Oh no!
To be precise, I haven't won yet.
Because there's still one more hand of cards!
Even if I discard immediately after seeing my cards, Shui Cenyin still has a chance to make a comeback and secure the top spot!
Besides the tattooed woman who can consistently supply her with ten thousand points, the bushy-browed man and the middle-aged man with low presence… can also do it!
These two gamblers, having lost heavily, were already playing recklessly.
Especially the bushy-browed man; after losing the last hand to me, he looked like he wanted to explode.
So, I haven't won yet!
I still need to hold on through this final hand!
With this thought, after the dealer finished shuffling, I quickly turned my attention to Shui Cenyin, ready to lock onto her every move.
Relying on others for advancement is unreliable. To maintain my top ranking at this small table, I need to keep a close eye on Shui Cenyin.
Preventing her from cheating and switching cards in the final hand, and making a comeback to advance…
After the scorekeeper tallied the base points and the dealer dealt the cards, as the last player, I chose to look at my cards.
A pair of 9s.
If there were no pressure of being overtaken in points, perhaps I would have chosen to bet.
But now, I chose to discard without hesitation.
Ignoring my move, Shui Cenyin and the tattooed woman tacitly chose to bet without revealing their cards.
Their objective was clear: to lure the bushy-browed man and the middle-aged man into calling by betting without showing.
As expected.
Those two gamblers, who were already somewhat frenzied, blinked not even once before choosing to call.
One round, two rounds, three rounds…
While the scorekeeper next to us was tallying, I was also constantly calculating the total sum of points on the table.
Using this, I made deductions to estimate the remaining point difference between Shui Cenyin and me.
From the twenty thousand I won in the previous match, it went down to nineteen thousand, eighteen thousand, seventeen thousand, sixteen thousand.
After the four of them played ten rounds of unrevealed betting, the point difference instantly narrowed to sixteen thousand.
If, and I mean if, they chose to keep their cards hidden and bet until they reached the upper limit of ten thousand points per person…
As long as Shui Cenyin won in the end, she would not only defeat me but also pocket another twenty thousand points, directly advancing to the main competition.
What a ruthless woman!
I dared not think further.
Unable to do anything at the moment, I could only watch as Shui Cenyin and the tattooed woman, using the "two ghosts knocking on the door" trick, ensnared the bushy-browed man and the middle-aged man step by step…
It wasn't until the dealer announced that there was only one minute left in the match, and that all participants would have to cooperate with him for a direct showdown once the time was up…
That Shui Cenyin finally chose to look at her cards.
I knew very well that she wasn't actually looking at her cards, but rather cheating and switching them.
So, I calmed my mind and fixed my gaze on Shui Cenyin's delicate hands.
She smiled sweetly and, without haste, picked up her cards to look at them.
It took only about one or two seconds.
After looking at her cards, Shui Cenyin's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and as she put her hand down, a hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes.
After confirming with 100% certainty that Shui Cenyin's hands had not moved at all…
I concluded that this situation usually meant she had received a naturally good hand.
However, this good hand likely did not meet her standard for a guaranteed win.
Therefore, she was hesitating whether to cheat and switch cards.
During the last half hour of the chase for points, the rules for "colliding hands" had also been modified.
Instead of the player who opened their cards first winning and the one who opened later losing, it was now a void, and the hand would be replayed.
Cheating was allowed, but reckless cheating was absolutely forbidden.
The majority of the rules for this competition, initiated by Ying Baolin, were strictly formulated according to the standards of the Gambling King Tournament.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to secure ten direct qualification spots for the main competition from Macau in one go.
After careful consideration, Shui Cenyin finally seemed to abandon the idea of cheating and decided to gamble with her natural hand.
Just as Shui Cenyin decided to call her bet, the dealer spoke first, "Time's up!"
"My apologies, everyone! Please refrain from any actions that involve touching or looking at your cards!"
Before he finished speaking, the dealer turned his gaze to Shui Cenyin and said, "Ms. Shui Cenyin, since you are the only one among the four who chose to look at your cards before the match ended, we will proceed with opening cards in order from you."
"Please, reveal your hand."
Hearing this, Shui Cenyin did not hesitate or waver, choosing to follow the dealer's instructions and reveal her hand.
Honestly, the moment I saw Shui Cenyin's hand, I truly believed she had made a comeback and defeated me!
A flush of hearts, a 2, 7, and 9!
To be able to get such a hand in the final round, using a popular term from later generations, Shui Cenyin could be called an "Emperor of Luck."
To beat her 9-flush, one would need a flush of 10 or higher to even start.
Was it possible? Would a miracle happen?
I dared not continue watching, nor could I bear to think further!
The moment Shui Cenyin revealed her flush, the tattooed woman's face immediately showed a smile that was infinitely close to victory.
Next, she smoothly revealed her own hand.
Q, 6, 7, a mixed-suit hand.
After the tattooed woman revealed her cards, it was the bushy-browed man's turn.
He took a deep breath and, with his slightly trembling right hand, reached for the deck and flipped over his three cards.
Ace, 3, 5, a mixed-suit hand.
The so-called "two dishes and one soup" refers to a hand where two cards have the same suit, and one card has a different, insignificant suit.
Finally, only the middle-aged man with the consistently low presence remained.
If he couldn't reveal a hand larger than Shui Cenyin's 9-flush…
Then my points would instantly drop to second place, and I would be eliminated.
In an instant, all eyes at the table, including mine, turned to the middle-aged man.
Compared to the volatile bushy-browed man, the middle-aged man appeared very calm.
However, his way of revealing his cards was quite unique.
He flipped them over one by one.
The first card, a 2 of clubs.
A card that posed no threat to Shui Cenyin.
The second card… was also a club!
And it was a 10 of clubs!
Seeing this, my eyebrows immediately tightened.
Please don't be a "two dishes and one soup"!
This was my most sincere thought.
Shui Cenyin's face, which had been confident of victory, suddenly changed.
Her choice to leave it to fate and not cheat was a gamble on her luck.
Now that she was on the verge of a miraculous comeback, she naturally didn't want any unexpected events.
However, an unexpected event… had indeed occurred!
As the middle-aged man reached to flip the third card, my sharp eyes immediately caught that hook, different from spades.
A club! And it was an Ace of clubs!
I never expected that I, who usually controlled the wins and losses of various gamblers, would ultimately rely on their luck to narrowly advance!
Indeed, Uncle Tuo's warning was correct.
One must be reverent and never underestimate anyone!
Because you can never know what arrangements fate will make…