"Shh," said the Night Nurse. "This won't hurt."
The player nodded bravely. "Hand your two best cards to the player on your right."
A pause.
"Okay," whispered the Night Nurse, "it hurts a bit."
Somebody at the table whispered "the good ones?" and the Night Nurse, very kindly, said yes, the good ones.
The player looked at their hand for a long time, and then slid out the two cards that were going to win them the game. The player on the right accepted them with a soft murmur of thanks.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" said the Night Nurse, sweetly. "You were very brave. I'm putting a gold star on your file."
They did. The player was never quite the same again.