A widely known line from "A Bite of China" states that the finest ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods.
This sentiment, with a change in key nouns, also applies to the gambling table.
The path to victory in high-stakes gambling often originates from the most basic forms of cheating!
I never imagined that He Chenguang would employ such a low-level cheating tactic to gain the upper hand in the final decisive round.
Frankly, the moment I saw that all 32 dominoes had been marked on their backs by He Chenguang using the "soft marking" technique, I considered calling him out for cheating. However...
Given that Hu Dinggui, the head of the competition's organizing committee, had also been bought off by He Chenguang's master, He Zhonghua, I abandoned that thought.
Ever since Mr. He's mysterious disappearance, the finals of the Gambling King competition had devolved into an unfair game. To expect Hu Dinggui to make any fair judgment publicly would be a fool's errand!
Furthermore, the card selection and comparison hadn't even begun, meaning the outcome was still undecided. Even if I had spoken up, it would have been meaningless, as He Chenguang could have easily come up with an excuse.
Each person has only one opportunity to call out cheating. Once used, it's gone. If I later discovered He Chenguang not only cheating but preparing to execute a more elaborate scheme, I could only watch helplessly.
After much deliberation, I decided to bide my time, waiting for He Chenguang to make his next move before deciding how to proceed...
As the dealer, after completing the final shuffle and arranging the 32 dominoes into a towering stack, I presented them to He Chenguang and Yu Shuang, saying, "You may now take your cards."
According to the rules I had set earlier, card selection in this round would be done by skipping.
With a light chuckle, He Chenguang was the first to reach for a card.
His move was the "Cloud-Grasping Hand," a technique renowned for its dexterity in Pai Gow.
With the 32 dominoes stacked in a towering formation, anyone without considerable skill would cause the stack to collapse instantly upon reaching for a card.
This moment significantly impacts the visual spectacle for the audience.
Therefore, He Chenguang, in a rare display of skill, employed the fitting "Cloud-Grasping Hand" within the "cloud-piercing" domino staircase.
Swift as lightning, free to come and go!
Upon witnessing this, I inwardly lamented my miscalculation!
Despite all my planning, I failed to anticipate that He Chenguang's earlier indifference to whether I chose large or small Pai Gow was irrelevant; the true advantage lay in the banker-player order of play!
With the player taking cards first and the banker last, and having already set up the cheat, the advantage was entirely with the player.
I knew, even before the card reveal, that Yu Shuang and I... had lost it all!
As expected!
He Chenguang ultimately secured victory with a "Double Heaven Supreme," taking the lead.
Realizing the trap in the banker-player order, Yu Shuang, during her turn as banker in the second round, directly adjusted the rules. She announced that the banker-player order was unnecessary; after shuffling and arranging the cards, everyone would select their cards simultaneously, and the reveal would determine the winner.
Learning from my mistake, the vigilant Queen Bee made a change during the second shuffle. Instead of creating a towering stack like I did, she arranged the dominoes in a stable, four-pile formation.
This meant that while the top eight cards of each pile had their backs exposed, all other cards, except for the very first and last in each pile, were completely hidden, maximizing the concealment of the "soft marking" signs.
With this sudden change of strategy, Yu Shuang successfully thwarted He Chenguang's attempt to replicate his "Double Heaven Supreme," causing him to fail in his gamble and instead receive a pair of Plum Blossoms.
Although the effect was immediate, the cost was that Yu Shuang, like me, only had a beginner's familiarity with Pai Gow. In her card selection, she made a slight misstep, drawing a hand that ranked even lower than the Plum Blossoms, a "Bench."
Fortunately, I drew the highest card of the round, "Double Earth," which also ranked third in Pai Gow. Winning after an initial loss, I secured a valuable point.
The outcome of the final small round, with He Chenguang as the banker, would be crucial!
If He Chenguang won directly, the match would end, as would it if I won.
If Yu Shuang managed a comeback, the three players' scores would be equal again, necessitating a tiebreaker.
Therefore, in this round, no one could afford to lose!
...
Unlike Yu Shuang and me, He Chenguang arranged the 32 dominoes into a pyramid formation for the final small round.
After arranging the cards, he also made a slight adjustment, similar to Yu Shuang, stating, "A three-player Pai Gow game doesn't need a banker. Let's directly grab cards to determine the winner!"
"A dropped card is a dropped move!"
The moment he finished speaking, he reached out towards the domino pyramid.
Seeing this, Yu Shuang and I didn't hesitate, decisively moving to stop him.
At this critical juncture, Queen Bee Yu Shuang finally unleashed her full strength, her hand speed noticeably faster than mine as she lunged towards He Chenguang.
"Heh heh~"
With a cold chuckle, He Chenguang suddenly exerted force, slamming his hand heavily onto the gambling table.
Only then did I belatedly realize the purpose of his pyramid formation.
The instant He Chenguang's palm struck the table, with a muffled thud, the topmost domino in the pyramid, like the first domino in a chain reaction, tilted and wobbled, disrupting the order of the cards below.
At this moment, Yu Shuang's and He Chenguang's fingers touched in mid-air, becoming entangled in a struggle.
An unexpected turn of events... occurred!
*Ssssh!*
He Chenguang's fingers, with their long fingernails, swiftly left a cut-like wound on Yu Shuang's hand.
As blood spurted out, I was momentarily stunned.
I thought Yu Shuang would stop then, but instead, she used He Chenguang's attack as an opportunity to seize the domino he had intended to grab, then laid down and revealed her card.
"Holy crap! Double Heaven Supreme!!!"
The moment the dominoes were revealed, the audience below erupted in a gasp.
No one could have imagined that under such disadvantageous circumstances, Yu Shuang would be able to turn the tide and secure victory in the final decisive round!
Seeing the "Double Heaven Supreme" snatched by Yu Shuang and revealed, He Chenguang's expression immediately turned as dark as water.
At this point, Hu Dinggui's gaze also shifted. To prevent He Chenguang from losing his composure, he immediately spoke up, "What a thrilling match!"
"The three of you are once again tied. It seems a tiebreaker is inevitable!"