/TheWatchmakerOfFiligreeStreet'': Keita Mori, the titular watchmaker, [[spoiler:has a form of clairvoyance]]. This makes him unbeatable in games of skill, but not in games of chance, since there the outcomes are random [[spoiler:and he can't see those]]. He apparently once won a house in a card game.
77	* In ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', Granny Weatherwax doesn't use magic to win at Cripple Mister Onion, or -- to Nanny's surprise -- even ordinary cheating (although she ''does'' use magic to counteract her opponents' cheating). However, the ''reason'' she's so good at the game is because she used to play against Old Mother Dismass: "You sit up every night dealing Cripple Mister Onion with someone who's got a detached retina in her second sight and you soon learn how to play."
78	* ''Literature/TheWonderfulStoryOfHenrySugar'' is about a man who gains XRayVision, and uses it to win at cards at a casino. However, he realizes that [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction there is no thrill in winning so easily]], so he starts [[MoneyToThrowAway tossing his winnings from his apartment to passers-by]]. He is chastised by a cop, who suggests that Henry donates it to a charitable organization. It is then that Henry decides to continue gambling at casinos with his power and to use his winnings to open well-financed orphanages all over the world.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
82	* '' Series/SevenDays1998'': Frank has a gambling addiction, so he tries to cash in on his backstepping through time. The problem is whenever he backsteps he creates a new timeline so whatever game he's betting on [[ButterflyOfDoom might not turn out the way he remembered]].
83	* ''Series/Babylon5'': Under [[SuperRegistrationAct Psi Corps]] rules, human telepaths are expressly forbidden from any form of gambling, for precisely this reason. A fifth-season episode notes that, as a result, those who break the rule turn out not to be very ''good'' at it: being able to read your opponent's mind only helps so much when [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome you lack the necessary knowledge and experience]]. [[spoiler:Unless you're powerful enough to [[MindRape rip the knowledge out of an experienced gambler's brain]].]]
84	* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'': Samantha transforms an escaped racehorse into a woman named Dolly. This proves to be a troublesome spell when the humanized Dolly begins giving "inside" race tips to Darrin's friend, Gus Walters, who desperately needs money to finance a new invention.
85	* In one episode of ''Series/Charmed1998'', Phoebe accidentally transfers her powers to one of her neighbors, who promptly decides to use the power of premonition to cheat at casinos.
86	* ''Series/{{Chucklevision}}'': Defied. In "Tomorrows News", the brothers' exploits to gather newspapers for recycling somehow results in them gaining a copy of tomorrow's newspaper. Upon realising that it's genuine, Paul immediately tries to look up the football results to place a series of bets and win a lot of money. Barry, however, argues he can't do that. Paul agrees, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint as he's thinking too small scale]], and instead looks for the lottery results. Barry, however, manages to prevent him, insisting they should use the information to warn people in advance.
87	* ''Series/DayBreak2006'': When Hopper takes Rita to Las Vegas, he uses the GroundhogDayLoop to predict the results of that day's football match and wins enough to afford the presidential suite.
88	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Carmen, a side character who features in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E15PlanetOfTheDead Planet of the Dead]]", possess very low-level psychic abilities, allowing her to occasionally see glimpses of the future. Her powers are not advanced enough to be used proactively and mostly exist outside her control. However, she is able to use them to win ten pounds on the lottery, specifically every single lottery she enters. She and her husband play twice a week.
89	* ''Series/EarlyEdition'': Hero Gary Hobson receives tomorrow's edition of ''The Chicago Sun-Times'' a day early. He mostly uses it for altruistic purposes, but sometimes if he's short of cash he'll place a bet at the track. His friend Chuck Fishman urges him to exploit it more, but Gary sees it as an abuse.
90	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. This backfires badly on Chiana when she uses her newly-developed ability to slow down time for this trope.
91	-->'''Chiana:''' There's a -- there's a cheat-proof game at the casinos. A mercury droplet; it bounces off an ion stream. And there's a thousand different outcomes.\
92	'''John:''' You won.\
93	'''Chiana:''' Seven times, in a row. They arrested me. They took my winnings. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil They had a little fun]] and then a little torture... [[DarkAndTroubledPast Nothin' new.]]
94	* ''Series/TheFlash1990'': One episode centers around a gynoid who escapes from a lab. She's found by a hobo who takes her to an illegal gambling house where she cleans up on several rounds of poker because she can see through the cards. Of course, this backfires when she's asked how she's doing so well and she simply admits to what she can do, causing the managers to attack her and the guy she was with.
95	* The Device family in ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' is incredibly wealthy thanks to their ancestor Agnes Nutter, a witch who could see the future. Agnes left them a book of accurate but strange predictions, including "an apple no man can eat" as a sign to invest money. Translated, it means, "buy stocks in Apple".
96	* In ''Series/{{Happy}}'', Nick uses [[ImaginaryFriend Lucky]] to help him win a card game by reading him other peoples' hands.
97	* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': While visiting a UsefulNotes/LasVegas casino with Ando, Hiro uses his time manipulation abilities to count cards at the poker table. SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome when management confronts them. They don't know exactly ''what'' Hiro did, but they have a clear idea that he was cheating, and that entitles them to take back his winnings.
98	* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'': In "Tomorrow Is Not Another Day", upon trying to fetch the morning paper Jeannie accidentally summons a paper from the next day. The subplot involves Roger attempting to capitalise on this by using it to bet on races he knows the outcome to. Tony, however, considers this too much of an unfair advantage and manages to sabotage him by having Jeannie change the result of the race, then waiting till Roger has torn up his betting slip to change it back so that no one who gambled legitimately will lose out.
99	* ''Series/LoisAndClark'': Subverted. In one early episode, Clark gets unwittingly roped in Perry White's after work poker game with his co-workers. Having never played before and doing badly, he gets tempted to use his XRayVision to spy on the others' cards. Quite by coincidence as the conversation had been about Superman, Jimmy mentions how great it would be if he could come play with them, only for another co-worker to point out he could do just what Clark is about to attempt, only for Perry to dismiss it stating Superman is too honest to resort to cheating, causing a Clark to sheepishly stop before he gets to see anything.
100	* ''Series/{{Manimal}}'': In "Breath of the Dragon" whilst investigating a gangster operating out of China Town who runs a series of rigged card games, Dr. Jonathan Chase joins in one game and manages to use his heightened senses to count the cards, allowing him to beat the racket.
101	* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': In "You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em", Kelly demonstrates an ability to predict what number will show up on a roulette table multiple times. When Al [[NiceJobBreakingItHero pressures her before making his one bet]], she blows it.
102	* '' Series/OdysseyFive'': Kurt Mendel tries to cash in on their MentalTimeTravel by betting big on a football game, only it turns out differently from how he remembered. He speculates afterwards that one of the football players heard of the big bet and this put enough stress on him to negatively affect his performance.
103	* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': In the AlternateRealityEpisode "[[Recap/StargateAtlantisS05E19Vegas Vegas]]", a Wraith is hiding on Earth using prosthetics to appear human and gathering funds by playing poker. Since Wraith are a highly telepathic species, he always wins. [=McKay=] points out that it's also less risky than to rob a bank, since the Wraith is specifically trying to avoid detection.
104	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E17Visionary Visionary]]", Chief O'Brien finds himself traveling five hours into the future at random intervals, so Quark tries to convince him to take a peek at the Dabo wheel while he's in the future. O'Brien is exasperated at his SkewedPriorities, but at the end of the episode, he can't help trolling Quark by telling him the wheel's going to hit Dabo a second before it does.
105	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
106	** Defied by Geordi. He's blind, so he uses a high-tech VISOR that makes him able to "see" and also gives him the ability to see in different light spectrums, but he doesn't use it during the weekly senior officer's poker game, though he admits he will peek ''after'' the hand is over from time to time.
107	--->'''Geordi:''' Maybe next time, you should bring a deck that's not transparent to infrared light.
108	** Also defied by Data. The episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E18CauseAndEffect Cause and Effect]]" shows that he's fully capable of stacking a poker deck without anyone noticing he's done it, though he never (intentionally) does it in games played with his fellow crewmates.
109	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
110	** In "[[Recap/SupernaturalS07E12TimeAfterTime Time After Time]]", whilst hunting Chronos the Greek god of Time, who has made a life for himself in 1944, it turns out the god is paying for his lifestyle by using his precognition powers to bet on races he knows the outcomes to. [[PopCulturedBadass Dean]] even refers to it as "using the [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartII Biff strategy]]".
111	** Defied by the warlock Patrick in "[[Recap/SupernaturalS05E07TheCuriousCaseOfDeanWinchester The Curious Case of Dean Winchester]]". He plays with people [[AbsurdlyHighStakesGame for years and not money]], and usually wins. Sam speculates he's simply reading people's minds, but Patrick denies it, stating there wouldn't be any fun in that. He's just become ''that'' good at it due to his centuries of experience.
112	* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'': At the beginning of "A Goat's Tale", Raven uses her psychic powers to win concert tickets over the radio.
113	-->'''Chelsea:''' Aw, man! Come on! Do you have to be, like, a ''psychic'' to win these contests?!\
114	'''Raven:''' CALLER NUMBER TEN IN THE HIZZOUSE!
115	* ''Series/TruCalling'': When Jack finds himself in a GroundhogDayLoop he uses his knowledge of the future to win money gambling. He uses this ability to compensate for his lack of employment and to ingratiate himself with [[TheGamblingAddict Tru's brother]].
116	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S2E10AMostUnusualCamera A Most Unusual Camera]]", a camera lets the protagonists win betting on horse races, but all three of them are dead by the end of the episode.
117	* Attempted in Season 2 of ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019''. Klaus, who can [[ISeeDeadPeople see ghosts]], tries to cheat at poker by having Ben, a ghost, tell him what the other players are holding. Unfortunately for him, Ben decides it would be funnier to make Klaus lose.
118	* Zigzagged in the ''Series/WorzelGummidge'' episode "Worzel's Wager". The Crow Man tells Worzel not to gamble, but Worzel calls him a {{Hypocrite}} because the Crow Man himself bet money that there'd be [[DreamingOfAWhiteChristmas snow on the town hall roof on Christmas]]. The Crow Man says that he knows that there will be snow there on Christmas, [[LoopholeAbuse so it doesn't count as gambling]]. It's unclear if that's true though, and if it is, it's unclear how he knows, since he's very mysterious and has very vaguely-defined powers.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Music]]
122	* Music/TheHoldSteady's song "Chips Ahoy!" is written from the POV of the concerned boyfriend of a girl who uses her psychic powers to pick winning horses. The song was partly inspired by "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and the title is the name of one of the horses.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Print Media]]
126	* A spoof of the ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movies in ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' magazine had Spider-Man's SpiderSense getting him kicked out of every casino in Atlantic City.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Radio]]
130	* One sketch on ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' is a FracturedFairyTale, in which the Evil Queen from Snow White is told by her chancellor that she's wasting the magic mirror, and they can use it to build up the kingdom's finances. His first go is a horse race, but he quickly moves on to the stock market.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
134	* ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': The Goblin [[MagicByAnyOtherName Contract]] "Trading Luck for Fate" tells the user the outcome of a random event, up to 1-in-100 odds or enough to win $50, in exchange for equal bad luck later; the usual [[{{Mana}} Glamour]] cost is waived if it's used to win at gambling. "Good and Bad Luck" can predict 1-in-10 000 odds or win $5 000, in exchange for a major CriticalFailure.
135	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Magical Items 3'' includes Arkwright's Inversion Glasses, which show you the opposite side of whatever you look at through them. Their main purpose is to see other people's cards. Arkwright himself was killed after [[HoistByHisOwnPetard forgetting he was wearing them and dealing an entire poker hand face up]].
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Video Games]]
139	* One thing Psychic Phenom can say in ''VideoGame/CardCityNights 2'' is how she has to try not to cheat:
140	-->''"I like the card game, but I have to try really hard not to accidentally cheat. I can see my opponent's entire deck and hand after all. Not to brag or anything."''
141	* At one point in ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'', Will needs to play a {{Russian Roulette}}-style DrinkingGame involving five wine glasses, one of which is poisoned. Due to his PsychicPowers, Will always knows which glasses are safe to drink from. His opponent is a terminally ill DeathSeeker who is only playing the game in order to leave his winnings to his family; when there's only one glass remaining, he drinks it anyway.
142	* ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'': A one-time event has Rex offer to wager Kudos, the setting's currency, in a card game. It's possible for the GroundhogPeggySue mechanic to kick in during that event and remind the player which move will win the game during a key choice.
143	* In ''VideoGame/KatanaZero'', there's a bouncer in a casino that won't move out of the way unless you bribe him with a large sum of money. You can either force your way through him or use your powerful precognition to win a couple of games of roulette to get the cash you need.
144	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', Link replays the same three days over and over. The lottery in Clock Town will always have the same winning numbers, so Link can keep winning.
145	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': The Treasure Chest Shop houses a minigame where you must progress through a series of five rooms, each of which contain two treasure chests. If you successfully pick the correct chest five times in a row, you will be awarded a Piece of Heart. Essentially, it is a LuckBasedMission; however, you can come back once you've obtained the Lens of Truth, which allows you to see through an illusion or ''a treasure chest''. In-game rumor has it that [[ObviousRulePatch it is against the rules to use glasses at the shop]].
146	* ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'': Subverted in ''Sam & Max Save the World''. In the third episode, "The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball", Sam must beat Leonard Steakcharmer in Indian Poker to win the money needed to buy a "[[LiteralSurveillanceBug listening device]]". Players can only see their opponent's card and must bet on if their own card is higher, and Leonard will always bet only if his card actually is higher, claiming he has a sixth sense. [[spoiler:In actuality, he can see his card reflected in the nose of one of the clowns decorating the casino. Upon realizing it, Sam can use it to his advantage.]]
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
150	* In ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', Child Gil uses his Noble Phantasm, Sha Nagba Imuru, which lets him see perfectly into the future and know all of the steps to reach the best outcome, to cheat at cards.
151	* In the backstory of the ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' series, [[spoiler:the Kurashiki siblings managed to become extremely wealthy after Akane used her esper abilities to see into the future and her brother Aoi used this information to invest money into various avenues and return a high payout, most notably investing into Cradle Pharmaceuticals before they developed [[InstantSedation Soporil]] and got rich after their stock skyrocketed because of its success, which led the Kurashikis to found "Crash Keys" so they could take over Building Q in Nevada and modify it to house the second Nonary Game to complete a StableTimeLoop in order to prevent Akane's death.]]
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Webcomics]]
155	* ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'': Raven is a spirit tethered to Blitz, and only Blitz can see or hear him at first. Raven takes advantage of this to cheat at cards, standing behind the Luck brothers and telling Blitz which cards to play.
156	* In ''WebComic/MarryMyHusband'', Jiwon Kang is murdered by her cheating husband Minhwan and suddenly finds herself flung back 10 years in the past; just one year before she married him. Determined to break away from him, Jiwon needs to find a way to make lots of money and remembers Minhwan's sole success: Investing in stocks. She has 10 years' worth of general knowledge of what companies to invest in that she knows will hit it big in the future and which to avoid; such as a promising tech company that turned out to be a 'pump and dump' scheme which Minhwan happily invests in, much to Jiwon's bewilderment. [[spoiler:In the epilogue where she's healthy and HappilyMarried to Jihyuk, Jiwon still uses her remaining future knowledge to make a fortune on the "beatcoin" market.]]
157	* ''Webcomic/{{Widdershins}}'': Jack O'Malley has the unique power to see [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent spirits]], including people's [[AuraVision emotional auras]], which he [[https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/april-2nd-2012 exploits]] in card games. This starts a BarBrawl in Widdershins, where people are familiar enough with magic to guess that ''something'' is amiss.
158	-->'''Officer Barber:''' So you cheat at cards for a living.\
159	'''Jack:''' S'not cheating, it's using a natural advantage, isn't it?
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Western Animation]]
163	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheRunaway The Runaway]]", a gambler convinces Fire Nation citizens to play a game in which they must guess which of three shells contains a pebble. However, Toph's ability to [[BizarreAlienSenses sense vibrations through the ground]] via [[DishingOutDirt earthbending]] lets her deduce that the con artist actually hides the pebble inside his sleeve whenever he shuffles the shells. When she agrees to participate, she uses her earthbending powers to knock the stone back inside her chosen shell, thus ensuring her victory.
164	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "[[Recap/FuturamaS2E11HowHermesRequisitionedHisGrooveBack How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back]]", Bender cheats at poker by wearing a pair of x-ray specs. However, he gives himself away when he mentions that one of the players has a tapeworm.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	!!Outcome manipulation examples
168
169	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
170	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
171	** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'': In a battle of wits between Daniel J. D'Arby, whose Stand Osiris steals people's souls after they admit defeat in their heart which he uses to great effect in various gambling games, and hero Jotaro Kujo, whose Stand Star Platinum moves faster than the eye can see, D'Arby believes he has Jotaro on the ropes after having a blackmailed bystander intentionally deal Jotaro a bad hand in a game of poker while knowing he has a winning hand himself. However, Jotaro never looks at his cards and constantly uses Star Platinum's abilities for mundane tasks while he constantly ups the ante, leading D'Arby to believe Jotaro has used Star Platinum to out cheat him by switching all his cards around to a winning hand despite knowing that his opponent cheating would mean they automatically forfeit their soul through Osiris. D'Arby ultimately goes catatonic and all his victims are freed, [[spoiler:without learning that Jotaro was bluffing the entire time and never bothered to look at his hand as he knew D'Arby had cheated from the start and one look at the bad hand would have meant instant defeat, making all of this an aversion]].
172	** A later encounter with D'Arby's younger brother Telence T. D'Arby follows a similar path, with Telence's Stand Atum having similar abilities to Osiris, but Atum also has mind-reading abilities so long as it follows a yes or no question. Telence's preferred games are video games, where the outcome can't readily be modified by cheating or Stand abilities, so he instead cheats by reading the other player's mind to outfox them at the game. [[spoiler:He meets his end when playing a game against Jotaro whose mind doesn't match what is happening in the game. Jotaro has figured out Telence's mind-reading abilities and has coordinated with his grandfather Joseph Joestar to cheat by having Joseph play the game for him through his Stand Hermit Purple's vines.]]
173	** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'': Hero Josuke Higashikata, having befriended the mysterious Mikitaka Hazekura who claim to be an alien with VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities, asks Mikitaka to assume the shape of three dice. The two new friends then play dice with Rohan Kishibe in order to cheat some free cash out of him.
174	* ''Anime/YuGiOh'':
175	** Yami Yugi has this as an explicit power. Even before the franchise became absorbed by the card game, Yami Yugi had the ability to pull out miracle moves to swing the game in his favor even when all hope seemed lost. He's only lost three times in the series, and only one of those were counted as legitimate. In general, TheMagicPokerEquation is something of an implicit law.
176	** When Bakura and Yami are playing Monster World, Bakura spins the dice to increase his chances of getting critical hits. When Yami catches on, they agree to ban dice spinning, but Bakura decides to use dice with souls of his defeated enemies instead, trying to get the same result without Yami noticing. Unfortunately for him, Ryou interferes and causes him to get the worst possible roll.
177	* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
178	** Judai, like Yugi before him, is noted to be preternaturally lucky with his draws, to the point that a one-off opponent ''specifically'' designed his deck with the intent of screwing with his ability to defy the odds.
179	** One-off baddie Ikkaku is noted to have gained the ability to stack his deck through a DealWithTheDevil, which he uses primarily to make the effect of the normally AwesomeButImpractical Slash Draw a surefire thing.
180	** Saiou plays an Arcana Force deck, where all the cards have a coin toss effect; typically, heads gets a pretty good effect, tails gets a useless or outright detrimental effect. However, in most of his duels, he gets the good effect, and even when he gets the bad effect, it's usually one that he can exploit somehow. Though he does have some foresight powers, it's implied to be a WindsOfDestinyChange deal, since whenever he doesn't have his powers active, his luck tends to immediately turn to absolute crap.
181	* Yuma from ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' is able to outright create cards on the fly with his Shining Draw ability, letting him have the perfect counter to whatever situation he finds himself in.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Comic Books]]
185	* In the ''ComicBook/{{Beetlejuice}}'' comics, Lydia and Beetlejuice overhear her father saying something which makes it sound like her family will have to move away from her house (and consequently, the ghost who haunts it). So she enters the Neitherworld lottery in order to win enough money to buy the house from the bank, and Beetlejuice uses his shady Neitherworld connections to ensure that she has the winning ticket.
186	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
187	** In one comic series, a Jedi who survives [[ThePurge Order 66]] comments on how his master once commented that someone who could use the Force could become very rich in gambling, and he intends to do just that and then go deep into hiding.
188	** [[FaceHeelTurn Fallen Jedi]] Lycan demonstrates this advantage in the ''Nomad'' series of ''ComicBook/StarWarsTales''... except he's not subtle at all with his cheating, winning thirteen times in a row and then causing both dice to land on edge ''in the middle of the table'' when betting his winnings against a starship. The bouncers take notice, promising to give Lycan an [[ElectricTorture "electric barbecue"]] before handing what's left of him over to the annoyed gamblers. Unfortunately, Lycan doesn't give them the chance and [[SoftSpokenSadist calmly demonstrates how easily he could kill with the Force]]. Everyone in the casino, barring one croupier, ends up dead.
189	--->'''Lycan:''' Cash in my chips, take them to my ship on docking bay 24B. Now. [[YouWillBeSpared Do this and I will let you live.]]
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Fan Works]]
193	* In [[https://golden-sun-the-lost-comics.tumblr.com/post/116868837821/part-time-heroes-full-time-dorks this]] ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' 4-Koma, Garet and Isaac attempt to cheat at dice using the Move Psyenergy. The ref notices and declares the win invalid.
194	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4286250/chapters/30782331 Shadow Balance]]'' posits that [[Anime/YuGiOh Jounouchi]]'s good luck is because a latent Shadow Magic user. The heroes only notice when he plays pachinko and wins every round (which [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome gets him kicked out]]), but in hindsight, Bakura points out that the only times he played a gambling card and lost was when he was facing another Shadow Magic user.
195	[[/folder]]
196
197	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
198	* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDark'': Abnegazar uses magic during his poker match against Constantine to turn his own hand into a straight flush. After both players bet their most valuable possessions, Constantine smirks and uses his own powers to turn Abnegazar's hand into junk, winning the match.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
202	* ''Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer'': The MagicKnight Kane turns the tables on a duo of card hustlers by turning their entire deck into winning cards.
203	* ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'': In a bet with Watto, Qui-Gon Jinn uses the Force to make a die roll the result he wants. The game was already rigged in Watto's favor.
204	* ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'': Chris Bradley hosts a carnival game in which participants have three chances to make a lightbulb go off. A woman tries turning off the switch, disconnecting the wires, and removing the lightbulb from its socket, but fails and storms away furiously after losing her money. As it's revealed later, Chris is a {{technopath}} and can mentally generate electricity to ensure the lightbulb never goes out.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Literature]]
208	* The plot of ''{{Literature/Deathworld}}'' starts because the Pyrrans don't have enough money for a weapons shipment, so they make a deal with the protagonist, Jason, who uses his weak telekinetic abilities to cheat in casinos.
209	* Creator/FritzLeiber's ''Literature/DangerousVisions'' short story "Gonna Roll the Bones" is about a character who has some kind of extraordinary ability to throw things in a perfect way, notably to get whatever dice roll he wants.
210	* In the ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'' short story "Games of Chance" by Elaine Cunningham, Elaith Craulnober's casino is visited by an inventor who has a device that alters probability. It does not end well for him.
211	* In ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'', Bell's "Luck" Development Ability that he selected upon becoming Level 2 greatly improves his [[BornLucky already impressive luck]]. The first time he visits Orario's casinos, he repeatedly wins at roulette even while betting on a single number, quickly multiplying his initial earnings by more than 10,000 times.
212	* ''Literature/LordOfMysteries'': Councilor Ricciardo, a demigod of the wheel of fortune pathway and high ranking member of a secret organization, doesn't have any money to pay the protagonist. Instead, he transfers luck to win the corresponding amount in a casino. On another occasion, the light novel features three demigods of different pathways competing in a card game while exploiting their special abilities of bribing, intimidation, and puppeteering.
213	* Sterren from ''Literature/TheUnwillingWarlord'' was apprenticed to a warlock for a few days before being kicked out due to complete lack of talent. All he had left was a bit of unconscious telekinetic ability which gives him an edge when playing dice.
214	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Mat has [[WindsOfDestinyChange magically enhanced luck]] that generally makes games of chance very profitable. By the middle of the series, he has to start looking for strangers who don't know his reputation, as his luck becomes strong enough to override an opponent's [[FixingTheGame loaded dice]].
215	[[/folder]]
216
217	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
218	* ''Series/TheAlmightyJohnsons'': Mike Johnson being the [[GodInHumanForm incarnation of Ullr]], the Norse God of Skill, Hunt and Duel, has his powers manifest like this. If he can get the other party to agree even tangibly to any form of competition (even a fight if he words it correctly), he's utterly invincible (it only applies to competitions he personally participates in, thus doesn't apply other activities like horse racing). Even if he wants to lose it will end in his favour. Mike likewise struggles with addiction to gambling, specifically as he knows he can't lose, he has a habit of getting extremely antagonistic and cocky during the games (often angering his opponents). It's implied this coupled with him betting often against unsavoury and likely-to-be-violent individuals is a subconscious manifestation of his guilt at cheating.
219	* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'': In a game of poker, Killgrave uses his CompellingVoice powers to make everyone at the table go all in and then everyone but him fold, letting him win over a million dollars with an absolutely abysmal hand. He could have just forced them to give him the money straight up, but he prefers doing little extra KickTheDog actions like that because [[EvilIsPetty he's just that petty]].
220	* Discussed frequently on ''Series/{{MASH}}'' in regards to Father Mulcahy. He attributes (with others jokingly bemoaning) his more-often-than-not success at gambling ventures to the power of the Christian God. Whether or not he seriously believes that God is helping him is debatable.
221	* Generally defied by Data in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
222	** "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E18CauseAndEffect Cause and Effect]]" shows that in most cases he deliberately avoids stacking the poker deck, even to his own disadvantage, but the final segment of the episode shows that he's entirely ''capable'' of doing so.
223	** "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E12TheRoyale The Royale]]" shows that he's also good at craps, by way of using his SuperStrength to subtly alter the dice to fall in his favor.
224	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S2E21ThePrimeMover The Prime Mover]]", a man with [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] is used by a professional gambler to win big at dice games and roulette in Las Vegas.
225	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone2002'': In the episode "Rewind", a compulsive gambler gets his hands on a magical tape recorder capable of rewinding time and decides to use it to gain a fortune in a casino through SaveScumming his way through the games. The KarmicTwistEnding, however, ends with the house still winning it all because they have a magical rewinder of their own, which they use to undo the player's winnings and then destroy both the player's recorder [[{{Fingore}} and his hands]] before kicking him out.
226	[[/folder]]
227
228	[[folder:Podcasts]]
229	* ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures'': Rookie superhero Doctor Improbable is a physicist by trade and gambler by nature. When he gained his power [[WindsOfDestinyChange to make events more likely to happen the more improbable they are]], he discovered that the longer the odds of the bets he made, the more they were a sure thing. This worked until he realized that the odds were dependent on his own perception of them. Once he had enough confidence in his powers that he ''knew'' the bets were guaranteed wins, his "Improbability Factor" worked against him and turned gambling back into a gamble. From there, he took up a profession in which he was certain to fail and die, superheroics, and has done pretty well since. His spotlight episode, "The Doctor Is In", reveals that Doctor Improbable's powers are not, in fact, WindsOfDestinyChange, but standard {{Reality Warp\|er}}ing that affects his surroundings based on his own fear or confidence levels.
230	[[/folder]]
231
232	[[folder:Video Games]]
233	* ''VideoGame/EscapeLala 2'' has a slot machine in the pirate ship. You need to win it to progress, but you can't seem to get lucky enough to win on your own. Fortunately, you can obtain a Luck Spell that makes the slot machine land on three of the same picture so that you win.
234	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' mentions in the [[AllThereInTheManual Codex]] that [[MindOverMatter biotics]] sometimes abuse their powers, such as cheating at roulette.
235	[[/folder]]
236
237	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
238	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''
239	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', part of Celeste's talent as the Ultimate Gambler is being BornLucky, but in a manner specific to games. Her talent never becomes plot-important because of its narrow scope; unlike the Ultimate Lucky Students, her luck is average outside of the [[CripplingOverspecialization narrow scope]] of gambling games. Manipulating the events of the Killing Game is beyond her talent.
240	** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': As the Ultimate Lucky Student, Nagito naturally has an edge when it comes to anything relying on chance. He uses this to purposely pick the losing lot so he could clean the space for his class's party [[spoiler:to set up his murder plot]] and successfully play Russian roulette with ''five out of six'' chambers loaded. Finally, [[spoiler:he relies on his luck to have TheMole unknowingly kill him and make it impossible to determine which student was actually responsible for the murder with one hundred percent certainty]].
241	[[/folder]]
242
243	[[folder:Web Animation]]
244	* While he's [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible not exactly paranormal]], Kitten the genetically enhanced superhuman from ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' rigs a coin toss by [[ImprobableAimingSkills shooting the coin]] in midair.
245	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} example in ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''. Qrow plays cards with Clover and consistently loses as his Semblance grants him bad luck while Clover's grants him good luck, giving Clover a much greater advantage. Fortunately, the two didn't appear to be betting anything and it was just a friendly game.
246	[[/folder]]
247
248	[[folder:Webcomics]]
249	* In ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', Lancelot cannot lose any contest due to having God's favor. In the Western arc, Arthur sees him playing poker and is surprised that a religious man like him is gambling, and Guenevere replies that, for Lancelot, it's not a gamble.
250	* In ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'', the Jedi have a "Force Manipulation Re-roll" ability, which they can use to re-roll one die per day (that is, the real-life dice they are playing the game with). When the Watto scene comes up (see the Film folder), Jim misunderstands the rule as referring to ''in-universe'' dice, and when the GM corrects him, decides he'll re-roll the die the GM rolled to determine the result of the in-universe one. The GM can't refuse, as it would be admitting that he rigged the outcome by not actually rolling a die at all.
251	[[/folder]]
252
253	[[folder:Western Animation]]
254	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': {{Mechanical Lifeform\|s}} Smokescreen has a built-in wire that overrides non-sentient machinery. He manipulates a slot machine to his benefit and lets it all ride on one last bet. But one of the casino workers notices his wire and pulls it loose.
255	[[/folder]]
256
257	!!Mixed and unsorted examples
258
259	[[folder:Fan Works]]
260	* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/451065/the-amulet-job The Amulet Job]]'', Thorax of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' uses his ability to sense emotions in games of poker to detect the other players' moods, make a guess at their hand, and decide the best course of action. He still needs to throw a round every now and then so the other players don't think he's cheating.
261	* ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'': Jun Kurosu of ''VideoGame/Persona2'' is a Persona User, someone with the power to summon a GuardianEntity that is InvisibleToNormals. His boss chides him for using it to cheat at cards with a coworker (mistakenly calling it a [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stand]]).
262	[[/folder]]
263
264	[[folder:Literature]]
265	* In one of the earlier ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' novels, the search for potential Jedi for Luke to train included searching for strangely lucky gamblers, reasoning that this could be the result of either unconscious Force influence or premonition. The most promising such example that they actually investigate turns out to be a dud: the "unusually lucky" gambler with a record of winning very large bets simply turns out to have a way to cheat.
266	* ''Literature/TooManyMagicians'' features both prescience and outcome manipulation: Lord Ashley has an intermittent ability to see a few seconds into the future, which can be very useful when playing roulette. Then he starts gambling in a casino with a magician on staff using telekinesis to ensure the ball always lands on a number other than the one he wagered on, resulting in Lord Ashley ending up TrappedByGamblingDebts. Other stories in the same series mention that most magicians don't gamble at all except with very close friends, because if they win, it's almost certain that somebody will accuse them of using this trope whether they are or not.
267	[[/folder]]
268
269	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
270	* A weird example from an episode of ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'' -- the MonsterOfTheWeek turned the Jetman minus Gai into little figurines, and Gai would only get them back if he won against [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Grey]] in a game of roulette. To win the AbsurdlyHighStakesGame against Grey's built-in computer, Gai ends up using [[MechaExpansionPack Tetra Boy]] to tilt the casino!
271	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'': In ''The Return'', after Agent Cooper returns from the Black Lodge into the material world, he wanders into a casino and sees supernatural omens indicating which slot machine is primed for a super-jackpot. It's a bit unclear if it's simply foresight or if the machines are being deliberately reprogrammed by his friends from the other side, since he ends up winning about ''50 times in a row''. More realistically, the casino's owners immediately fire the manager because he didn't kick him out before he walked off with millions of dollars and later attempt to murder Cooper. Even if they can't prove he's cheating, the odds of his winning streak are so unbelievable that they damn well know he did.
272	[[/folder]]
273
274	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
275	* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'': There are three effects for gambling, and all rely on the Entropy Sphere. The first rank is automatic probability calculation (such as the odds of winning a poker hand). The second rank, combined with rank 2 Time, allows the user to foresee the most likely event. The third rank of Entropy allows a Mage to just make the machine give them a winning result.
276	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Nudge the Odds is a spell that enhances the user's skill at gambling. The catch is that it turns a physical feature of the user like their iris or a lock of their hair gold, which [[GlamourFailure can't be concealed using magic]]. As every village on Golarion will have at least one professional magic user on average, [[AwesomeButImpractical don't bother]]. Magic is common enough that the odds that you'll be caught are [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin quite high]], and it's only a minor boost.
277	[[/folder]]
278
279	[[folder:Video Games]]
280	* ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': Part of Phoenix's secret to being an undefeated poker player (aside from being incredible at bluffing) is that his adopted daughter Trucy is a Gramarye, and has the Gramarye family trait of being hyper-aware of peoples' tells (not ''exactly'' paranormal, but still a superpower of sorts since only Gramaryes can do it); if Phoenix ever faced someone he was unsure he could beat, he'd invite Trucy to watch his games, and she'd communicate to him how his opponent was feeling, allowing him to unerringly tell what kind of hand they had.
281	* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
282	** An interesting and meta/borderline [[BreakingTheFourthWall 4th-wall-breaking]] {{defi\|edTrope}}ance of this trope occurs in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' where loading disables gambling for 60 seconds as the casino takes anti-cheating measures (if it's a roulette table, the croupier checks the wheel for bias. If it's blackjacked the dealer breaks out a new deck of cards and shuffles it, if it's a slot machine it "resets" itself).
283	** As part of ''New Vegas'''s {{Deconstruction}} of the LuckStat which now represents the ability to calculate probability, the [[PlayerCharacter Courier]] can get a cybernetic Luck implant in their brain that helps with that. That's right, you can become a {{cyborg}} as a way to [[MundaneUtility cheat]] in casinos ([[VoodooShark which somehow affects]] slot machines).
284	** In the [[VideoGame/Fallout1 first]] and [[VideoGame/Fallout2 second]] games, the LuckStat is more [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane ambiguous]] in what it represents. It can be increased in the first game through playing UsefulNotes/TarotCards and in the second game through a "Zeta Scan" from the local ChurchOfHappyology, but this has a legitimate, if small, increase in favorable gambling odds (A case of [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve hand clapping]]?)
285	* ''VideoGame/VermintideII'': Referenced in lore articles. Friends of the Grey Wizard Olesya Pimenova suspect her of using her magic, which focuses on illusion, confusion, and misdirection, to [[NotSoAboveItAll cheat at cards with them]].
286	[[/folder]]
287
288	[[folder:Webcomics]]
289	* ''Webcomic/GenocideMan'': During a Poker match aboard a ship they're using for travel, Giri uses her [[TheEmpath Empathic]] powers to be as misleading as possible to the other players, leading them to make or withdraw bets nearly at her will. She even beats Jacob, who has plenty of experience and one of the best Poker faces in existence.
290	* ''Sev Space'':
291	** One cartoon has Wolverine asking Professor X how he can afford all the ComicBook/XMen's equipment. Professor X replies, "Let's just say they don't let me into Vegas anymore."
292	** Another cartoon has the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' crew asking Picard why he doesn't join their poker games. Picard's reply: "Why don't I play poker with a telepath? Oh, there's a puzzler!"
293	[[/folder]]
294
295	[[folder:Western Animation]]
296	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' movie ''[[Recap/FuturamaM4IntoTheWildGreenYonder Into the Wild Green Yonder]]'', Fry uses his newfound telepathy to cheat at a poker tournament, while Bender loads up on lucky charms (most notably, the Donbot's lucky robot's foot). In the last hand, Bender wins by ''not'' looking at his hand, which turns out to be all four kings plus a coaster labeled "King of Beers" that got shuffled into the deck by accident, beating Fry's four aces.
297	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ParanormalGamblingAdvantage