Being a good gambler isn't just about being lucky. Anyone can throw some dice or drop a card, after all. True skill in gambling comes from knowing how a game works, predicting the odds, reading the room, and if you feel so inclined, a spot of controlled cheating.

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This is all true in the realm of video games as well, though often with the added caveat that gamblers have to regularly put their lives on the line in addition to their livelihoods. Luckily (pun intended), with an understanding of fate and chance also comes the ability to use very particular subsets of abilities and magic, making these gamblers experts in both game and combat.

10 King Dice - Cuphead

The final King Dice fight from Cuphead

The game-est in the land and the Devil's right-hand man, King Dice is the front manager of the Devil's Casino on the far side of the Inkwell Isles. As his appearance and namesake likely imply, he loves a good game of chance, especially when the stakes are astronomical, and he's quite the player.

Of course, this is less because he's any good at the games he plays and more because he's an unabashed cheat, but when you work for the Devil himself, you learn to be a little morally flexible if it keeps your head off the chopping block. King Dice has full dominion of the Casino and its employees, and will force Cuphead and Mugman into a severely-rigged game of dice just to delay their progress.

9 Nick - Left 4 Dead 2

Nick opening a register in Left 4 Dead 2

Before he ended up at the top of a burning building crawling with Infected, Nick was a classic riverboat gambler. He'd spent most of his adult life drifting from city to city, betting on illicit back alley cards and dice to make ends meet and stay out of prison, and was hoping to hit Savannah's local riverboat casino circuit to make it big. Unfortunately, his luck turned decisively sour, as he arrived just as the infection reached a fever pitch, hence the aforementioned burning building.

To Nick, teaming up with Rochelle, Ellis, and Coach in search of safety is the biggest gamble he's ever taken, as the very notion of hedging his bets on others goes against everything he believes in. But then again, he wouldn't be much of a gambler if he didn't play the odds.

8 Setzer - Final Fantasy 6

setzer from Final Fantasy

Setzer is a globe-trotter and adventurer, traveling the world freely aboard his airship, the Blackjack, in search of new and interesting thrills. At least initially, he's a completely neutral party, not caring much about the unfolding global conflict. Setzer is a bit of a fatalistic person, believing that people simply die when their number comes up, so he resolves to live his life with as much passion as he can get away with.

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He relishes a good bet and takes every opportunity to make one, employing cards, dice, and darts in combat with practiced skill. When he eventually teams up with the protagonists against the Empire and Kefka, he realizes that it's the best possible gamble he could wish for.

7 Johnny - Guilty Gear Series

Johnny Guilty Gear

As the captain and lone male member of the notorious Jellyfish Pirates, Johnny is known worldwide as a free spirit and notorious gambler. He's always wandering, testing both his playing skills and swordsmanship against anyone he deems worthy, and dislikes the idea of settling down.

On the rare occasion he's with his crew aboard the Mayship, he'll regularly bet chore duty on skirmishes with May and his crew members. Beneath the wheeling and dealing, though, Johnny is a kind and chivalrous person, only taking the risks that he does in the interest of aiding the less fortunate.

6 Luxord - Kingdom Hearts Series

Luxord, the Gambler of Fate in Kingdom Hearts 3

Luxord prioritizes his love for games above all else, even his duties to the Organization. With his shapeshifting playing cards, mastery of time magic, and legion of Gambler Nobodies, Luxord loves to set up elaborate games with his foes, often with a time-centric twist. His reasons for joining the original Organization and its successor aren't clear, and he doesn't seem especially interested in their goals.

As long as he has a steady supply of opportunities to play his games, he's content. He's also a surprisingly gracious loser, offering Sora a "wild card" in Kingdom Hearts 3 as a prize and telling him he'd love to play a normal game with him someday.

5 Twisted Fate - League Of Legends

Twisted Fate League of Legends

Tobias Felix, better known as his alias Twisted Fate, found his calling at a young age in the gambling tents on the shores of the Serpentine Delta. He became so skilled at taking others' money that he didn't realize he ran afoul of the wrong crowd, who destroyed his home village in retaliation. After being shunned, he became a drifting gambler, taking bets (and purses) wherever he went with an almost supernatural skill.

Twisted Fate never presents his true self to the world around him, always maintaining a cocky smile even in the midst of danger. Speaking of, he has no problem throwing himself into said danger, as in his opinion, it's not gambling if you can't lose.

4 Patty Fleur - Tales Of Vesperia

Patty Fleur smirking in Tales of Vesperia

As a young pirate, Patty goes wherever the wind takes her, all in search of fabulous treasures and mysteries to uncover. While her ultimate goal is to uncover the history and fate of the legendary pirate Aifread, she's not in any particular rush to do so, content to follow whatever leads she finds on the off (sometimes very off) chance of success.

In combat, her fighting style is bizarre and free-flowing, with her randomly switching between stances and throwing out magic spells with little heed to what she's actually doing. It's only thanks to her endless luck that these strange tactics end up becoming surprisingly potent.

3 King Boo - Super Mario Series

Mario fighting King Boo in Super Mario Sunshine

While "gambler" probably isn't the first thing you'd think of when King Boo comes up, the ghostly despot has regularly shown his affinity for the casino classics. In Super Mario Sunshine, he's encountered in the basement of the Hotel Delfino casino, commanding a gigantic roulette table with a slot machine in the middle.

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Meanwhile, in Luigi's Mansion, the keys to the barriers he sets up are all designed with playing card suits. It could be said that luring Luigi in with a contest he never entered was a gamble in itself, one that, against all rational odds, succeeded and then some.

2 Spider - Mega Man X: Command Mission

Spider in Mega Man X Command Mission

A mercenary contracted by the Rebellion Army, Spider isn't really interested in things like justice or righteousness, at least not at first. He's initially drawn in by the promise of a blank check from the Rebellion's commanders, but eventually finds their deplorable conduct too distasteful to continue dealing with. Instead, he switches over to X and the Resistance, taking a bet on the good guys instead (supposedly, anyway).

In combat, his long cufflinks launch sharpened playing cards at rapid speeds. His special move allows him to summon a virtual hand of cards for a quick game of five-card poker, performing different moves depending on the hand he gets.

1 Oswald - The King Of Fighters Series

Oswald victory screen in King of Fighters 14

Oswald's very appearance has an air of absolute enigma. Unlike many typical gamblers, he's neither boisterous nor adventurous; rather, he's a generally quiet and serious person, who focuses extensively on his goals.

In a fight, his past as a retired hitman becomes a little more apparent, as he moves with calculated precision and deadliness bolstered by an unusual ability to manipulate playing cards. All of his techniques are named after cards and poker concepts, with one of his most powerful techniques being named after the wild card, the Joker.

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