“I’ll see yer hundred, and raise ya two hundred more”, Mark grunted, throwing in two $100 chips. He looked around at the gathering: both Hardy brothers, Ken Anderson, also known as Ken Kennedy, and Steve Williams, also known as Steve Austin. And himself, Mark Calaway, also known as the Undertaker.

Everyone looked at Jeff, who was peering intently at his cards. And looking completely ridiculous doing it. His brows were furrowed, and his tongue was sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

“Aww, HELL, son, just fuckin put yer damned cards down or fold already!!” Steve snapped, drinking from a beer. As Matt went to take one, Steve thwapped at his hand. “Sorry, son, yer too young to drink.”

Matt scowled. “No, I’m not”, he said, snatching a beer, earning an answering scowl from Steve, and laughter from Jeff, Ken, and Mark.

Jeff finally grinned. “I call”, he said, throwing down the chips.

Mark smirked, and threw down his cards. “Straight”, he said. He chuckled when he stood, going to gather the winnings, but then Jeff spoke.

“Straight FLUSH.” He laid down his cards, and there they were: a seven, eight, nine, ten, and jack, all clubs.

Everyone gaped, but none moreso that Mark as Jeff laughed, gathering his winnings.

Even Matt gaped. “H-how…”

“Trade secret, Mattie”, Jeff said, grinning widely.

Mark was scowling at him. “Yer cheatin’”, Mark grunted. “Only explanation.”

Jeff looked wounded. “You know that I’m not a cheat”, he said.

Ken sighed, as this was his first time actually participating in a bi monthly poker game that the guys had. And, surprisingly, he was holding his own against Mark, the best poker player in the whole WWE.

The game continued, and to everyone’s shock, Ken started really raking in the dough. Much to Mark’s annoyance, and everyone else’s amusement.

“Beginner’s luck”, Mark said, scowling at him.

Ken grinned at him. “Must be”, he said lightly.

The game continued, and everyone else lost their money to either Mark or Ken. Soon, it was just Mark and Ken left at the table.

Mark was getting…perturbed. Nobody bested him in poker before, and it was REALLY getting on his nerves. “All right, enough of this”, he growled, pushing his entire pile of winnings into the middle of the table. “This last hand is for it all. You up to the challenge, Kid?”

Ken raised his eyebrow. “’Kid’”? he asked. He then smirked. “You’re on, Old Timer.”

Mark growled. He then grabbed Jeff by the collar of his shirt, and sat him down next to him. “Yer dealin’”, he said.

Jeff, knowing NOT to get on Mark’s Bad Side, he took the cards, and shuffled them deftly. He then gave them out. Mark was too intent on looking at his cards, so he missed the look that went between Ken, Matt, Jeff, and Steve.

“Three”, Mark said, putting down three cards, and getting his fresh three. He then looked at his hand. He now had four nines.

“Two”, Ken said, smiling slightly, and threw down two cards. When he got his two new cards, he looked at them. In his hand, where there were two threes, there were now four.

“Ladies first”, Mark said mockingly, gesturing for Ken to put his cards down.

“Age before Beauty”, Ken retorted, batting his eyes playfully at him, making the others laugh.

Mark couldn’t help but keep the self-satisfied grin off his face as he put his cards down. “Four nines”, he announced. He sat back, folding his arms and looking smug as one could be.

Ken looked around worriedly for a moment, before grinning widely back, putting his cards down. “Four Jacks.”

Just as Ken said, there were four faces looking out from Ken’s upturned hand.

Mark gaped incredulously at those four faces. “NO FUCKIN’ WAY!!” he roared, pointing at them. “THERE’S NO FUCKIN’ WAY HE JUST BEAT ME!!”

“Oh, ‘Yes Fuckin’ Way”, Matt said, snickering. He continued to snicker as Mark glared at him.

“SHADDAP!!” Mark snapped. He then reached into his wallet, grumbling loudly, to reach for the money. But, he realized soon that his wallet was empty. “I musta left it in my hotel room…”

“Oh for Christ’s Sake!!” Ken yelled, getting up, and taking his own wallet out. “When you come to a game you BRING YOUR MONEY!!” He opened his wallet, showing the money he had in there, waving it under Mark’s nose.

“I JUST GOTTA GO GIT IT FROM MY HOTEL ROOM!!” Mark thundered.

“How do I know you’re not gonna stiff me?!” Ken growled, narrowing his eyes at him.

In the end, it was decided that Steve would make sure that Mark got the money by following him to his hotel room. They returned about a half an hour later with Mark slapping a stack of bills into Ken’s hand. Without another word, he walked off, still grumbling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Two Hours Later*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Did you SEE the look on his face?!?” Matt howled, clutching his sides because he was laughing so hard.

Matt, Jeff, Steve, and Ken were in Ken’s hotel room, thankfully WELL away from Mark’s.

“Oh, man, I’ve been itching to do that to him for YEARS”, Jeff said, sitting on the floor and leaning his back against the side of the bed.

The guys in the locker room were tired of having Mark’s damned hand in their wallets and taking them for every cent they had every time they played poker. This time, with Ken, the Master Deceiver in their midst, they had decided on some payback.

“I still don’t know how ya got them Jacks”, Steve said, his eyes twinkling amusedly.

“As Jeffy the Jester said”, Ken said, lying back on the bed, grinning, and his hands folded behind his head, “Trade secret.”

“I gave you four threes, didn’t I?” Jeff asked.

Ken nodded. “Yeah, you did.”

“I don’t get that, though”, Jeff said. “How did you get those Jacks?”

“I already told you. Trade secret.” Ken grinned at them all.

“And, the icing on the cake: You flashed HIS OWN MONEY in his face”, Jeff said, snickering.

“Thanks to The Pickpockets, here”, Ken said at Steve’s quizzical look, “They managed to boost his wallet, empty it of every cent in it, and slip it back without him noticing.”

“Genius”, Steve said, clapping Matt on the back, making Matt pitch forward a bit. “Pure genius.”

They spent another half hour hanging out in Ken’s hotel room, then they all went for some much needed rest.

Ken went to bed $50,000 richer that night. A thought that made him grin happily as he slept.

Forever afterward, Mark REFUSED to let Ken play in any poker game that he was participating in.