It’s not often that we get cheaters in gambling mini-games. It’s even less common for that cheating to be part of the mechanics of that mini-game. But here we are, placing dubious bets and raking in the money like we’ve won the lottery. It’s a skill that only a select few possess: keeping track of everyone’s bets over multiple rounds.
In this guide, I’ll tell you how to catch legit cheaters in the gambling mini-game, Odds and Evens so that you can unlock the ‘Cheater Beater’ trophy. But before we get to the main topic, let’s go over how a proper game of Odds and Evens is supposed to be played out.
But before I go any further, I have to issue a spoiler warning just in case. The gambling mini-game is unlocked after introducing yourself to the main members of the Anti-Shogunate faction. Afterward, you can go in and out of the city’s gambling den whenever you fancy.
How to Play Odds and Evens in Rise of the Ronin
Odds and Evens is a relatively simple game. A dealer starts a round by showing players a pair of dice and a wicker cup. The dice go into the cup and suddenly drop onto a board visible to all participants. The dealer lifts the cup and the sum of both dice will determine the result.
For the players’ part, they will bet if the outcome will be either odd or even. They can only bet up to all the credit sticks they have. If they manage to win, they double their initial bet. A loss results in them losing the credits they bet.
There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many rounds you can play. You can spend an entire hour placing bets and the game probably won’t tell you to quit while you are ahead. (Just like real casinos.)
The Cheating Phase Begins
When you start the 6th or 7th round, your character begins to notice something amiss. Your character begins to tell themselves that there may be a cheater among them and they plan to make another game-winning bet.
Now, you can go about this in two ways: either report the cheater to the dealer or ride with the cheater’s bet for a quick score. It’s almost a guaranteed win if you pay close attention enough to the results of every other player in the game.
You can also choose to ignore what’s happening and go on with the rounds as usual, but who has to play a game of pure chance when you could be using your Poker eyes to seek out the hot hand?
By choosing the ‘Spot the cheater and follow their lead’ option, you get a brief screen where you choose the person whose guess to copy. This involves reading their past bets and finding the one who has been winning the entire time. You have a few seconds to choose a player to copy. If you fail to choose a player, you will lose the opportunity and the round will proceed as normal.
It is possible to choose the wrong player and get the right guess. However, I have a feeling that will not count towards trophy progression. To progress toward the trophy, the bets need to match up the previous rolls.
Under the Charisma tab, there is a skill called Cheater Beater. This allows you to memorize more dice results with higher levels to see even more results. The image you see above is with Lvl. 3 Cheater Beater. It allows you to results of the last 10 rolls. The base version will only allow you to see up to 3-4 results if my memory serves me right.
The reason for this is quite simple. Sometimes, a sample size of three results is not enough to confidently say that a person is cheating. Moreover, another player might have gotten the same three rolls as the cheater out of pure luck. The more data you have to work with, the easier it is to narrow down a suspect.
What happens if you call out the cheater?
As previously mentioned earlier, you have the option to call out the potential cheater in front of everybody. This is a very risky move in more ways than one. Firstly, you need to provide evidence that the person was cheating. Secondly, it is your word versus the cheater. And if we’re causing a disturbance, the room might not take too kindly to us disrupting the good times.
If you fail to convince the dealer of any wrongdoings, the dealer and the owner will be furious. They will stop the games and will send security to deal with you. (With their swords.) You will have to win the fight if you want to walk away from the gambling den with your life.
If you happen to win the fight, you will be compensated with some gambling credits. Don’t expect them to be friendly with you the next time you return.
I have yet to see an outcome where the cheating person was removed from the game. I don’t know if I have to game the system a little bit before calling that person out. So far, it hasn’t worked out the way I expected it to.
If you return to the gambling den, the owner will be angry with you and even refuse to serve you. When that happens, you can pay him one Silver Coin to buy back his good graces. Or you can go with the “Persuade” option if you have it leveled up. Either way is enough to get you back into the gambling hall.
Repeat the cheating process four more times and you’ll eventually unlock the Cheater Beater Bronze trophy. And hopefully, walk away with bags of money all thanks to your “lucky streaks”.
And that’s how you identify cheaters in Odds and Evens and how to make the best out of the situation. There is a lot of potential for grinding a lot of money in the gambling den using the cheater to ride their bets and ensure our “All-In” is always rewarded. Just make sure you don’t have anyone strong waiting to ambush you back at the entrance.