By seizing the opportune moment and leveraging the three favorable public cards dealt by the dealer, I successfully hooked all three individuals, including the girl.
The girl chose to follow because she had already perceived my signal of not competing for the top spot, content with aiming for second place. Given that the overall outcome remained unaffected, her action was akin to offering me a favor.
Oh, and a side note.
This girl, whom I had observed for a good hour, was not a cheat but a professional card player skilled in formulas and algorithms. The term "professional player" itself originated from the card game Texas Hold'em, and its place of origin... well, those in the know understand. I will provide a detailed explanation of this profession later; for now, let's move on.
The other two contestants followed because they realized their earlier series of small losses had cost them a significant portion of their chips. Even if they chose to play conservatively, it was questionable whether they could last the remaining hour.
Ordinary gamblers are most susceptible to the herd mentality. Therefore, after seeing the professional female player call, the other two also decided to call.
It was all or nothing for this hand...
After everyone had placed their bets, the dealer began dealing the fourth card.
A Jack of Clubs.
Ten, Queen, Queen, Jack.
Upon the appearance of the Jack of Clubs, except for the professional female player, who remained impassive as an observer, the other two male contestants displayed fleeting expressions. One showed elation, while the other, annoyance. These subtle cues did not escape my notice. Clearly, one of them had a winning hand. The question remained: what were the hole cards of the person with the advantageous hand?
Since the previous round involved a maximum bet, the stakes for this round, before the fifth community card was dealt, were capped at ten thousand. After everyone had placed their bets, the dealer began dealing the crucial fifth community card. This card played a significant role in solidifying the final hand. Reaching for the leftmost card of the deck, the dealer slowly revealed it as they pushed it towards the center of the table...
A black... club-bordered... Ace!
The Ten of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs, and Ace of Clubs – the hands were now set. Unfortunately, no suit had more than two cards. If there had been another Jack or Queen of Clubs... I could have simply swapped my hole card, a Nine of Clubs, for a King of Clubs, and I would have secured a winning straight flush.
Even so, before the final reveal, I stealthily swapped the Nine of Clubs for a prepared Queen of Clubs. Thus, my final hand became two Queens and a Ten, combined with the three community cards, forming a winning Full House.
At the moment of the reveal, everyone, including the professional female player, looked at me with disbelief.
"It's your first hand after raising the stakes, and you get such a strong hand. You must be cheating!" a young man wearing Armani gold-rimmed glasses, appearing refined, suddenly slammed the table and shouted at me.
To describe the bespectacled man's current state using a popular modern term, he was "shi le zhi" – losing his mind! This fool had been utterly captivated by the professional female player, gifting her over fifty thousand of his hundred thousand chips. Losing this hand left him with just over ten thousand chips, effectively eliminating any chance of a comeback. Unable to accept this reality, the bespectacled man immediately accused me.
Hearing this, I sneered and retorted, "Buddy, I win just one hand and you accuse me of cheating. Isn't that a bit of preferential treatment?"
"I don't know about preferential treatment. All I know is you're definitely cheating! If you have the guts, let me search you!" The bespectacled man, desperate from his losses, was resorting to baseless accusations.
Without further engagement, I lit a cigarette and calmly said to the dealer, "Brother, someone is refusing to pay after losing. Please handle it!"
The dealer immediately turned to the bespectacled man and said, "Sir, we are all adults here. You surely understand the principle of accepting defeat when you gamble." Before the bespectacled man could retort, the dealer pointed at me and continued, "This is a gambling skills competition. Setting aside whether this gentleman is cheating or not..."
"As long as he wins, and wins in a way that I cannot detect or find any fault with..."
"He perfectly embodies the spirit of this gambling skills competition..."
"To be frank, whether you contestants are cheating or employing other tactics..."
"As long as we dealers and the undercover guards on patrol don't notice anything unusual, then you are all free to use whatever means necessary!"
"The boss wants gambling masters!"
"So, sir, do you understand?"
With that, the dealer turned his gaze back to the bespectacled man. The dealer's words, coupled with his somewhat disdainful look, caused the bespectacled man to swallow all his intended retorts. He had effectively been rebuffed by the authorities.
I don't know what the bespectacled man was thinking, but after hearing the dealer's words, a series of questions suddenly arose in my mind... Firstly, the dealer mentioned a gambling skills competition, not a cheating competition. Secondly, what was the purpose of Yun Jin's setup on the cruise ship, mimicking the layout of Macau casinos with specific, subtly meaningful decorations, to host a gambling skills competition and impose restrictions? Was it talent selection, or did it serve another agenda?
As I was lost in thought about these matters, the bespectacled man suddenly slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon. He then declared, "I'm not gambling anymore. I forfeit!"
The bespectacled man's forfeiture meant that the top three positions at our table were automatically decided. The professional female player secured first place, and I came in second. The slick-haired man sitting next to the bespectacled man, who had been ostentatiously eating chocolate before the game, took a non-consequential third place.
The moment the dealer announced the end of the game, as I regained my senses, I saw the professional female player crossing her arms and scrutinizing me with a look of intense curiosity.