I still remember Uncle Tuo once saying that among the countless tricks in the world of gambling, the "old trick" was the most cunning and dangerous.
I never expected that by revealing myself prematurely, I would encounter the first group-trick game of my career.
A group-trick game is also called a "gathering of immortals" game.
It implies: "Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their divine powers!"
However, the group-trick game I encountered was not based on the theme of fighting independently and showcasing divine powers, but rather a clear-cut one-against-five confrontation!
………………kAnshuWu.ξà
After sitting down, I didn't focus my gaze on Xiang Tianhua and Luo Qiyun, but instead turned to two unfamiliar faces.
The one sitting to my left was a young man dressed in a dazzling suit.
This young man, of medium to above-average build and an extraordinary demeanor, appeared at first glance to be a promising young professional working in a large company.
His enthusiasm for Brother Dafei was not as strong as Xiang Tianhua's.
He merely gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment, which served as his greeting.
Brother Dafei clearly didn't mind the young man's reaction and responded with equal coolness.
As for the other gambler, he looked to be in his early forties. Although he was short and plump, he wore a faint smile on his face.
For now, I'll refer to him as the Smiling Tiger.
As I was sizing up the Smiling Tiger, as if sensing my gaze, he actually nodded and smiled at me in a friendly manner.
Seeing this, one might think I was truly a guest they had invited!
People like the Smiling Tiger are precisely the ones I need to be most vigilant against.
Just as I was calculating in my mind, I heard the Smiling Tiger ask Brother Dafei, "Dafei, what's the situation with this young brother?"
"Put on an act! Keep acting!"
Having already sat here, how could he not know my situation?
Upon hearing this, Brother Dafei suddenly stood up from his seat, pointed at me, and introduced in a deep voice, "This young brother said he wants to win big money in our establishment, so I brought him over."
"Since everyone is here, let's start quickly! Let's see if this young brother has the ability to win big money back from us!"
The moment these pleasantries were exchanged, the busty bunny girls who had been on standby in the private room promptly brought trays, placing the chips for each of the six of us on the table.
After a brief glance at the chips in front of the other five people, I noticed that the chips in front of each of them were roughly the same as the total I had won earlier.
They were around five million each.
In other words, the stakes for tonight's "gathering of immortals" game... added up to a staggering thirty million!
Mind you, I'm referring to chips, not cash.
Even if I could win all thirty million chips, I definitely wouldn't be able to cash them out!
Even with this newly opened casino doing booming business, it's impossible to cash out thirty million in cash in one night.
It seems that whether they win or lose, Brother Dafei and the others had already made preparations.
Since I can't leave now, I can only see how things unfold...
After the chips were placed, the busty bunny girls also thoughtfully provided us with high-end cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and exquisite fruit platters.
Following this, these eye-pleasing busty bunny girls orderly departed the VIP private room.
Professional! Extremely, very, incredibly professional!
The moment the bunny girls withdrew from the room, a female dealer with delicate features, a graceful figure, wearing an OL uniform and white gloves, entered.
As the dealer appeared, Brother Dafei suddenly spoke, "Young brother, Owner Ying's establishment has always been known for its fairness and impartiality."
"You want to win big money? No problem! We can give you this opportunity!"
"Let's be clear from the outset: as long as you win honestly, and we can't find any flaws, you can take away as much money as you win!"
"But if you don't play by the rules, then I apologize... we'll deal with you according to the rules of the underworld!"
He paused, glanced at the wall clock, and then continued, "It's exactly ten o'clock in the evening now. We'll gamble until twelve o'clock, playing Texas Hold'em for two hours!"
"How about it? Any problems?"
To be honest, when Brother Dafei brought me to the VIP private room surrounded by gamblers, I was quite worried that he would only pick card games that they were all skilled at to play against me.
If that were the case, facing the combined assault of five people, I would have a ninety-nine percent chance of losing.
But now, it seems that the superficial efforts of this establishment are indeed quite thorough.
Compared to other card games, although Texas Hold'em also requires cheating to secure victory, it often relies on strong psychology.
Because, like the game of Stud Poker, it allows for an all-in bet.
In Texas Hold'em, an all-in bet is called "all-in."
Sometimes, to win at Texas Hold'em, one doesn't necessarily need to cheat; one can play an all-in hand based on the betting patterns.
Therefore, after hearing Brother Dafei propose playing Texas Hold'em, I agreed without any hesitation.
Although I knew very well that Brother Dafei wasn't doing this to accommodate me, at least with Texas Hold'em, I felt confident enough to contend with them...
Once the playing method was confirmed, Brother Dafei signaled the dealer to begin.
The female dealer, wearing white gloves, professionally took a new deck of cards from a drawer beneath the gambling table, opened it, and fanned them out smoothly.
Her movements were fluid, extremely adept, and precise.
It was evident she was the type of professional dealer specifically serving VIP private rooms.
After the playing cards were spread out, the female dealer extended her hand, inviting us to inspect the cards.
Seeing this, Brother Dafei turned his gaze directly to me without a word.
I lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said calmly, "No need! I believe Owner Ying's establishment is absolutely fair and just! Let's start directly."
Since the only outsider had no objections, the twelve "dark lights" led by Dafei naturally had no objections either, and they immediately signaled the dealer to shuffle and deal the cards.
While the dealer was shuffling the cards, I began to calculate in my mind how to break out of this predicament...
Unlike Stud Poker, which is popular worldwide, Texas Hold'em only began to gain popularity in the early 20th century and is not commonly found in small casinos.
This is because there are people who play Texas Hold'em without needing to cheat to win.
Much like the "ear-listening" tricksters in dice games, they rely solely on various algorithms and psychology to gamble on the outcome of each round.
If a small casino encounters such individuals, neither the "bright lights" nor the "dark lights" can do anything about them.
Therefore, only large casinos offer Texas Hold'em card games.
It's not that large casinos can afford to lose, but rather that they are equipped with experts specializing in Texas Hold'em.
In other words, one of the five gamblers led by Brother Dafei is a specialist in Texas Hold'em.
To increase my chances of winning, I need to identify this person and eliminate him first.