Although Shen Mengqing had given me a good hand as well—a Nine of Hearts.
But under the brilliance of the middle-aged man's Queen of Spades, both the face value and the size were completely suppressed.
However, I was not affected at all.
The reason was that I knew if I panicked, Shen Mengqing... would surely be flustered!
As expected, seeing that my expression was as usual, Shen Mengqing, who had been slightly shocked, immediately calmed her mind.
Unlike other card games, in Showdown, as long as the five cards are not fully revealed, everything is subject to unpredictable variables!
After calming her mind, Shen Mengqing glanced at the middle-aged man and said in an extremely indifferent tone, "Queen of Spades speaks!"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man didn't care. He still smiled and picked up bundles of cash, throwing them directly into the pot.
"Four hundred and thirty thousand!"
Starting from the initial bet of two hundred and ten thousand for the first face-up card, the middle-aged man did not bet in round numbers each time, but started with one hundred and ten thousand, which was peculiar and unconventional.
It was obvious that the middle-aged man was a cheat who didn't play by the rules.
Judging from the current cards, it seemed that he and I were taking the same path.
A straight flush!
But the middle-aged man not only had a larger hand but also a superior suit.
Therefore, if the cards dealt to the middle-aged man and me were to be exactly the same as before, even with cheating... I couldn't beat him!
To be honest, if this were a gamble outside, even if Bangchui got the same cards as me, he might not play.
But I... had to play!
Because in this round, for me, for Shen Mengqing, and for Rui Chi, there was no way back.
Only by fighting to the end could we grasp a sliver of hope!
So, after lighting a cigarette and pondering for a moment, I decisively took out cash from under the table and threw it into the pot.
Seeing that both sides had bet, Shen Mengqing began to deal the fourth card with a card shovel.
Just like before, as the middle-aged man received the card with his left hand, his right index finger was slightly curled inward.
I knew that the guy did this simply to put psychological pressure on Shen Mengqing and me.
He was forcing Shen Mengqing and me to call for a halt to the game, inspect the cards, catch the cheat, and then make a mistake.
This way, he could win without a fight.
Unfortunately, Shen Mengqing, who had calmed down, completely ignored the middle-aged man's small actions.
As for me, I didn't even bother with him!
Since I had entered the game and already raised the stakes to disrupt it, the next step was simple.
Find the middle-aged man's weakness, and then break the situation with lightning speed!!!
Since the other party was determined to make me call out his cheating, then...
Thinking of this, I immediately had an idea.
...
After receiving the cards, the middle-aged man and I revealed our cards one after another.
I had a Nine of Diamonds, and he had a Jack of Spades.
In this round, it was still the middle-aged man's turn to speak.
Currently, without looking at the hidden cards, my hand was a pair of Nines with a single Ten.
And the middle-aged man still had a straight flush.
As soon as he saw the Jack of Spades, a gleam of light burst into the middle-aged man's eyes.
"Luck only favors the strong!"
Seeing that my expression was normal but I remained silent, the middle-aged man sneered and then pointed at my cards, saying, "Young man, don't force it!"
"Putting aside other things, just looking at the cards, you have no chance of winning this round!"
Hearing the middle-aged man say this, I flicked the ash off my cigarette and retorted coldly, "Why not? The last card hasn't been dealt yet, everything... is possible!"
"Can you guarantee that you will get a straight flush, or do you think I can't get a full house?"
[PS: Full house, also known as the Full House that often appears in Hong Kong movies.]
Seeing that I was completely unfazed, the middle-aged man said no more, but picked up bundles of money and threw them directly into the pot.
"Five hundred and forty thousand! I want you dead!!!"
The moment I heard this, I laughed.
I threw the cigarette butt under my foot and stomped it out, then slowly stood up from my seat, holding the boxes on either side of me.
Then, I directly imitated a move that protagonists in gambling movies often do, and poured all the money into the pot with a "whoosh."
"Since you want me dead, then I... will make you die now! Showdown!!!"
Before the fifth crucial hidden card was dealt, I chose to go all-in.
This move immediately caused a burst of exaggerated and unbelievable gasps from the entire first-floor hall.
With a disadvantage in cards and the fifth card not yet dealt, I still dared to go all-in?
Where did this courage and confidence come from?
At this moment, even Shen Mengqing, whose mind had calmed down, showed a slight change in her expression.
Her pair of autumn water eyes were filled with confusion.
Ignoring Shen Mengqing's confusion, I directly focused my gaze on the middle-aged man who was sitting properly and asked in a deep voice, "Are you in or out?"
Hearing my words, the middle-aged man's eyes immediately froze.
I knew that this guy never expected me to play completely out of the usual script.
Calling "Showdown" meant that if he wanted to win the game, he would have to go all-in with me without the fifth card being clear, bringing this gamble to a climax prematurely!
The disadvantage of bringing the gamble to a climax was that... putting aside the pretense and reality, the truth and falsehood, every small move that he and I made from now on would be infinitely magnified!
And the difficulty of cheating would also double.
It was clear that my move had put the middle-aged man in a dilemma.
Although the middle-aged man had been the winner so far, if he didn't dare to go all-in with me in this hand, then he... would be a complete loser!
Winning first is not winning, losing later is losing!
...
After an unknown amount of time.
After hesitating and deliberating repeatedly, seeing the middle-aged man's face constantly changing, he finally stood up like me and threw the briefcase full of money into the pot.
Seeing that the middle-aged man had chosen to call the all-in, Shen Mengqing's eyes flashed with disappointment.
Then, she began to deal the last card.
The result of starting the all-in early was that there was no longer the segment of swapping the first and last hidden cards, and then calling for an all-in. All that was needed was to reveal the cards one by one.
As soon as the cards were dealt and revealed, the middle-aged man's eyes immediately lit up.
Ace of Spades!
His face-up cards became J, Q, K, A.
If the hidden card was a Ten of Spades, I wouldn't even need to reveal my cards, and he would win directly.
Because a Royal Straight Flush... was invincible!
And my fifth card was an insignificant Ten of Clubs.
10, 10, 9, 9, a full house hand.
Although it was also a big hand, it was useless in front of a Royal Straight Flush.
To be honest, I was a little speechless.
Shen Mengqing, after shuffling the cards using professional techniques five or six times, was able to deal cards like those seen in gambling movies.
If I didn't know her identity clearly, I would have suspected that she was in league with the middle-aged man!
Seeing me frown slightly, the middle-aged man, laughing wildly, went to lift the bottom card in front of him...