Legendary swords-and-sorcery caper Game of Thrones may be coming to an end with its eighth and final season airing in 2019, but the legacy of its unforgettable characters will live on for quite some time.
Unlike some other fictional worlds, such as the Star Wars universe (which features a number of casino scenes), the continents of Westeros and Essos – where the action unfolds in GoT – are yet to experience the magic of casino gaming action.
But if they did…well, who would prosper on the roulette wheel and who would take some beating at the poker table?
Jaime Lannister – Texas Hold ‘em
Game of Thrones is a story laden with complex, multi-faceted characters, and they don’t come much more complicated than Jaime Lannister.
The po-faced knight of the Kingsguard earns the nickname ‘Kingslayer’ early on in the series for his assassination of the evil Aerys Targaryen, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye when considering the charms of this rogue.
Sure, he has fathered children through incest, murdered a child and one of his own cousins, but there are also the occasional act of kindness and morality that have established the third-generation Lannister as an anti-hero in the eyes of the GoT faithful.
That surly complexion and quick-mindedness could combine to create the perfect Texas Hold ‘em player, and there’s no doubting that Jaime’s poker face would be rather tricky to read.
There’s no doubting that he has the killer instinct to take down his opponents in a high stakes cash game, either.
Daenerys Targaryen – Blackjack
There’s a cool and clinical side to the ‘Protector of the Realm’, who matures from a meek and mild wallflower into a powerful warrior queen capable of gruesome acts of violence by the end of the GoT story.
She’s arguably the key character in the whole series of books and TV seasons, and her complex backstory helps to explain her ferocity and single-mindedness in recapturing the Seven Kingdoms.
Those attributes would surely serve Daenerys well at the Blackjack table, where there’s no doubt she’d know all of the percentages and success rates of hitting and staying on 16, 17 and so forth.
And that cold-blooded instinct would ensure she makes the banker work very hard to earn their corn – there will be no easy victories here.
Jon Snow – Slots
At the heart of the Game of Thrones story lies Jon Snow, a character that’s fundamentally good at heart and looking to do the best for everyone around him.
There is a reliability about Snow that ensured his eventual elevation to the role of King of the North, and that assuredness would surely come in handy amid the distractions and excitement of the bright lights of the slot machine.
There are so many temptations around when playing at a casino’s slots – the mechanical whirling of the arm and the bleeps and blops as the symbols land in place are more than enough to break a mere mortal’s concentration.
And that’s why Jon Snow would be a hit when spinning the reels. His sheer bloody-mindedness will ensure he’s never tempted to up his stake, and he has the clam patience to ensure that a bonus round or free spin slots feature never passes him by.
Arya Stark – Roulette
Feisty and headstrong, there’s no way that Arya Stark would let something as trivial as a losing streak get in the way of her ultimate objective: profit.
Her independence and desire to be taken seriously in the male-dominated environment of Westeros stands her out as a solid, dependable sort, and if Arya had a bet pattern or system she wanted to use at the roulette table then there’s nothing that could stop her from doing exactly that.
And that, ultimately, is the key to roulette success: be patient and wait for your numbers to come up, rather than deviating from your system. If you’re luck’s in, then such patience will be rewarded.
Tyrion Lannister – Baccarat
With three possible outcomes in any single game of baccarat, players can embark on losing streaks that make the eyes water. The light-heartedness and intelligent grace of Tyrion Lannister would come in handy in such situations.
Exiled by his own family for being born a dwarf, Tyrion has had a lot to put up with in life, but he bounces back every time with self-deprecation and his unique brand of super-dry humour.
Such an outlook on life would be a great help in his baccarat dealings, and you sense that he’d eventually find himself in a winning position.
