A man wearing a baseball cap backward from Isabella's side was the first to reveal his cards.
A pair of 7s.
The man with the backward cap surprisingly started with a pair of 7s. Combined with the 7s on the community cards of 3, 7, and 8, he now had three of a kind.
If the dealer's final community card was any of the 3, 8, or 9, he would have a full house with three of a kind and a pair.
In that scenario, my flush would be completely defeated.
Next, it was the turn of another middle-aged man with a chestnut-colored haircut, featuring a shaved line on both temples, to reveal his cards.
He casually flipped them over, revealing a Q and a 6 of spades, a suited pair.
To form a straight flush that could connect with the Q, one would need to start with at least an 8 of spades.
Therefore, this middle-aged man with the chestnut hair could only place all his hopes on the 6 of spades.
If the dealer revealed a 10 of spades as the fifth card, Isabella's side would be completely invincible.
As for the young couple dressed in matching outfits, the man's hole cards were a mixed-suit 10 and J, having already secured a mixed straight. Regardless of what the fifth card was, the outcome had nothing to do with him.
The woman, on the other hand, held a 3 and a 9, a pair that was drawing to two pair, hoping for a three of a kind to make a full house. Similar to the man with the pair of 7s, there was a hidden chance she could directly eliminate me.
Next, it was Isabella, who had initiated the all-in, to reveal her cards.
Without the slightest hesitation or pause, Isabella directly reached out and flipped over her two cards.
A Jack of diamonds, and another card... a 10 of spades!
Upon seeing this, my heart first relaxed slightly, then tightened abruptly, pulling me back.
The relief came from the fact that the 10 of spades, which the man with the chestnut hair had been desperately waiting for, was now in Isabella's hand, completely ending his hidden straight flush draw.
Simultaneously, Isabella's hope of hitting a flush or straight flush was also dashed by the man with the chestnut hair's 6 of spades.
But then, the crucial card for a straight flush, the 10 of spades, was held tightly in Isabella's hand!
She still had a chance with a Jack of spades!
Moreover, when she signaled her teammates to go all-in, it was at a point when only the three community cards of 3, 7, and 9 had been revealed.
If she hadn't meticulously memorized the card order beforehand, there would be no reason for her to hint at her teammates to go all-in with such high stakes, holding just that 10 of spades!
Frowning subconsciously, I revealed my hole cards: an Ace of spades and a King of spades.
Looking at the slightly relaxed Isabella, I inwardly sighed, wondering if the dealer had indeed dealt a Jack of spades as the final card, completing her straight flush.
Could this woman truly remember the order of every card in every hand without a single mistake?
Theoretically, the three players with the lowest presence – the female player, the man with the backward cap, and Isabella – all had a probability of having stronger hands than mine, but...
Among them, only Isabella gave me an intangible sense of pressure that was almost impossible to articulate!
Given her consistent strategy of never acting without preparation, this hand might very well be my swan song in this final.
As the saying goes, the person in the thick of it is blind, but the bystander sees clearly.
At this moment, even Xu Shiyu, who was watching from the sidelines, seemed to have figured something out. She immediately frowned and said coldly, "A brilliant maneuver! Truly impressive!"
"If you win, you sweep the board; your chips will dominate the entire table!"
"If you lose, your foundation won't be shaken, and you'll still lead with a relatively significant advantage in terms of chips!"
"And regardless of winning or losing, at least three people will be eliminated in this round!"
"A plan to kill three birds with one stone! Setting up such a grand scheme, manipulating everyone in the palm of your hand!"
Hearing this, Isabella, feeling confident of victory, couldn't help but let out a soft snort and said dismissively, "Consider yourself lucky you didn't call."
"But the next one to be eliminated... should be you!"
Xu Shiyu didn't respond but chuckled coldly, while continuously stealing glances at me from the corner of her eye, as if trying to see if I had any backup plans.
Where would I possibly have any backup plans now?!
I had finally gotten decent hole cards and community cards, and even played a little mind game, staging a scene to lure Isabella in.
Now it seemed, while I was luring her in, she was also luring me in!
Isabella and I were both bait for each other!
With the analysis and deductions from the bystander Xu Shiyu, I, as the one in the game, now fully understood Isabella's intentions.
The reason she had her teammate go all-in first was not because she was worried about losing, but because she feared that if she had personally initiated the all-in bet, I wouldn't have fallen for it and called!
Isabella had no intention of probing me further; she was prepared to end the match in this very round!
Because she had always known that Xu Shiyu was merely my second-in-command, and the true main force on my side had always been myself!
Coupled with my previous performance and accumulated chips, Isabella had been waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity where a single hand could drag me down, and then allow everyone, including herself, to beat me to death with a barrage of attacks!
As long as she correctly calculated and bet on the fifth card, then... I would be absolutely doomed!
At this very moment, my heart leaped into my throat, and I began to silently pray that the final community card would not be a Jack of spades, or a pair that could turn a three of a kind into three of a kind and a pair!
...
Seeing that everyone had revealed their cards, the dealer took a deep breath and reached out to deal the fifth community card that would decide my fate...
He drew, pushed, and flipped it over.
The card revealed was a 5 of hearts!
The community cards were 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9. Except for the conspicuous 5 of hearts, the other four cards were all spades.
The moment the 5 of hearts was dealt, all seven of us on the table, including myself, stared blankly at the five community cards, remaining silent for a long time.
What in the world was going on!!?
Had Isabella miscalculated the cards? Did I win in the end?!
After an unknown period of time...
As the dealer announced the result of the round, my Ace-King flush had won. Without any external help, I had successfully managed to defeat five opponents.
At this point, the spectator area also erupted in another wave of excitement following the dealer's announcement. Many people were so exhilarated that they couldn't help but shout my name.
"Han Jinlun is awesome!!!"
"God of Gamblers possessed!!!"