Rogue learned how to play poker on her misadventure to New Orleans with the Acolyte Remy Lebeau, also known as Gambit. Despite being a captive, he taught her how to play the game to pass the time on their trip. Coincidentally, he also taught her how to cheat. Remy taught her the intricacies of dealing out a winning hand, counting cards, dealing under the deck and so on. Rogue was a fast learner with nothing else to distract her. So well in fact, she was beginning to match Remy hand for hand, with both of them being able to deal themselves any hand they wanted, and any hand their opponents didn't want. This was all part of Rogue's plan: to make sure Jean and Rogue were the last two players in the game. Rogue would control the play of the game, win a little more money than Jean, and then raise the ante. She would then deal out an irresistible hand to Jean, one that she would be crazy to pass up. Meanwhile, Rogue, through her mastery over dealing, had dealt herself an exceptionally devastating hand, closing the trap. Then all she had to do was goad Jean into matching it not with money, but a request, a wish even. Jean might think the favor would be something like clothes, being chauffeured to school or carrying Rogue's books to her classes. Unfortunately for Jean, Rogue didn't care about any of that, no matter how much fun it might be to knock down Jean a peg or two. She had other things in mind. She knew Jean would not be able to resist winning a killer hand. Rogue understood her competitive spirit and her desire to win, Jean being a star athlete at Bayville High. Rogue was fraught with anticipation, she would finally have what she wanted It would all come together for one night and then it would all be finished. She could get past the pain of it all and have no regrets, no pining, and no wondering. All with a simple poker hand.
Jean on the other hand, was completely unaware of Rogue's intentions. She actually thought all of this would be a good opportunity to spend time with Rogue in an activity might actually improve their relationship. You didn't have to be psychic (ironically, Jean was) to realize that Rogue bore some kind of resentment toward her. It certainly wasn't an animosity that she wanted to perpetuate, but Rogue made it quite clear that they were not friends, at least not close friends. Like Scott, Jean tried her best to befriend Rogue but to no avail. But Scott seemed to succeed where she seemingly failed, and he developed a somewhat positive relationship with Rogue, which was ultimately good for the team. But she also sensed something that she didn't particularly like in that relationship. It occurred to her last Christmas, when both Rogue and Scott spent the holidays together at the mansion. Rogue had gone out of her way to give Scott his Christmas present early. No one would consider such an act to be out the ordinary, but when you take into account that she only gave one to Scott, it gave her pause. When she saw Scott wearing the sweater, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. But Jean was always possessive when it came to Scott. Even when she was going out with Duncan, Scott in her mind was off limits to anyone. She knew that wasn't fair to Scott, but her envy was tied with the unspoken affection she had towards him. They knew each other for so long, they were friends, they were teammates. Everyone said their feelings for one another made sense. Jean wanted to kick herself sometimes for all the time she wasted not being with Scott because, now, it felt so wonderful. The thought of anyone else coming along and taking it away would be too much for her to bear. In her heart of hearts she loved Scott. She always had and always would. And now that they were together, no one would break it up.
Not like Rogue would ever do that. At least Jean didn't think so. Still, she hoped that Rogue had no designs whatsoever on Scott. Perhaps she was just like all the other girls, experiencing an innocent crush over an attractive boy. No, you could never compare Rogue to other girls. Perhaps it was her problem, her jealousy, her insecurity that created this unfounded concern. But Jean knew this was all wishful thinking. Rogue had more than a simple childish crush on Scott, and it could explain Rogue's resentments towards her. As well, Jean could have a physical relationship with Scott whereas Rogue could not, with Scott or anyone else. Like Jean, Rogue had her jealousies as well, over things humans and mutants took for granted. It's not like Jean had an easy life exactly, but it seemed easy compared to what Rogue went through in hers. Although Jean was a mutant with immense psychic power, she could fit in, be popular, and have relationships, without anyone suspecting anything. Rogue could be exposed by a simple touch on her bare skin. Rogue couldn't have physical contact with a mutant or a human. The ability to express one's feelings through physical contact was something that Jean and everyone else could do without worry. For Rogue, it was a constant reminder that she was a mutant, she was different, an outsider, a freak. With every couple holding hands, with every warm exchange and sensuous kiss that lovers could share, she would always be on the outside looking in. Jean could only imagine how this felt. Rogue didn't have to. This made Jean feel somewhat guilty, but she had no control over fate that was cast upon Rogue's life. If she could change it she would. If she and Rogue could get past their differences, she and Jean could be the best of friends. Deep down, Jean wanted to think that Rogue didn't want to dislike. But she knew that everyone labeled her as Ms. Perfect (a title that she hated). But Rogue saw things that way. As long she did, Jean would be a reminder of all the things Rogue wanted for herself but could never have. Whether she liked it or not Rogue was a rival, but not a rival for Scott. Jean dismissed the notion as the girls were getting ready to play.
Rogue went through the rules of regular poker, foregoing anything involving wild cards or stud poker and the ilk. It would take longer to explain the details then it would to play the game. And Rogue was eager to get things going. The poker game was a change of pace for everyone. Exuberance from Rogue was a rare and pleasant thing to see. It gave all the girls a nice feeling, like they were all sisters, completely oblivious to the fact that they were about to be fleeced of their allowances for Rogue's somewhat darker purpose. Although there was a large group of them, the girls could still play a regular game of poker. The more the merrier, Rogue thought, it was just what the doctor ordered.
"All right girls," said Rogue, shuffling her cards before dealing. "I'm makin' the first bet."
"Don't we need chips or something?" asked Jubilee, who was playing the game for the first time with limited information.
"No," said Rogue, slightly annoyed. "You can still place bets without chips. We just need to set the minimum and the maximum betting."
"So who decides that?" Jubilee asked suspiciously.
"Me!" answered Rogue in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Of course," replied Jubilee, who felt her chances of winning big diminishing.
"You worry too much," Rogue said assuredly. "Everything's gonna be fair and square." She shuffled the cards adeptly, making the girls a little nervous. "I'm placing ten dollars in the pot. Everybody's got to match it".
The girls reluctantly reached for whatever money they had to match Rogue's bet. The girls had more than ten dollars each to their names, but it was still a substantial amount to them, given their limited allowances, and their bad spending habits
"Now what?" Tabitha asked impatiently.
"Now," answered Rogue, not appreciating the array of questioning she was getting. "I'll deal out the cards."
"Wait!" interrupted Kitty. "I want to cut the cards! You're always supposed to do that to prevent cheating."
"Be my guest," said Rogue, calmly placing the deck in front of Kitty without hesitation.
"Uh, thanks," said Kitty, taken aback by Rogue's accommodating behavior.
"You're welcome," answered Rogue, with a subtle smile. Kitty thought the world was about to end.
Rogue dealt the girls their hands, explaining that they could discard unwanted cards or stick with the cards dealt to them. Each of them had various reactions to their respective hands. Kitty, who had yet to master the art of the poker-face, or subtlety for that matter, seemed very excited about her hand, only to mask her excitement in vain, when she noticed all the girls were staring at her. Learning from Kitty's obvious mistake, the rest of the girls were keeping their emotions in check and their eyes open, looking for weaknesses in their fellow X-girls. All the girls felt that Rogue seemed a little too confident, but with her they could never tell what was going on. Their suspicions dissipated when Kitty won the first hand. It seemed like beginner's luck to everyone except Rogue, who knew better. It was just a way for her not to arouse suspicion. Everything had to be normal. What was important was that she and Jean would be the final two.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the girls, the boys were doing some gambling of their own by listening in on the sleepover.
"What are they doing?" whispered Ray as Bobby was the one listening in on the party with his makeshift foghorn against the door.
"They're playing poker!" Bobby whispered, as loud as he possibly could.
This idea amused the boys to know end. It was the last thing that any of them expected the girls to do. It seemed pretty cool.
"Whose winning?" asked Ray, straining his voice with his loud whisper.
"Let's see..., the sound of a lot of jumping and squealing, I'd say it was Kitty."
"It weird, you know," pondered Ray. "I don't think the Professor would approve of the girls gambling."
"Just because they're playin' poker don't mean they're gambling," Sam responded in turn.
"Yeah right," Roberto uttered in disbelief. "What would be the point in playing something like poker if you weren't gambling?"
"Oh, I dunno, for fun?" Sam responded with hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Gambling is fun you prude," retorted Roberto.
"And how would you know?"
"Well, how do know you know poker is fun without gambling"
"Listen, Roberto, I've had...."
"Shh!" exclaimed Bobby with his forefinger across his lips, forming the universal sign for 'Shh!'. "I can't hear myself eavesdrop."
"Yes!" Kurt added, while he hung from the ceiling next to Bobby. "Ve're missing some very important information!"
Bobby and Kurt followed Scott's orders to the letter. Technically, they did not set foot on the second floor. Kurt was on the ceiling, while Bobby was on a miniature ice bridge. All in the name of spying on the girls.
"Did you hear something?" Kitty asked as she turned to face the door.
"Like what?" asked Jubilee.
"It sounded like Kurt..." said Kitty, her brow fixed in suspicion.
"Suuure it was," Tabitha said sarcastically, "he might pop in with flowers, candy and an engagement ring..."
Kitty started to get red in the face in vexation as the rest of the girls snickered.
"All right Tabitha," said Jean as she put herself back into the role as facilitator. "Kitty's had more than enough abuse tonight."
"Yeah," Rogue chimed in. "let's get back to the game. We're not done here." Kitty was sure the world was going to end now.
The girls were perplexed by Rogue's obsession with the poker game, the defending of Kitty, her cordial behavior towards Jean, but they complied nonetheless. The game continued unevaded by either the eavesdropping of the boys or the teasing of Kitty, which continued periodically as the night went on. A lot of money was won and lost as many hands were dealt. But Rogue kept cool, playing conservatively when she wasn't dealing and almost recklessly when she was. She didn't allow herself to win all the time, but it was never enough to get flat busted. Rogue subtly took out the girls one by one, preying on the poor players first, and then working her way up. But she would spare Jean at every opportunity, even to the point of folding with a good hand. Rogue had to make Jean seem more formidable than she was. Anger and despair would afflict the rest of the girls as they watched their allowances pool themselves into one gigantic pot worth eight-hundred dollars cash and change, most of it split between Jean and Rogue. Kitty lamented as she realized the hours that she would not be at the mall for sometime, while contemplating how she would explain her lack of funds to her parents. Tabitha muttered obscenities under her breath as she eyed both Jean and Rogue, cursing their ungodly luck. The rest of the girls were a combination of both despair and envy. They could only imagine what they would do with the money if they won it. What was important to Rogue was that her plan was working. She had masterfully orchestrated their loss and was close to fulfilling her personal agenda. Jubilee and Rahne were just barely hanging on by a thread; the next hand would end their participation. And Jean Grey, the young mutant with powerful psychic ability with the gift of foresight, could not foresee what was going to happen next.
"I bet three dollars," Jubilee stated gloomily, as she placed her through remaining dollars.
"Ah call," Rahne said sheepishly, matching the pitiful bet.
"Ah'll raise ya six", Rogue said with a smirk on her face.
Jubilee and Rahne threw up their hands in disgust. They couldn't match Rogue's raising of the stakes. They were both finished. It was now between Jean and Rogue. Jean matched Rogue and then did something totally unexpected.
"I'll raise you, all my winnings," said Jean, as she pushed her four hundred and twenty five dollars winnings into middle.
The girls were exasperated. Jean was either crazy or she was absolutely certain that she was going to win the hand. But she had a quite good reason for it all. Jean had a flush, and no one had anything higher than two pair all night. It was rare and lucky (or so she thought). She was going to be the big winner. Rogue couldn't match her bet, until Rogue did something quite unexpected.
"Ah'll call," Rogue said simply, as she drew some extra money from her pocket to match Jean's bet. Jean was taken aback by this. She thought Rogue was crazy, but then it came to her that Rogue was probably bluffing. Or maybe Rogue thought that she was trying to bluff her by making an outrageous bet. Whatever the case, Jean felt that Rogue was not all that lucky, and that she couldn't possibly have a hand that could beat her flush. Then Rogue pulled out another ace.
"I'll raise you five hundred!"
"But you don't have that kind of money!" Jean exclaimed.
"Oh no?" Rogue said, and she took off a silver chain from around her neck, worth the five hundred dollars she bet. Jean protested the sudden breach of the rules.
"This isn't fair!" shouted Jean. "You can't drop a piece of jewelry like that just so you can outbid me."
"Fair enough," Rogue said coolly. "If you allow me ta do this, ah'll let you match mah bet with a request."
"A request?" asked Jean, eyeing Rogue suspiciously. "What kind of request?"
"Well simply put, if ah win, you hafta to grant me any one request that ah ask for."
"Like I'm going to agree to that!"
"Hah! Ah knew you were bluffing!"
Jean had swallowed the bait. Her anger and self-assuredness were about to get the best of her.
"Alright then," Jean said reluctantly, "you have your collateral."
"Ah have your word..." Rogue said as she narrowed her eyes.
Jean looked straight at her without a flinch. "I just gave it."
"You swear?" Rogue asked, wanting to make certain that she understood the consequences. "Anything Ah ask?"
Jean raised her right hand and said "Scout's honor!" She had never been a Girl Scout. "But within reason. Something that I can actually do."
Rogue was satisfied. "That's all ah needed ta hear!"
The girls were really getting into the drama of the situation. They weren't sure who to root for. On the one hand, they thought it would be great to have Jean to put Rogue in her place. But on the other hand, the girls were curious to know what kind of request that Rogue would ask that Jean would have to fulfill. It was a win-win situation. The first one they had all night.
"All right," Rogue said finally. "Show me what ya got!"
Jean displayed the series of five cards that made her flush. One heart after the other made an impact. The girls were in awe. Jean wasn't crazy. Rogue was screwed.
Jean had a big smile on her face as she said the words "A flush."
The X-girls quickly turned to see Rogue's reaction to seemingly devastating hand that Jean had. Rogue feigned concern as she looked at her cards. Then she looked in Jean's eyes and stared. And she formed a sinister smile on her face. An in one swift motion, she dropped her hand right over Jean's cards.
"Full house."
Everyone gasped at this unexpected turn of events, except Jean. She was completely paralyzed by the shock of Rogue's hand. It seemed impossible. But Rogue was about to compound Jean's disappointment with her request.
"An' now" Rogue formally stated, "I want to make my request official."
Jean composed herself and put up a stiff upper lip, anticipating some kind of request involving her in being put in some humiliating circumstance.
"Okay. Fair is fair. What do you want?"
"I want a night with Scott Summers."
Jean screamed at the top of her lungs. Nightcrawler was startled, causing him to fall on top of Bobby, which caused the small ice bridge beneath them to shatter into a million pieces. The noise brought Scott out from the kitchen and the girls to open the door.
"Jean!" shouted Scott.
Jean ran out into the hallway with her bare feet on the cold shards of ice.
"Oh Scott!" she lamented.
Tabitha sat back in her bed and indulged in some Oreo cookies and cried, "This is the best sleepover ever!"