Stacked-Deck Poker Table

Origin
"Poker Tables", usually made of wood and in a circular or oval shape, have been a staple of parlors for centuries to facilitate friendly games of cards. When casinos became more popular, dozens of such tables could be found and staffed by trained dealers at all hours of the day, offering such games as Poker, Blackjack, Faro or Baccarat.

Where this table originally came from is unknown, but it was purchased from a police auction after a raid on a back-alley casino known for crooked dealers.

Effects
When a full deck of cards is placed on the appropriate marker and at least one person is in the "player" area the artifact will activate. The artifact will act as its own dealer, moving cards into the correct positions for a variety of different card games. The type of game can be requested by the player or made Dealer's choice, although the artifact will not set up for a game if there are insufficient people to play.

There are no negative effects to playing and the players are under no obligation to wager any material or metaphysical properties, although something must be wagered to begin and continue a game. This can be as simple as scraps of torn paper or pocket lint, there seems to be no concept of value in what is considered acceptable although it has been suggested that the artifact may not even care.

The game will always be played by the standard rules, though variants can be suggested and will sometimes be accepted. The only limiting factor is that the game must be one commonly played in American casinos. As soon as a deck is placed in the dealer's zone, however, the artifact will immediately stack the deck in the dealer's favor, depending on what game is being played. this will almost always result in either the "house" winning or one player being vastly favored over the others.

When a game is complete the loose cards will slide back into deck formation and promptly explode, covering the surrounding area but leaving the table inevitably clear. This is suspected to be a "joke" on the part of the artifact. This will also happen if any player is caught cheating in any way. A game can be ended prematurely, sans explosion, by removing the remaining deck from its spot.