She's a cheat!
Whether Shui Miaomiao was a professional player or a cheat, I couldn't let her analyze my psychological state through her observation of my expressions.
So, I turned my head slightly and took the opportunity to ask a passing waiter for a glass of water.
Just then, I heard Shui Miaomiao suddenly laugh and say to me, "Handsome, why don't you dare to look me in the eye? Are you feeling guilty?"
"Since you're feeling guilty, then I... will raise the bet!"
"I'll match your ten thousand, and raise you another ten thousand!"
As expected, Shui Miaomiao knew how to fish.
This raise of ten thousand put me in a difficult position, unable to advance or retreat.
If I matched, before the river card was dealt, my chip loss would directly soar to thirty-one thousand, and that wouldn't be the final loss; it would consume chips faster than the cards themselves.
If I lost, the best outcome would be to retain about half of my chips.
As for the worst outcome, it was undoubtedly elimination.
I had to admit that regardless of whether Shui Miaomiao's true identity was a cheat or a professional player, her ability to mess with people's minds was top-notch.
Of course, I didn't fall for it, because I had been cautiously guarding against her earlier.
If a professional cheat could have their mindset so easily disrupted, they might as well be an ignorant gambler!
After looking back at Shui Miaomiao with a blank expression, I didn't say anything, but directly showed my attitude through action.
I matched the bet!
Seeing that I chose to match, Jiang Bin immediately began dealing the fifth card without a word.
The river card in Texas Hold'em that decides the winner!
I believe many people playing Texas Hold'em have seen victory right before their eyes, only to be inexplicably "river-killed."
To be "river-killed" requires a combination of timing, location, and human factors, which is commonly known as bad luck!
...
After the river card was dealt, it was slowly revealed, a... Ten of Hearts!
This Ten of Hearts had a significant impact on my hand, greatly increasing my chances of winning.
Of course, this didn't mean Shui Miaomiao was at a complete disadvantage.
If she had started with a Six, paired with a Three or a King, she would have successfully made a Full House in the previous round; there was no impossibility to that!
This round, I decided to take the initiative.
To probe whether she was fishing or bluffing.
After a moment's thought, I took out another chip and threw it into the pot.
"Ten thousand!"
Unlike in stud poker, Texas Hold'em allows for smaller bets.
I wasn't raising because I lacked confidence, but to preserve as many chips as possible.
I knew very well that at this point, if Shui Miaomiao's two hole cards were a winning hand, she wouldn't choose to match or raise, but would directly go all-in.
Therefore, I was betting with this ten thousand chip, betting that she didn't have a set or a Full House.
As long as she didn't dare to go all-in, with a flush on my hand, I was already in an invincible position for this round.
Winning more or less wasn't important, because I still had plenty. What was important was to ensure I could engage in a game of wits and calculations with other contestants in a relatively safe environment.
And this was the fundamental way to avoid an unexpected defeat.
After I placed my bet, it was Shui Miaomiao's turn.
This woman was strange; the moment it was her turn to bet, the smile that had been on her face just a second before immediately vanished.
With not the slightest expression on her face, Shui Miaomiao stared intently at the two hole cards in front of me, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Time passed silently.
After about one or two minutes.
I saw her pick up a chip worth ten thousand from the table and choose to match the bet.
No raise!
Seeing this, I felt a huge wave of relief.
Now, I could basically conclude that Shui Miaomiao's hole cards were unlikely to form a set or a Full House.
They would only be three of a kind, or a straight.
With the game becoming clearer, I couldn't help but feel a bit excited. Whether it was three of a kind or a straight, neither could beat my flush!
A good start today!
By taking Shui Miaomiao's forty-one thousand, plus the initial ante of eight thousand from the first round, I suddenly had almost twice as many chips as others.
However, just as I revealed my cards...
I saw Shui Miaomiao suddenly break into a smile and say to me, "Handsome, I'm sorry!"
"Huh!?"
The moment I heard this, I was stunned.
Shui Miaomiao actually said she was sorry, could she have a Full House? Or a set?
No way? Is there really someone who uses a big card to catch a small fish?
Half-believing, half-doubting, Shui Miaomiao, with a smile in her eyes, revealed her cards.
A Six, and a Three.
Good heavens! She really used a big card to catch a small fish!
To be honest, the moment these two cards were revealed, I didn't feel annoyed or angry; instead, I felt a sense of relief.
Relieved that Shui Miaomiao didn't raise, and even more relieved that she didn't go all-in.
If it were me, I would have gone all-in ninety-nine percent of the time!
Anyone who can hold back from going all-in with such cards can only be one type of person.
A professional Texas Hold'em player!
They are all highly intelligent and top-tier talents, adept at deducing the probability of winning and losing through precise analysis and calculation.
Taking the last hand as an example, if Shui Miaomiao were not a professional player but a cheat like me, she would definitely have chosen to go all-in.
But a professional player would not do that, because the board was not a guaranteed win, and there were still three Kings and Tens yet to be revealed.
Furthermore, I didn't give Shui Miaomiao much opportunity to analyze and observe, so she prudently chose to match the bet and reveal her cards.
While I was deep in thought, I heard a player next to me strike up a conversation with Shui Miaomiao, "Beautiful lady, the more I look at you, the more familiar you seem. Are you perhaps staff from Wynn?"
Upon hearing this, Shui Miaomiao nodded her head decisively, "That's right!"
"Holy crap! The truth is out! No wonder no one dared to sit at this table earlier!"
"..."
Well, not only did I have a bad start tonight, but I also ran into someone from He Chenguang's crew. I was truly unlucky.
After losing forty-one thousand chips, I instantly became the person with the fewest chips at our table.
In addition, after playing a few more hands, I realized that these people had started to cooperate, preparing to gang up and kick me out of the game.
After posting the blinds and receiving their hole cards, they wouldn't even give me a basic chance to enter the pot. Those people directly raised to five thousand or ten thousand, clearly intending to force me to fold.
Is this a case of everyone pushing against someone who has fallen?
I knew very well that if I didn't find a way to resolve the current predicament, simply rotating through the blinds and posting the blinds every hand would eventually deplete my chips...