How to Play

The goal

You have one night. You need to leave Lucky's with ten million dollars in your bankroll AND ten pieces of hard evidence in your case file. Miss either target and you lose. Get caught before you cash out and you lose. Get too greedy and you lose. There is exactly one clean exit.

Step 1: Pick a character

Ten playable characters, each with different stats across seven attributes: Gambling, Charm, Nerve, Logic, Street Smarts, Trust, and Luck. Every character also has a signature strength (a passive bonus) and a flaw (a passive penalty that shapes the whole run). A retired detective spots cheaters at the table but scares off criminal informants. A lounge singer opens doors backstage but has no idea what a blackjack basic-strategy chart looks like. Read the flaw. It matters more than the strength.

See the full roster on the characters page.

Step 2: Pick a companion

Your companion sits in the corner of the screen with a callout button. They give real, in-context advice — "the dealer's tell says he has a weak up-card, hit," or "the guy at seat three keeps checking his watch, he's stalling for someone." They can also be sent on solo errands. Solo errands are how you clear certain side quests without burning your own time, but the companion can be killed, arrested, or 86'd from the property. Once that happens they are gone for the whole run.

Step 3: Work the floor

The casino floor screen is your hub. From here you can:

• Sit down at any of the casino tables (see the games page).
• Chat up patrons for gossip, leads, and side quests.
• Open your case file to review evidence collected so far.
• Take side quests from the tip board or from patrons directly.
• Enter the back rooms for underground games with higher payouts and worse odds.

The three pressure meters

Every action you take moves at least one of three hidden gauges. Max any of them out and the night ends badly.

Suspicion

How much the pit is watching you. Big wins, obvious card counting, long stays at a single table, and rejected drinks all raise Suspicion. Losing hands, tipping the dealer, and rotating tables lower it. Max Suspicion means the pit boss walks you into a back room and asks to see your hands.

Mob Heat

How much the family running Lucky's wants you gone. Taking big pots off connected patrons, winning back-room games, and asking about certain names raise Mob Heat. Losing on purpose, buying drinks for the right people, and quietly moving through side quests lower it. Max Mob Heat is a car ride to the desert.

Police Pressure

How close the state investigators are to pulling you in as a witness — or a suspect. Talking to the wrong informants, being seen with certain patrons, and completing certain quests raise Police Pressure. Max Police Pressure means you get walked out in cuffs before you can hand off the case file, and the family wins.

The evidence system

Only quests tagged CLUE in the log advance the evidence ledger, and only every sixth CLUE quest converts into an actual evidence slot. Tips and gossip are leads, not evidence. If someone tells you "the accountant is skimming from the count room," that's a lead. You need the ledger page, the security tape, or the signed statement to make it evidence.

You need ten pieces of hard evidence to win. Plan your side quests accordingly — clearing every tip and rumor in the room is not the same thing as building a case.

Betting and bankroll

Every table has a minimum and a maximum bet. Higher-limit tables have better VIP energy and more information floating around, but they also drain a bankroll fast if the deck goes cold. A rough rule: never commit more than 5% of your current bankroll to a single hand unless you are card counting and you know the count is with you.

Big wins (>$50k in one settlement) always spike Suspicion. If you hit a jackpot on the slots or a monster pot in hold'em, cash out and move tables — do not sit there and keep spinning.

Audio, controls, and settings

• SFX volume, music volume, and mute toggles are on the title screen.
• Your run auto-saves to browser storage after every meaningful action.
• Clearing site data wipes the current save.
• The game works on phone, tablet, and desktop. Touch and mouse both work.

Tips from the dealers

• Rotate tables. Nothing raises Suspicion faster than winning three hands in a row and staying seated.
• Take a loss on purpose sometimes. The pit remembers a whale who loses gracefully.
• Don't chase evidence with your last chip. If you're broke, you can't finish the night. Rebuild the bankroll first.
• Read the companion. They are not just flavor. When they warn you about a table, listen.
• Back rooms are optional. You do not have to play Russian roulette to win. You can. It's just not required.

Start a run →