Two hundred, two hundred, two hundred…
And so, the three of us – myself, the thick-browed man, and the tattooed woman – began to take turns bidding.
As the situation became a stalemate, we quickly reached the bidding limit.
For me, this hand was crucial.
If I won, I wouldn't just instantly erase the ten thousand point deficit between me and Shui Cenyin, but I would also overtake her by twenty thousand points, securing the top spot on the small table. kanδん
With less than seven or eight minutes remaining in the competition, it was practically a guaranteed win.
Once the bidding reached its limit, the scorekeeper didn't waste a moment and immediately called a halt to the match.
Following that, the dealer signaled for the three of us to reveal our hands.
Since it was a simultaneous reveal, there was no order of precedence; it was entirely up to personal preference.
Before I could even decide whether to reveal my cards first, the tattooed woman on the other side had already shown hers.
A flush of diamond 2, 3, and 4.
Earlier, when I was making selective markings, I had marked all suits for the high cards: J, Q, K, A.
As for the cards from 2 to 10, I was truly selective in my markings.
After all, in "Zha Jin Hua" (Bomb Golden Flower), for cards 2 through 10, as long as I didn't mark them in sequential order across all four suits…
If even one of the three cards on the back of the opponent's hand showed a mark, I could identify it in advance and rule out the possibility of them holding a Golden Flower.
As for a Triple, from a cheat's perspective, unless you were cheating, how could it be so easy to get!
Unfortunately, I had missed marking any of the diamond 2, 3, or 4.
Fortunately, I had already prepared myself sufficiently by marking the back of the thick-browed man's cards.
Otherwise, if I had subconsciously assumed no one had a straight flush or a triple, I might have secretly switched my Ace for an Ace of Diamonds.
If I had done that, I would have been a textbook-level fool!
After the tattooed woman revealed her hand, a look of relief washed over the thick-browed man's face.
Then, with considerable relaxation, he flipped over the three cards in front of him.
His hand was the same as the tattooed woman's: a straight flush.
J, Q, K, three spades.
If I hadn't cheated, he would have won.
But there are no "ifs."
Because, nine out of ten gambles involve deception.
Once you're at the table, regardless of the cards you get or the outcome, there's nothing to do but accept your fate!
After the thick-browed man revealed his cards, it was my turn.
Without the slightest hesitation, after feigning a nervous sigh, I slowly reached out and revealed my three Aces one by one.
The moment the cards were revealed, everyone except the other contestants at the table, including the scorekeeper and the dealer, was stunned!
All three players had received high cards!
Not only was each one better than the last, but there was also a card so powerful it could shatter the heavens: an Ace Triple!
No one spoke, as they were all still trying to process what had happened!
This was the power and the intimidation of an Ace Triple!
I wasn't worried that the dealer or any undercover inspectors would intervene and stop the match upon seeing three players with such high hands.
Because everyone here knew the purpose and meaning of this competition on cheating techniques.
Wasn't it precisely to see if people could withstand the pressure under various surveillance and burdens to cheat and increase their scores with their genuine skills?
After all, the top ten players with the highest scores in the finals could directly advance to the main competition of the Thousand King Tournament on March 12th of next year.
Those who possess thunder in their hearts but maintain a calm demeanor can be appointed as great generals!
Players with good心态 and high cheating skills could confidently continue gambling, and by catching others cheating at the same table, they could quickly increase their scores.
Those with poor心态 and low cheating skills who frequently reported others for cheating, only to catch nothing, would be eliminated early to avoid embarrassing themselves in Macau next year.
This is completely different from how cheating is handled in general gambling competitions.
It's unclear how much time passed.
The first to recover was the thick-browed man.
Bang, bang, bang…
He slammed the table in anger, shouting and cursing.
This was the true face and personal portrayal of a gambler participating in the competition.
No matter how well they masked themselves earlier, once matters of significant personal interest arose, their true nature would immediately be exposed.
To put it bluntly, even though the thick-browed man should have won this hand, if he had won, it would have only been an additional twenty thousand points.
At this late stage of the competition, these extra twenty thousand points, apart from making his exit look less embarrassing, would signify nothing else.
Yet, he exhibited such anger and volatility; this was the gambler's mentality of only looking at the present and ignoring the future, winning the current round.
One step further, and they become incurable gamblers… look for books喇
Seeing the thick-browed man's expression, as if he wanted to devour me alive, I figured that if it weren't for the formal competition setting, he would likely have turned hostile and beaten me up on the spot.
………………
After the dealer and the scorekeeper regained their senses.
Perhaps it was because the cards in this round were so earth-shattering.
The dealer, in a rare move, looked at the others and said, "If no one has any objections to the outcome of this round, I will announce the final results!"
The moment the dealer finished speaking, the tattooed woman immediately turned her gaze to Shui Cenyin.
It seemed she was unsure whether to report me for cheating and personally catch me red-handed.
I forgot to mention, during the last half hour of the competition, the organizers had also made adjustments to the rules regarding catching cheats.
Previously, as long as competitors were at the same table, regardless of whether they participated in the current hand, if they discovered someone cheating, others could report it and participate in the catch.
However, during the last half hour of scoring time, this rule changed to stipulate that only those who participated in the current hand and persisted until the final reveal to determine the winner could lodge a report.
In other words, in this round, apart from the thick-browed man and the tattooed woman, unless I reported myself, only they could report me.
Shui Cenyin and the middle-aged man at the same table could only watch and suspect, but not voice their opinions.
This change in rules was to prevent outsiders from becoming envious of others holding good cards during the final half hour of scoring.
And then deliberately reporting them, disrupting the table's order, thereby wasting as much time as possible.
At this very moment, the tattooed woman desperately needed a clear hint from Shui Cenyin.
Anyway, from the time they were stunned until now, another three to four minutes had passed, and only about one more round was left until the competition ended.
The tattooed woman wanted to take a gamble.
After reporting, the process of checking and verifying cards would begin. If the cards didn't match, it would lead to a search and seizure.
If they could find cards on me, they could establish a winning position.
And I would completely lose my chance to turn the tables and make a comeback.
But unfortunately, until the moment the dealer announced the competition results, Shui Cenyin's slightly parted red lips remained silent.
I won! At the last moment, I defeated Shui Cenyin and won the competition!