Seeing my silence, Xiang Tianhua quickly continued, "Don't misunderstand, young brother! Changing the rules temporarily has no other meaning, it's purely because... I'm in a hurry!"
Words spoken in jest often hide unspeakable intentions.
If I'm not mistaken, the Duan Kun I defeated earlier was a rather well-known cheat in Wenzhou.
Xiang Tianhua likely wasn't confident in my cheating skills, so he wanted to settle the match in one round to increase his chances of winning.
The variables in a single-round match are far greater than in a best-of-three. As expected, no master is easy to deal with!
Every word carried hidden meaning.
But this was good too!
I wasn't sure about him, and he wasn't sure about me.
With that thought, I nodded in agreement.
Since Yun Jin had already accepted the bet, there was no need to report to her whether it was three rounds or one.
Seeing my agreement, the notary, Gu Chunlai, immediately spoke, "The bet is made. Please, both of you, take your seats at the table!"
After taking our seats, before Gu Chunlai could even speak, Xiang Tianhua suddenly looked at me and asked, "Young brother, may I ask who your master is?"
Upon hearing this, I calmly replied, "I am self-taught!"
I hadn't expected Xiang Tianhua to openly try to pry for information!
Not only was I, the party involved, displeased, but Gu Chunlai also looked at Xiang Tianhua with a cold expression and said sternly, "Now that you are at the table, please remain silent! After I announce all the rules, you can talk to your heart's content!"
Seeing that the notary seemed somewhat displeased with him, Xiang Tianhua smiled and said no more.
Then, Gu Chunlai, following the notary procedures, began his lengthy explanation.
(Ten thousand words omitted here.)
As he neared the end...
Gu Chunlai said with a solemn expression, "Since both of you are most skilled in poker cheating, and you have changed tonight's bet to a single round."
"After careful consideration, I believe only one type of poker cheating fits tonight's bet, and allows both of you to perform well."
"Passing through a thousand flowers, a showdown to decide the victor!"
As soon as Gu Chunlai finished speaking, I saw a subtle tremor on Xiang Tianhua's face.
Immediately, he looked at me.
It was clear he wanted to see if I, like him, was completely unaware of Gu Chunlai's proposed bet.
Unfortunately, my calm expression disappointed him.
To be clear, this wasn't me deliberately showing off. It was just that I had actually heard Uncle Tu mention this type of bet!
Seeing that my face showed no trace of surprise, a flicker of astonishment appeared in Gu Chunlai's eyes.
But soon, this astonishment vanished.
Seeing that everyone seemed a bit confused by this betting method, Gu Chunlai smiled and began to explain...
In fact, regarding the betting method of "Passing through a thousand flowers, a showdown to decide the victor," if I describe a scene, everyone will surely recall it.
In many gambling movies, haven't you seen the protagonist or other characters潇洒地 throw poker cards into the air and then, at will, pick out the cards they want?
"Passing through a thousand flowers" means exactly this.
The so-called "flowers" refer to the suits of the poker cards.
As for "a showdown to decide the victor," it means accurately finding a Royal Flush from a 52-card deck.
With a Royal Flush, the showdown is guaranteed to win!
Since I agreed to bet only one round with Xiang Tianhua, and the total chips on both sides exceeded ten million, if we were to use ordinary betting methods, a showdown would be the shortest.
But no matter how short, if the first two cards dealt were not good, only a fool would willingly hand over their money to the opponent.
Therefore, using this unconventional betting method to decide the winner in a single round is the most appropriate.
This is because this method does not limit cheating techniques; its purpose is to allow us to freely grab cards!
It tests not only eyesight but also hand speed and cheating techniques.
Of course, and most importantly... brainpower!
After all, you can't expect your opponent to just stand by and watch you grab a Royal Flush without doing anything, can you?
There is a game of strategy involved here.
After explaining the rules, to give everyone a more intuitive understanding and experience, Gu Chunlai took out a deck of poker cards and performed a live demonstration.
The moment Gu Chunlai tossed the 52 poker cards into the air, his hands shot up, and his fingers danced like butterflies through flowers in the air.
In less than five seconds, the cards symbolizing a Royal Flush, from the Ten of Spades to the Ace of Spades, were neatly laid out on the gambling table.
Indeed! Gu Chunlai, being a notary, possessed some extraordinary skills.
Judging by his age, he should be from the same generation as Uncle Tu.
I must admit, the older generation like Uncle Tu and Gu Chunlai were truly full of masters.
After Gu Chunlai finished his demonstration, warm applause erupted from the audience.
After a slight bow of thanks, Gu Chunlai looked at me and Xiang Tianhua and asked, "Do you two have any objections to my proposal?"
"No!"
Xiang Tianhua replied concisely and decisively.
Although he had appeared somewhat clueless earlier, after understanding the rules, Xiang Tianhua knew very well that this betting method was fair.
In fact, it even gave him a slight advantage.
After all, his nickname was "Golden Eyes, Fiery Sight," so he could surely spot the cards he wanted at a glance.
As for me, I nodded subtly, indicating my agreement.
To hide one's sharpness and remain impassive, to show no joy or anger – this was something Uncle Tu had taught me.
Unfortunately, by the time I truly understood and began to grow, he was no longer able to witness it.
...
"Good!"
With a firm affirmation, Gu Chunlai said with a serious expression, "Then we will proceed according to the rules of showdown! Spades are supreme, Hearts second, Clubs third, and Diamonds last!"
"Let me state clearly, when I finish shuffling the cards for the sixth time, I will toss them into the air."
"When the cards move, you can move!"
"When the cards are still, you cannot move!"
"Are there any issues?"
Hearing this, Xiang Tianhua decisively shook his head and replied, "I have no objections."
"Me neither!" I quickly replied.
Seeing that both Xiang Tianhua and I had agreed, and after glancing at the time, Gu Chunlai said sternly, "You have five minutes to rest and adjust."
"In five minutes, the 'Passing through a thousand flowers, a showdown to decide the victor' bet will commence on time!"
After exchanging glances with Xiang Tianhua, we both saw a hint of… rising battle spirit in each other's eyes!
Compared to conventional bets, this kind of game better showcased a cheat's overall ability.
The five minutes, represented by a cigarette, passed...
"If there are no issues, shall we begin?"