FRPG Gambling House Betting

You are running a FRPG (Fantasy Role Playing Game) and the player’s characters have come to the big city. They want to check out the local gambling house. Perhaps try their luck at the tables. But you don’t want to run a whole complicated sub-game. This is for you.

Here is a simple way to determine who wins and who looses and how many gold pieces are won or lost.

The simple method:

The player tells you how much his character is going to bet. Have him flip a coin. [You could have him do this once for the entire day of gambling, or for each bet he makes while there.]

Heads – PC looses all he bet.
Tails – PC wins – Roll 1d4 and check this list:
     1) PC wins 1.25 X what he bet
     2) PC wins 1.5 X what he bet
     3) PC wins 1.75 X what he bet
     4) PC wins 2 X what he bet

A more complex method:

Player rolls 1d20 and adds his character’s ability bonus. [STR for games like arm wrestling. DEX for games like darts. CON for drinking games. INT for games like dragon chess. WIS for games like poker. CHA for games where the patrons vote to determine the winner.] The house (opponent) also makes a check [add an appropriate bonus determined by the DM. +5 is a good place to start]. Ties go to the house.

Maximum Bets:

Each house will has their own max bet and max payout.
An example: Maximum bet 10 gp. Maximum payout on a single bet: 20 gp. Maximum total daily payout: 200 gp.