To break this street scam, one must never confront it head-on.
Exposing someone publicly is akin to cutting off their livelihood.
Therefore, a more circuitous approach is necessary.
After joining the front row, I didn't immediately place a bet. Instead, I pretended to watch for a while.
The pot wasn't large in this round, perhaps only three to four hundred at most.
After presenting two bait bets, the beautiful woman didn't play the same "kill the majority and reward the minority" game as before. Instead, she paid out to the side with more bets.
Top hunters never skimp on their bait before a hunt.
If the bait isn't substantial enough, how can it lure the real prey?
Just as a round concluded and the beautiful woman collected the sunflower seeds, preparing to reset the table…
I decisively pulled out a thousand yuan from my pocket and placed it on the table in the area marked "Odd" before any other gamblers could bet.
"A thousand yuan, I'll take the whole table!"
The beautiful woman, who had been planning to let another round slide, immediately showed a delighted expression when she saw a genuine gambler enter the fray.
Noticing my young age but generous wager, she looked me up and down with her captivating eyes, confirming I hadn't appeared in this area before, before finally nodding and saying, "Alright!"
I must admit, those who orchestrate such schemes are far more meticulous than those who merely run simple scams.
Seeing a real gambler join, the beautiful woman's first reaction wasn't to accept the bet, but to observe and plan before acting.
This alone sets her apart from ordinary tricksters.
After agreeing, the beautiful woman extended her slender, fair, jade-like hand and took another handful of sunflower seeds from the "Qiaqia" packaging.
She then poured all the seeds into the lid, which resembled a dice cup, and inverted it onto the table.
"Three, two…"
Before revealing whether the count was odd or even, let me impart some knowledge.
In games like guessing odd or even with sunflower seeds, before revealing the lid, the organizer will either call out a countdown or engage in lengthy chatter.
Some might even hold a small stick and gesture with it in front of everyone while talking.
No organizer ever simply lifts the lid to reveal the outcome without a word.
Do you know why?
The answer is simple.
It's because the organizer uses external forces to distract your attention.
The beautiful woman's earlier statement was quite accurate.
Before lifting the lid, she herself didn't know whether the number of seeds inside was odd or even.
This is why she uses a countdown to divert everyone's attention, allowing her to "fish in troubled waters" at the moment the lid is lifted.
If I'm not mistaken, her right pinky finger likely hides a crucial sunflower seed that can alter the outcome…
For specific details, refer to "The King of Gamblers," where Master Huang Shihu gambled odd or even with other prisoners using pebbles in prison.
………………
Just as the beautiful woman called out the final "one" and was about to lift the lid…
"Boss, wait a moment!"
Hearing my words, the beautiful woman immediately stopped her action and looked at me with a confused and wary gaze.
I, feigning a naive demeanor, looked at her and said, "Boss, you put the seeds in, and I'll lift the lid at the end… Is that okay?"
Having taken the whole table, my request was both reasonable and logical, leaving the beautiful woman with no reason to refuse.
Even if she wanted to refuse, she couldn't!
In broad daylight, under everyone's watchful eyes, if the customer who booked the table is refused the right to open the lid, it's fine if they win money…
But if they lose money, unless they're completely clueless, they'll realize something is amiss.
Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman's expression faltered severely, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Fine! No problem, you open the lid."
As soon as she spoke, the beautiful woman withdrew her outstretched hand.
By obtaining the right to open the lid from the beautiful woman, with the help of the onlookers, it doesn't mean I've secured the win for this round.
Sunflower seeds are not playing cards; you can't tell the quantity at a glance just by grabbing a handful.
Even if I secured the right to open the lid from the beautiful woman, my winning probability for this round remains fifty-fifty with her.
However, I had already planned my fallback.
Even if I lost this round, it wouldn't matter. In games that only guess odd or even, as long as I get to open the lid every time, I can directly use the Martingale strategy, doubling my bet until I guess correctly.
To my surprise, the moment the lid was opened…
The scene immediately erupted!
I guessed it right! The result was guessed in one go – Odd!
At this moment, all the surrounding gamblers cast envious glances my way.
Guessing correctly in one go, and with a thousand yuan bet.
Such luck was unparalleled!
As I received the cash payout for betting on odd, the beautiful woman suddenly spoke to me, "Handsome guy, with such good luck, why not play a few more rounds and help liven up my stall?"
Honestly, guessing correctly in one go was unexpected.
However, what the beautiful woman said next was something I had anticipated.
The layman watches the spectacle, while the expert observes the details.
My action of opening the lid might have seemed fine to ordinary gamblers, but to the organizer, it was a different matter.
As the organizer, the beautiful woman already knew I had come specifically to disrupt her operation.
To be blunt, in her mind at this moment, I was likely a master with incredibly sharp insight.
Seeing my silence, the beautiful woman frowned slightly and teased, "What's wrong, handsome guy? Shouldn't young people be bold and charge forward? Are you that timid?"
In reality, the beautiful woman didn't need to resort to such a cheap provocation to stimulate me.
My purpose in coming to break her scheme was to have a good talk with this organizer about cooperation.
However, most people in the gambling world are proud and unwilling to yield to others.
Without knowing each other's capabilities, approaching directly to discuss cooperation would either lead to being exploited like a fool or outright rejected.
Therefore, I intended to use disrupting her scheme as an entry point, to first show my hand and impress her!
………………
Seeing that the beautiful woman seemed eager to draw me in, I simply smiled and replied, "In front of a beauty, one can lack anything, but never courage!"
"Since the beauty invites me, I cannot refuse! How about this?"
"Let's play big. I'll take the whole table, and you'll take me on, how about it?"
Upon hearing this, a chilling glint instantly flashed in the beautiful woman's eyes, and then the corners of her mouth curved upwards, and she asked in a slightly teasing tone, "Alright! How much money do you have?"
I didn't answer verbally. Instead, I took out a wad of cash from my pocket and threw it directly onto the table.