The so-called ranking matches were essentially about the amount of chips each person had in front of them.
According to the rules, the top four players at each table would directly advance, and from the ten eliminated players, the one with the most chips would also advance.
The ranking matches were very short, only one hour.
Within the allotted hour, participants could use any method to quickly accumulate chips, as long as they weren't caught red-handed in public.
It was clear that this final, dubbed a gambling tournament, didn't really discourage cheating.
Of course, not discouraging it didn't mean it was easy to win.
After all, this was all a ploy by the casino to distract everyone, a case of trying to conceal something by overemphasizing something else.
For me, the most important thing was to quickly find the "mole" Isabella had mentioned. Otherwise, by the end of this final, it would be like reading a book for a prince, a mere formality...
Outsiders could never win!
I wasn't assigned to Isabella's table for the ranking matches. Instead, I sat down with a group of entirely unfamiliar faces.
Looking at the stern-faced opponents in front of me, most of whom had a hint of wariness in their eyes, I had a rough idea. They were unlikely to be the mole.
If I was mistaken, it would only mean one thing.
This mole's acting skills were... exceptionally high!
With that thought, I began to pay close attention.
Before the ranking matches officially began, I subtly observed these people...
An hour later.
It was almost exactly as I had predicted. There was no mole at my table. The other three people who advanced directly with me were all skilled cheaters.
The four of us, with unspoken understanding, took turns cheating, eliminating the other five players at the table.
After Isabella's table also concluded, in addition to the eight direct qualifiers, one more person managed to stand out from the ten eliminated players due to their chip advantage.
Thus, the decisive gambling match officially began...
Before the final officially kicked off, I should mention that besides Isabella, my overt partner, I also had Xu Shiyu as my hidden helper.
This was because Xu Shiyu had also successfully advanced!
After taking our seats at the table, besides Isabella, Xu Shiyu, and myself, there were two male contestants who were excluded from Isabella's circle of trust after the ranking matches concluded.
In other words, the only people who truly needed to be scrutinized as potential moles were four.
Three men, one woman.
Among them, a man and a woman were dressed the most strangely!
These two were wearing matching couple outfits, making them particularly eye-catching in the crowd.
Putting myself in their shoes, if I were the casino's mole, I would never wear a couple's outfit so openly to gamble. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?!
Therefore, the suspicion for the "mole" ultimately fell on the remaining two male contestants.
One had an ordinary appearance but exceptionally sharp eyes.
As for the other, his face was covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of sinister eyes; his full appearance was hidden.
While the dealer announced the rules for the final, adhering to the principle of better safe than sorry, I subtly shifted most of my attention to those two male contestants.
...
As it was the final round, the hall outside the competition area was already packed with spectators.
Casually glancing around the crowd, I felt reassured when I saw Cheng Minglang and others in the spectator area.
A melodious saxophone tune began to play, and the competition officially commenced!
After an hour of intense and fierce ranking matches, my mood became unprecedentedly calm.
Even with numerous eyes secretly watching me from outside the venue, I felt not the slightest discomfort.
From the previous hour of ranking matches, I had a clear understanding of the casino's modus operandi. All staff, including the dealer, were essentially turning a blind eye to cheating.
Therefore, I had decided not to let any external factors affect me.
This time, if I could employ a dual-pronged approach to cooperate with both sides and secure the championship,
I believed that Yun Jin, the organizer, would definitely show up when presenting the mysterious gift.
With this thought, as I saw the dealer raise his hands to unseal new cards and prepare to shuffle, I immediately calmed my mind and cast aside all negative influences.
...
Half an hour into the competition, everyone was playing tentatively.
Regardless of our identities, whether we were cheaters or skilled players...
Everyone was playing very cautiously.
Even Isabella was more restrained and serious than in the previous two rounds.
My winning strategy had unconsciously shifted due to the initial caution. Fortunately, the hour of free play had allowed me to regain my insight.
Not being able to decipher the dealer's card-dealing sequence was not important at all. The crucial thing was to know who I was!
Since I was a cheater, I should disregard everything else and seize every opportunity to cheat!
With my mindset and game strategy corrected, I began to secretly exert my strength in the following half-hour.
Only by accumulating more chips in the early stages could I gain more leverage in the later all-in rounds...
Half an hour later.
Through intermittent cheating, I managed to maintain my chips at a mid-to-upper level.
While not the best, it was certainly more than enough compared to the others!
With more chips, my posture naturally became firmer.
No matter what tactics any mole prepared, even the most unsolvable "dragging" strategy, I had the capital to play along and wear them down.
Just as I was settling on my next game strategy, one of the two suspected "moles," the man with only his eyes visible behind a mask, suddenly placed a bet of five million chips!
In the decisive rounds, there were no limits on the chip bets.
This five-million-chip bet by the masked man in the first hour of the game immediately ignited the entire venue, causing most people in the spectator area to gasp in surprise.
Before the masked man raised his bet, I noticed a detail.
That was, the dealer's hand paused slightly when dealing the first three community cards...
Recalling what Isabella had told me on the deck, even though I got a pair of Aces in this hand, I still chose to fold.
Seeing me fold, after the players before me made their decisions, Xu Shiyu also decisively folded.
As for Isabella, she frowned in great confusion, and then she actually...