Honestly, Luo Qiyun wanting to play Stud Poker was something I hadn't anticipated before coming here.
Because her dice-rolling technique was so superb, I had subconsciously assumed she would bet on what she was best at.
After all, tonight was her home turf.
But to my surprise, Luo Qiyun took a different approach, choosing the card game Stud Poker.
Playing cards meant that tonight's gamble... could involve cheating!
However, Luo Qiyun would certainly not just stand by and watch me cheat.
Therefore, I had to be extremely cautious of her.
Because it was possible she wasn't planning to cheat herself, but rather to use her home advantage to catch me cheating!
With this thought, using the action of lighting a cigarette, as I lowered my head to light it and then raised it to take a puff, I quickly scanned the surroundings of the hall.
The fact that Luo Qiyun hadn't arranged any hidden observers near me was highly suspicious.
I was certain that Luo Qiyun wasn't just trying to mislead me; she had other, more significant plans in mind.
Unless she had a backup plan prepared in advance, there was no reason for her to be so generous.
However, after a quick sweep, I hadn't detected anything unusual so far.
Seeing my furrowed brow, Luo Qiyun smiled and said, "Let me briefly explain the rules."
"Each person starts with five million in chips, and the ante is ten thousand! Before the Stud Poker begins, the bet on a single card cannot exceed one million!"
"The limit is one hour! After one hour, whichever party's chips fall below half of their initial five million will be considered the loser of this gamble!"
"Additionally, you can fold and rest once during the game! The rest period cannot exceed ten minutes!"
"Most importantly, when there is a significant disparity in chips between the two parties, the act of repeatedly folding to preserve one's stake is absolutely forbidden!"
"Calculating at a pace of one game every five minutes, an hour-long Stud Poker game can accommodate at least twelve rounds!"
"Within these twelve rounds, each person cannot fold more than three times! And consecutive folds are absolutely prohibited."
After hearing Luo Qiyun's explanation of the Stud Poker rules, I immediately understood her intentions.
With an hour limit and three opportunities for intermittent folding per person.
In other words... the truly decisive matches would likely be around 6 to 8 rounds.
The fluctuation was because a game that ended with a fold wouldn't reach the five-minute standard time.
If both parties were reasonably lucky, analyzing it from a probability standpoint, 6 to 8 rounds of Stud Poker would be enough for a cheat to create one, or even two, good hands.
It seemed Luo Qiyun was still unsure of my cheating skills, and since she was personally participating this time, she chose Stud Poker, a card game where psychology and technique were equally important.
This ruthless woman intended to seize all advantages: timing, location, and human relations!
...
Just as I was pondering Luo Qiyun's psychology, the notary, Gu Chunlai, had already opened a brand-new deck of Bee playing cards and gestured for us to inspect them first.
Five minutes later.
After inspecting the cards, Gu Chunlai's expression became extremely solemn. He made a gesture to Luo Qiyun and me and said, "Gentlemen, please place your ante."
As soon as Gu Chunlai finished speaking, Luo Qiyun directly threw a chip worth ten thousand onto the table.
As for me, I followed suit.
After placing the ante, Gu Chunlai began dealing.
Since I had previously stated that the guest should follow the host's lead, Gu Chunlai very meticulously dealt the first card to Luo Qiyun.
Of course, there were even more meticulous details...
Perhaps aware of Luo Qiyun's character, to prevent her from making any complaints, Gu Chunlai not only omitted the card cutting process.
He also had the staff in the venue bring over more than a dozen unopened decks of Bee playing cards in advance.
Judging by this setup, it was highly likely they planned to change the deck after each game.
Preventing me from cutting the cards and changing the deck after each game, besides minimizing my chances of cheating...
Gu Chunlai was, in effect, warning Luo Qiyun through his actions that no matter the outcome, she should not involve him, the notary, in any way!
As soon as Gu Chunlai finished dealing, Luo Qiyun, who had secured the face-up card and gained the advantage of speaking first, pondered for a moment.
Staring at the Queen of Hearts in front of her, and the Five of Clubs in front of me, Luo Qiyun took out two chips worth ten thousand and threw them into the pot.
Seeing this, I didn't immediately respond. Instead, I picked up the hidden card under my face-up card and took a look...
Tonight's gamble was crucial. I couldn't afford to wait until the end to look at the first hidden card, as I usually did when playing Stud Poker.
The moment I saw the card, I smiled.
Heh! Four of Diamonds!
Face-up card is a Five, hidden card is a Four.
Fortunately, I checked the card in advance this time, otherwise, I might have actually called.
But now, even if you only bet a hundred yuan, I definitely wouldn't call!
It was absolutely unnecessary to cheat at the beginning of the game.
Under this premise, trying to form a straight with a Four and a Five, purely relying on luck, the probability of success was even lower than winning the lottery by 500 times!
Therefore, I directly folded my cards.
One of my three folding opportunities was used up right at the start.
Seeing me fold so decisively, Luo Qiyun was stunned!
"No way, Chen Xiang? Are you that cautious and careful?"
"You're not even willing to bet ten thousand for a card? What if a pair comes up later and you lose out?"
"Besides, I haven't even looked at my hidden card yet!"
Recovering her senses, after saying this, Luo Qiyun revealed the hidden card in front of her.
Two of Clubs!
Her face-up card was a Queen, the third highest, and her hidden card was a Two, the lowest. Honestly...
If Luo Qiyun hadn't intended to cheat earlier, and I had played this hand normally until the final reveal, I might have even had a chance to win tens of thousands of chips from her!
If you ask me if I regret it, I'll tell you: absolutely not!
They say life is like a game of chess, but that's not entirely true.
In a game of chess, once the pieces are set, it's generally impossible to turn the tide with a single piece.
But in a card game, it's possible!
Life... should be more like a card game!
A single hidden card can turn the tables!
If I had called just now, I might have achieved this feat.
But unfortunately, I didn't.
The reason I chose to fold was that I was testing Luo Qiyun.
Before I fully understood her strategy, I wouldn't draw my sword first.
Seeing my silence, after collecting ten thousand in chips, Luo Qiyun, with a grim expression, signaled Gu Chunlai to continue dealing.
Unpacking, shuffling, cutting, dealing.
Everything was done in one smooth motion.
In the second round, with a clear Ten and a hidden King, it was my turn to speak.
Not following Luo Qiyun's single-card strategy, I directly placed the minimum bet – ten thousand.
Seeing that I had only bet ten thousand, Luo Qiyun immediately said with disdain, "Match the ten thousand, and raise you another ten thousand!"