"You know the rules of Texas Hold'em with blinds, so you used the advantage of speaking first in this round to raise the stakes and switch cards!" Xiang Tianhua shouted, pointing at the cards on the table after hearing my words.
"If you accuse me of cheating, where is your evidence?" I retorted.
This time, before Xiang Tianhua could speak, Brother Dafei picked up his hole cards and said, "My two hole cards are strong evidence!"
"There's no such coincidence! You spoke first in this round, not only made a rare all-in move, but also revealed the 8 of Clubs and 9 of Clubs!"
"If you didn't cheat, where did my cards come from?"
"Heh!"
After a dismissive laugh, I coldly replied, "Of course, your cards were switched by cheating! Did you think I didn't see you switching cards earlier!?" I only mentioned cheating without specifying the method, purely to make Brother Dafei wary.
"Nonsense!!!"
As the angry roar subsided, Brother Dafei immediately slammed the table and stood up, staring at me with widened eyes, and yelled, "The dealer dealt my cards!"
He's cornered like a rat! Although I don't understand psychology, I know one fact: when people are caught lying, they often use frantic behavior to prove their innocence. Of course, Brother Dafei's anger had a reason. He didn't expect that I not only saw through him but also switched cards with identical cards. Even more incredibly, not only he but also the others at the table were completely unaware of this. Although I hadn't made a move before, my first move caught them all off guard, which was unacceptable to Brother Dafei. Therefore, he felt a bit flustered and scared. Most people fear things they cannot firmly control. Often, the anger shown when someone is caught is not true anger, but a cover for guilt and fear.
Just then, the man in the suit suddenly stood up and said to me in a deep voice, "It's easy to determine who is lying!"
"First, let the dealer verify the cards to ensure the deck is complete, and then we'll search everyone in turn!"
"No matter who is telling the truth or lying, since only you two are staying in this hand, and you both revealed identical cards, it means..."
"Someone among you must have secretly switched cards!"
"From now on, neither of you is allowed to leave your seats until the body search is complete!"
"The two cards have a higher target than one card, so the switched cards must be on this gambling table!"
"If either of you has cards hidden on your person or under your seat, then that person must be the cheater!"
Although the man in the suit kept referring to "you two," his eyes were fixed on me the entire time. Clearly, this guy was putting on a show.
After hearing the man in the suit's analysis, Brother Dafei immediately agreed. In Brother Dafei's mind, although he had cheated, it was an act of collusion with Smiling Tiger, so he was certain there were no marked cards on him or under his seat. As for me, it was uncertain. Regardless of whether marked cards could be found, using the body search as an opportunity to put me in my place was a good move.
Upon hearing the man in the suit suggest verifying cards and searching bodies, Smiling Tiger and the other two immediately expressed their agreement. These people were all in cahoots, so if one of them took the lead, the others would surely follow. Thus, as soon as the man in the suit finished speaking, the female dealer began checking and verifying the cards.
About two minutes later... Although the number of cards remained 52, there were two identical 8 of Clubs and 9 of Clubs. It was clear that the original card order had been disrupted. Since it was confirmed that the card order was problematic, the subsequent body search was inevitable! To ensure fairness and impartiality, the man in the suit had Smiling Tiger and Xiang Tianhua act simultaneously, with one searching me and the other searching Brother Dafei. As for himself and Luo Qiwen, they kept a close watch on both me and Brother Dafei. To be fair, although the man in the suit didn't know any cheating techniques, his mind was indeed sharp, knowing to find an excuse to search me immediately after I revealed my cards. Unfortunately, I have always adhered to the principle of not keeping marked cards on me, meaning I transfer the marked cards immediately after cheating. The one hour of patience and forbearance was to wait for the crucial round where I could speak first and raise the stakes. There would be no flaws left...
...
Five minutes later. Smiling Tiger, who was responsible for searching me, shook his head at the man in the suit and the others as he withdrew his hands. The implication was clear: there were no hidden cards on me. This result was unacceptable to the man in the suit. Compared to the man in the suit, Brother Dafei and his four companions had mixed expressions. They must have realized by now that they had truly met their match! As everyone at the "Immortal Gathering" except me had varied expressions, the man in the suit suddenly asked Smiling Tiger, "Brother Chang Ba, are you absolutely sure you searched thoroughly from top to bottom?"
Hearing this, Brother Chang Ba's face turned cold: "What do you mean, Wang Mingxuan? Are you doubting my skills!?"
"No, no, no! Of course, I don't mean that!" The man in the suit, Wang Mingxuan, immediately explained, "Brother Chang Ba, I'm not doubting you! A deck of cards cannot have duplicate cards, that's for sure! Since there's a card collision, it means someone must have cheated!"
"You... you are an expert in this field, so I want to ask, where on a person can cards be hidden? Have you searched all those places?"
As soon as Wang Mingxuan finished speaking, Brother Chang Ba immediately became angry. "Wang Mingxuan, you were the one who insisted on playing Texas Hold'em! If you don't trust my searching skills, come and search yourself!"
Hearing Brother Chang Ba say this, Wang Mingxuan immediately turned his gaze to Brother Dafei, as if hoping for his opinion. Seeing this, I immediately realized: Wang Mingxuan initiated the Texas Hold'em game, and these few people were a makeshift small group! Since they were not a united front, my subsequent countermeasures would have multiple options! With this thought, before Brother Dafei could speak, I preempted him by saying, "Since the body search found no cards, can we declare the result of the game?"
"Don't forget, in case of a card collision, the rule of the gambling table is that the player who reveals their cards last loses!"
"I know you want to catch me, but since you can't, please follow the rules first!"