When the two hole cards were dealt, their backs reflected the light from the chandelier in the hall, and I saw that they were completely free of fingerprints!
In other words, this was a brand new deck of cards!
The plump dealer had swapped out the original deck of cards while I was in the restroom!
While the act of swapping decks wasn't a major detail, as the other contestants were present, the timing of the swap was incredibly precise.
It seemed that my comeback in the previous round, where I had recovered all my lost chips and points, had alerted the young woman and her companions.
Therefore, they were now determined to fight back at all costs!
This meant that the true battle, devoid of any visible conflict, was just beginning…
…
After the card-swapping incident concluded, a new round officially commenced.
Picking up my two hole cards, I was instantly speechless.
A 2 of Clubs and an 8 of Spades. Two terrible cards!
I was certain that the dealer had not employed any sleight of hand during the shuffle.
He had merely used the "touch two cards" technique to discreetly deal the young woman two good cards when distributing the ten players' hands.
This move had likely been pre-arranged, serving to divert attention.
If I wasn't mistaken, those two cards were probably a pair, a big pair of tens or higher.
Texas Hold'em, unlike Stud, has a high degree of uncertainty for cheating in advance, and the dealer's position is quite sensitive. If he had truly used sleight of hand to shuffle, he would have been exposed.
Therefore, even though the plump dealer had dealt the young woman good cards in advance, his options were limited due to the rules of Texas Hold'em and his role.
It was a shame I hadn't witnessed the process of stealing and hiding cards when I returned from the restroom.
Otherwise, I could have seized the opportunity to call for a cut, thereby disrupting their plan of feigning an attack while secretly advancing.
However, fortunately, the five community cards had not yet been dealt, so the outcome of this round was still uncertain…
Perhaps it was due to the influence of my previous round, but the first round of the new game was surprisingly uneventful.
Aside from the mandatory blinds, no one else raised the bet. Instead, everyone chose to check.
It appeared that after the elegant young woman's confident All-in failed, the others were hesitant to make aggressive bets.
After all, Texas Hold'em had too many variables; even seemingly winning hands could turn into a loss.
One All-in could send you straight to the bottom.
Since no one had bet before me, I naturally couldn't be the odd one out and also chose to check.
After a full round, the dealer began dealing the community cards.
A 4 of Hearts, a 5 of Clubs, and a 5 of Diamonds.
A very low set of community cards. kΑnshu伍.ξà
If they were useful, it was only the pair of 5s, which was barely worth looking at.
But these were community cards; if you had them, everyone else did too, and they were cards you could see but not combine.
However, if they were useless, my two hole cards could at least form some kind of connection with a 5.
At the very least, there was a ten to twenty percent chance of forming a mixed straight.
So now, I was starting to ponder whether I should call the bet to see what happened…
After the first three community cards were dealt, it was the small blind's turn to make the mandatory bet.
The player in the small blind position did not hesitate and bet ten thousand.
After placing the bet, he immediately glanced sideways at the bearded man beside him, his expression and eyes filled with provocation.
They say that rivals are enemies, especially among cheaters!
They can't stand to see each other, and whenever there's an opportunity, they try to put down their opponents.
After all, this was a final ranking match with ten players advancing to two, meaning four out of every five players would be eliminated.
But how many of those who reached the finals were truly impatient or easily swayed by emotions?
The bearded man remained unfazed and matched the ten thousand chip bet.
Next was a young man with an earring. After a moment of thought, the earringed youth chose to fold.
Seeing his opponent fold, I also decided to fold.
I had no choice but to fold!
Even though there was a chance to form a mixed straight, the young woman's two hole cards had already locked in a pair. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Coupled with the pair of 5s on the community cards, it was a legitimate Full House hand.
A classic quote from "God of Gamblers": For a straight to beat a Full House, your father would have to turn into a rabbit!
As a cheater, I deeply understood the principle that nine out of ten gambles are tricks. I would never gamble on luck, even if I had gambled and won the previous hand… that was in the past.
When it was the young woman's turn, she didn't bet too aggressively despite having a Full House in her hand. Instead, she bet thirty thousand.
The contestant sitting clockwise behind the young woman, a meek-looking man with glasses, chose to call after hesitating for a minute or two.
The elegant young woman did not call, as her current chip count was at the bottom, and she no longer had the capital to play recklessly with the young woman.
Skipping the elegant young woman, there were a few remaining players at the table whom I did not pay attention to.
After a full round, the dealer dealt the fourth community card, also known as the "turn."
The fourth community card dealt by the dealer was a face card, the Jack of Spades, which had little relation to the previous three cards.
The moment I saw this card, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Thank goodness I didn't call!
Although thirty thousand chips wasn't much, I certainly wouldn't be happy to give it away to the young woman without a high probability of winning.
Since I had folded in this round, I didn't pay much attention to the mutual competition among the young woman and the others. Instead, I focused my gaze on the dealer.
This was a good opportunity to see how this plump dealer, with a pig-like face but a sharp mind, intended to secretly help the young woman.
However, to my disappointment, aside from the "touch two cards" technique he subtly employed when dealing the hole cards, taking advantage of everyone's visual disparity and lack of vigilance to deal the young woman two good cards…
He dealt the first three community cards, the fourth turn card, and the fifth river card in a perfectly legitimate manner, without any subtle movements.
The fifth river card was a single 10, completely useless.
4, 5, 5, J, 10. No three cards of the same suit.
In other words, flushes and straight flushes were out of the question.
Unless someone below had started with a pair of 4s or 5s, the young woman was sure to win.
As expected!
Just as I was concluding the round in my mind, the final betting round ended, and the participating players revealed their cards.
My prediction was spot on. With her initial big pair and the pair of 5s on the community cards, the young woman won the final victory and sounded the horn for her comeback.