Strip Poker

"Strip poker?" they said perfect unison.

"Do you have a better idea?" I asked back to them.

"Almost anything is a better idea," Alice replied. "What makes you think we would play strip poker with you?"

"Because you are always bragging to us how good you guys are at cards," I answered. "I think it is time to prove it."

But, Mike, 'STRIP' poker?" Kelly clarified. "Why does it have to be strip?"

"Do you want to play for money?" I asked, and looked to my friend Ding with a smirk on my face. They were freshmen. They had no money. Domingo and I were juniors. We were on the orientation board and got to know several girls pretty well, but most had drifted away to spend time with guys in their own class.

Alison and Kelly were the type of girls that had always dated the older boys. They had probably developed before their other class mates and had started wearing make-up sooner. Now at 18, they looked their age, but us older guys still held an allure for them.

We weren't actually dating, either. Ding and I weren't sure which we preferred. Domingo was Spanish and thought he looked like Antonio Banderas. He didn't speak with an accent, though he could fake one pretty well, and his mixed heritage gave him pretty light skin, but he pretended to be very Mexican. Alice had dark hair and skin and could be confused for descending from someone south of the border, but it was just as likely Italian blood in her. Italian or Spanish, she looked great. She was short and curvy. Ding and I guessed she was a 34D, and we kept plotting how we could find out. Strip poker was our only real plan so far.

Kelly, a brunette, was taller by six inches, and thinner. While Alice had nice hips, Kelly was more athletic and had a tight stomach. In the mixer sport games we played with the freshman, she did very well. We guessed her chest was a 36B, but it was her long legs that got most of the attention.

So far we had only taken them to a couple movies and out to dinner. We group dated to take the pressure of them and they seemed to like it. Freshman girls were guarded fiercely by the dorm monitors their first semester, and we tried not to be over bearing as upperclassmen.

We had just watched a movie in our apartment off campus and it was around 10:30. They didn't like beer, but we had forced a few wine coolers down them and we hoped that would loosen them up. We didn't know how experienced they were, but we were playing the good guys . . . so far.

Understanding their silence for what it was, I continued. "If we can't play for money, what can we play for?"

"Fun?" Alice offered.

"When you play for fun," Ding started, "you don't bluff, or maybe you bluff all the time. There is no pressure on you, and it is hard to take it seriously. Poker is a mind game, not a card game. Unless there is something at stake, you can't really play it. It's like playing basketball without keeping score."

Kelly understood the sports analogy and was nodding her head. Alice looked at her friend with concern on her face.

"We're all adults here," I said. That always worked with 18-year-olds. "It's not like we are telling you you have to get naked. It's a game. If you win, you keep your clothes on, if you lose, you take them off."

"Have you ever worn a bikini to the beach?" Ding asked.

"That's different," Kelly replied.

"Yea," I agreed, "a bikini is a lot skimpier than a bra is."

"But you get to keep the bikini on at the beach."

I sighed, pretending to be frustrated. "And you can keep your bra on here. No one is saying you have to go the whole way. If we played for money, you don't have to empty your savings account. Play down to your underwear, and if you want to stop, then stop. Who knows, you might get us naked without having to take anything off."

The two girls looked at each other and smiled at the thought. If Ding looked like Antonio Banderas, then I looked like Josh Hartnett. We both worked out and felt we looked good without a shirt.

"How do you play?" Alice asked tentatively.

Right then we knew we had them. "Socks are worth 25 each, pants and shirts are worth 50, and underwear is worth 100. And both of you are wearing more underwear than us, so we are spotting you 100 right there.

"But I'm not wearing any socks," Alice complained. She had sandals. Kelly, always the athlete, had sneakers on.

"But you are wearing two shirts," Ding pointed out. She was wearing a little half shirt that tied in front over a tank top. Kelly wore a t-shirt, and they were both wearing jeans. If things worked out right, soon, neither of them would be wearing anything.

We moved from the couch to the floor. Kelly wanted to play cards at the table, but I argued that in strip poker you need to be able to see the whole person all the time. I saw a moment of hesitation in them again, but they shrugged their shoulders and sat down. Three of us took off our shoes and socks, while Alice untied her half shirt. We threw all the clothes into a pile off to the side, and Ding left to get cards and chips while I got more drinks.

Alice was drinking pina coladas while Kelly was drinking fuzzy navels. What they didn't know was that I was spiking them with an extra two ounces of coconut rum and peach schnapps.

They had already drank two that evening over the course of the two hour movie, but Ding and I would drink beer, and the frequency we would put away cans would encourage them to drink faster too.

Ding was waiting for me with the chips and cards when I gave the girls their drinks and us our beers. They each took a big sip and put them down beside them on the floor. We all sat cross-legged as Ding explained the rules.

"We are playing 5-card draw. You bet after the deal and after the draw. The one to the left of the dealer has first bid. The deal will move around the circle." He passed out 5 white chips and a red chip to everyone. "The white is 5 and the red is 25. Should we get naked enough, the blue is worth 100."

The girls nodded, and we started playing. The game was slow at first. Most people checked around each time or only raised five. We all took turns taking the pot and after 8 hands, we all had about what we started with. Ding and I couldn't cheat (easily) with the girls each taking a turn to deal, but we didn't think we needed to. We each finished our beer after 10 minutes, and I asked the girls if they wanted another. They looked at their bottles and saw they weren't even half way done yet. As I expected, they each took a big swig from their drinks and said they would be ready in a minute.

I could see them blink away their impending buzzes, and I knew it was time to turn up the heat. I was dealt my first promising hand the next play with a pair of aces. Kelly bet 5 before the draw and Alice met it. I reraised 10. Ding dropped out, as I expected him to. Our goal was to see some skin, not necessarily to win ourselves. And if all of us ended up naked at the end with a pair of drunk girls, only good things could happen.

Alice and Kelly exchanged worried glances. This was the first reraise of the night. Prior to this all the raises had been five and they were only called. With the 5 ante, they each had 10 of their own chips in there. Alice had gotten up to 55 but Kelly was down to 40 before the hand. If she met my increase, she would only have 20 left if she lost. But, like with most inexperienced players, they didn't know how to walk away from the hand. They both met the raise.

We all took three cards and I got a third ace. Both girls passed, looking at their small stacks, not wanting to risk any more of it, meaning neither made a set. If I raised another 10, they would both fold. I raised 5. Alice, with the most chips folded, but Kelly felt too invested.

"You're bluffing," she called and dropped one of her last 4 white chips in the pot.

"If you say so," I replied and dropped my set on the floor.

"Shit," was her reply.

I raked in the largest pot of the night and knew I wouldn't have to worry about taking off my shirt any time soon. Looking over at Ding, he was going to need some help, and as Kelly dropped in the ante for the next hand, she only had 10 left. She took another long drink as Alice dealt the next hand. Kelly looked at her cards and exhibited a poor poker face. Ding and I exchanged knowing looks, and he winked at me. It wouldn't look good for me to apply the pressure, since I had the most now. If we strong armed them, they would quit.

Kelly decided to hold onto her money for know, figuring she could bet later. I folded with nothing, and Ding contemplated his hand for a while. He only had 15 left. "I'll raise you fifteen," he said slowly, dropping in all his chips.

"That's not fair," Kelly cried back. "I don't have that much."

"Yes you do," I replied. She looked around her lap for a while, wondering if she had dropped a chip. "You're wearing it."

"What?"

"Your shirt is worth 50."

Kelly blanched. "But, uh, but I have . . ." she motioned toward her hand.

Alice, who had folded, leaned over to look at her hand and gasped. "Go for it."

Kelly took another long drink of liquid courage and put down her cards face down. "Fine!" She didn't play around and pulled her shirt off in one smooth motion.

Not bad, I thought. She had the smaller chest of the two, but she wore a powder blue demi bra that only covered what it needed to. Having spent so much of her life wearing sports bras, she probably appreciated the minimal coverage. And her stomach was just as tight as we had guessed, even sitting cross-legged.

She tossed the shirt on the pile of clothes and posed sarcastically for us. "Happy?" We were, but we didn't say so. Ding just handed her 50 more worth of chips. She took them quickly and dropped three in the pot to meet Ding's bet. "And you know what?" she added dropping another white chip. "I reraise. Now strip!"

I had a good feeling Ding was bluffing, or if he had a good hand, he probably couldn't beat Kelly's hand. But if he folded now, the girls would be less willing to take more off later. Plus, he would need an ante for the next hand anyway. He only smiled and peeled off his shirt. I noticed the girl's positive reaction to his well muscled torso

He took his 50 and dropped five into the pot. Kelly smiled and flopped down her hand emphatically. I appreciated how her breasts jiggled as she did it. "Three Queens," she declared. "Beat that!"

"We haven't drawn yet," Ding said calmly. He took three cards, looked at them briefly, and laid them down. "I fold."

"Good," Kelly replied, she leaned over to sweep the pot giving us a great view down her bra. She took another drink and found herself with an empty bottle. "I need another drink," she told me. "Hurry up. I'm ready to play some poker."

I didn't think it would be that hard to convince her to take off more clothes now. She liked the winning feeling, and the only way to do it was to get more chips by stripping. I spiked her drink again anyway. I brought one for Alice too. She had taken a couple quick hits from her bottle after seeing Kelly was already done, and she took her last few sips as I set a full one down next to her.

Alice was now the short stack, and as Ding, Kelly, and I took turns winning the next small hands, she realized she had to make a move. With the next big hand, the raises would be 20 or more, and after the last ante she only had 15 left. She either had to get a big hand, and hope no one raised it too far, or she would have to bluff.

I watched her face closely as she picked up the next hand. It was a resigned smirk, meaning nice hand, but she didn't want to have to bet clothes on it. Still with only three more antes left, she might not see anything better. I saw another light go on behind her eyes though, and wondered what she was going to do.

"Shirt and pants are worth 50 each?" she asked.

I nodded.

"And underwear is worth $100?"

I nodded, already figuring out what she was going to do. One by one her arms disappeared into her tank top and five seconds later, she was holding her bra in her hand. "Give me 100 please."

Ding and I wanted to make up a rule right there that you had to take off things in order, but the view through her tank top was almost as nice as a bra would be. Plus, the bra she exchanged for money was a full coverage Hanes number, that wouldn't have been that great anyway. Ding passed it to me as he got her chips and I confirmed that our 34D guess was correct. Every movement from Alice created a mini earthquake under her tank, and soon the friction made her nipples poke through.

"I raise 50," she declared, throwing half of her new found wealth in the pot. Kelly turned to her with frustration. I didn't know if it was because she was upset she hadn't thought of the bra trick, or if it was because she had a decent hand but didn't want to risk 50 on it. It was probably a little of both, because after she folded, she crossed her arms over her chest.

I had a pair of 9's. Nothing great, and I was guessing she had a pair of face cards, but I was feeling lucky. "I call," I said, throwing a little less than half my chips in the pot." Ding folded and we drew cards. We both took three. Her face was disappointed, and I raised my eyebrows at nothing: a 6, 10, and 2. She checked. I raised another 50.

Alice growled. She looked from me to the pot to her hand and back again. She had a little over 50 sitting in front of her, which was more than she stared with, and she was still fully dressed (on the outside). If she called and lost, she would be back to 15 and no easy way to get more quickly. She had made nothing on the draw, and she guessed that I had.

"Damn you," she said as she flopped her cards down.

I toyed with the idea of showing her that I was bluffing, but that might make her more upset, and I didn't want that. Instead I just raked in the pot quietly. She huffed a bit, but took a long swallow from her fresh drink and was already throwing in the ante for the next pot.

Ding and I worked together for the next few hands. We folded half the time when Alice raised, allowing her to hold steady at a stack of 50. It was Kelly we needed to work on now. She was more comfortable with her body. She was an athlete and was used to thinking of her body as a tool and something to be proud of. Alice had probably always been ogled by guys, and she might be a bit protective of it. The trap for her would have to be laid carefully, and Kelly would probably have to go first to soften the blow. Meanwhile, Ding was just trying to keep his pants on.

With half of Alice's bra money, I easily had the largest stack, but I played second fiddle to Ding as he slowly ate away at Kelly. However, I was the only one who had enough to get her over the hump. She was getting drunk, but she was still too smart to get herself into the situation that Alice had been in with only a few chips left where she had to make a big move. Kelly got down to 60, and then was prepared to wait 12 hands worth of antes until she got a hand she could win with, which the law of averages said would happen. I was also waiting for a hand I didn't have to bluff with.

I finally saw my opportunity with 4 hearts. Kelly had just raised the pot 20, to make up for a string of 6 antes when she had folded right away. I met her bid and then tried a 10 chip raise. That would bring her down around 20, and she did it easily. She clearly wasn't bluffing.

We drew and I didn't get my heart. She checked, which didn't mean she still didn't have a good hand, but I only took one card, and I might have two pair. If I raised her, she might just fold, which would be good, but she might also call, and that would make her rich. If I did nothing, she would be rich. My only choice was to raise. I threw in a red chip.

"Twenty-five," Kelly huffed. "Just enough to make me take something else off if I want to call."

"He's bluffing," Alice argued. "I'm pretty sure he was bluffing against me. If you want I can give you a loan."

"No, no," Kelly said, holding up her hand. "If I want his chips, I have to earn them." She undid her jeans and uncrossed her legs. Without getting up, she started to scoot out of them.

"Wait, wait," I said. "Stop. This is called strip poker, not 'Take off your clothes' poker. Stand up and do it right."

Kelly gave me a dirty look, but I knew she would still do it. She had taken off her shirt to win a hand, and now she would take off more to win. She was a competitor after all, and she did what it took to win. It was good to know. Alice probably wasn't that competitive, and we might have to force her to do it because she lost, not because she wanted to win.

Kelly stood up and did a little hip wiggle for us first. She had a lot of alcohol in her, and I could see she was having fun. Also, standing up, her body looked really good. She turned around and pulled the jeans down over her ass, shaking it a bit as she did. She wore a low rise string bikini that matched the bra. It showed off her long legs and provided minimal coverage.

She held the pose with the waist of the jeans just below her butt cheeks for a few moments, and then took them all the way down. She turned around and kicked them into the pile of clothes. She put her hands on her narrow waist and cocked her hip to the side in a bikini model's pose. I'd put her on a cover.

"Is that good enough?"

"Perfect," I replied. She frowned at me again, but took her seat. My eyes followed her panties as she sat, hoping she would sit cross-legged again, and I wasn't disappointed. The odd angle of her thighs sitting that way left a little gap on either side of the panties' crotch. Not enough to see anything, but just enough to mess with your mind. She had amazing legs leading away from there either way, and I was already planning how I could try to bluff those panties off.

I guess I was staring too long, because Kelly finally cleared her throat to get me to look up. "Get a good look?" she asked. "Cause it's all you're going to see." She got her money for the pants and matched my bet. "What do you have?"

Now I had to show my bluff. "I knew it," Alice said. Kelly just laughed as she raked in a big pot. "I threw away a pair of queens last time," Alice continued. "What did you have?"

"I forget," I lied. I had the smallest stack now, but it was more than worth it.

"You didn't think I was going to call," Kelly reasoned.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "I paid money, you took off your clothes. I think we both won here."

"Except I'm done taking them off," Kelly boasted. She easily had the largest stack now, so it was hard to argue with her. "Looks like I'll be paying to have you take them off now."

"Whatever you say. Do you need another drink?"

Alice was getting nervous next to her friend, and was working heavily on her second one, but Kelly had been too into the game. She took a few sips now, but neither of them wanted more. Alice excused herself to go to the bathroom, and we played a hand without her. Kelly bet a bit too boldly with a week hand, and Ding took a fourth of her new chips.

Alice came back, and both Ding and I were entranced as she plopped back down to the floor and her breasts bounced. We also regretted not setting up the camera in the bathroom like we had talked about.

The next few hands Kelly was extra conservative, which means she didn't lose much, but she didn't win either. Ding absorbed most of the wealth, as the rest of us all played it close. I was down to 15 at the beginning of the hand, and as I watched Alice raise with a relatively small stack in front of her I didn't hesitate. I pulled off my shirt and matched her bet.

Kelly was enjoying herself and whistled. She was out of the hand and watched as the two of us went at it. Alice took three cards, I took one. "Bluffing again," Kelly chastised. I wasn't I had two pair, and the card I picked up gave me a full house. Alice raised all her chips, perhaps calling my bluff before I made it. I didn't care. I reraised the rest of mine.