After the ante of ten thousand was placed, Gu Jingjing began dealing the hole cards and face-up cards.
Setting aside others for the moment, the face-up card I received was the Queen of Hearts, with my hole card yet to be revealed.
The bald man's face-up card was the highest on the table, a conspicuous Ace of Spades, his hole card still unknown.
According to the rules of Stud, the Ace of Spades spoke first in this round, calling the bet.
"One hundred thousand!"
With that, the bald man tossed a hundred thousand chips onto the table.
With the game more than halfway through and time running short, the starting bet for each hand had already reached over one hundred thousand per bet.
To stay in the game without going all-in would require at least four to five hundred thousand chips.
Without looking at my hole card, I matched the hundred thousand bet.
I gambled that in the next hand, if it wasn't the type of card I wanted, I would decisively fold, giving it not even the slightest chance.
At this point, aside from the cigar man, with whom I had a history, the other two players decisively folded.
This was partly because they didn't have many chips left and wanted to save them for crucial hands where they might get good cards, and partly due to the intimidating presence of the Ace of Spades.
Even if everyone else received poor cards, the bald man, holding the Ace of Spades, was undoubtedly the ultimate winner.
Anyone familiar with Stud rules knows that if the hand rankings are identical, the suits are then compared, following the order of Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds.
The player with the Ace of Spades is guaranteed to win.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one dared to call recklessly.
After collecting the chips, Gu Jingjing dealt a second face-up card to each of us.
The bald man received a Jack of Spades, while the cigar man, making a comeback, managed to get an Ace of Diamonds.
As for me, I received the King of Hearts.
It was the same flush suit as the bald man's, but with one being Spades and the other Hearts, a perfect rivalry card.
The moment the King of Hearts was dealt, I had a premonition that in this game... someone was likely to lose all their chips and be eliminated.
As for whether it would be the bald man, the cigar man, or myself, we would have to wait and see.
...
I had expected the bald man to suddenly raise the stakes in this round, but to my surprise, he calmly said, "One hundred thousand!"
Without the slightest hesitation or pause, both the cigar man and I decisively threw a hundred thousand chips onto the table, choosing to continue following the bet.
I understood the saying that a biting dog doesn't bark.
Truly formidable individuals are never those who appear fierce from the outset; they are often plain-looking and unassuming.
The bald man was an example of this.
People like the bald man would never act ruthlessly without reason. Once they made a move, it would be unstoppable!
Therefore, his failure to raise the bet not only failed to ease my mind but instead made me tense up, putting me on high alert!
After the second round, the card situation for the three of us had begun to take shape.
The bald man still held the advantage of speaking first.
He again tossed a hundred thousand chips into the pot, still without raising the bet.
I knew very well that the bald man was doing this to force me and the cigar man to call.
When the fifth crucial hidden card was dealt, he would undoubtedly make his move.
At that point, if he didn't act, he would strike with thunderous force!
Knowing it was a trap, I had no choice but to step into it.
Who would win or lose this hand was about to be revealed...
The final round of cards was dealt.
The bald man had a flush of Spades, with an Ace, Jack, Queen, and a 5.
The cigar man's hand was also decent, with a 9 of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, 3 of Clubs, and an Ace of Clubs.
As for my hand, it was a Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, and Jack of Hearts.
Looking at the formed hands of the three of us, it was clear that my straight flush had a significant advantage, but...
The 9 of Hearts had already been taken by the cigar man. If I wanted to ensure a win, I would have to aim for the Ace of Hearts.
However, the cigar man was also waiting for the final crucial card, the Ace of Hearts.
And most importantly, those who held a pair or two pairs would never dare to go head-to-head with a flush; only those with three of a kind would.
If someone with three of a kind managed to complete a flush, they would have to concede defeat.
Therefore, if the cigar man chose to call after the next bet, his hole card would most likely be the Ace of Hearts.
In such a complex situation, my hand was in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
To call, I would have to cheat.
Once cheating occurred, the probability of a card clash was at least eighty percent.
According to the tournament rules, in the event of a card clash, the player who revealed their cards last would be automatically disqualified, unless they could provide evidence of cheating.
In crucial hands that determine the outcome of victory, the order of revealing cards, unless pre-arranged privately, is decided by the referee.
Undoubtedly, all three of us wanted to win, and we were all trying to find opportunities to cheat!
Therefore, securing the order of revealing cards would not be easy! Relying on Gu Jingjing for this was even more absurd!
Cheaters never entrust their fate to others!
If I didn't call and let the bald man and the cigar man fight it out amongst themselves, then after this hand, another player from Table 1 would be eliminated.
At that point, my chip advantage would be instantly and infinitely reduced. In the extremely limited time remaining, even if I could barely maintain first place, I likely wouldn't make it into the top eight overall.
Winning first place in my group but then failing to make it into the top eight and being eliminated would be a complete failure for me!
After much consideration, I decided to look at my hole card first before making a final decision.
Heaven was not on my side. As soon as I lifted a corner of my hole card, I saw an extremely conspicuous black color.
Since it was black, there was no need to check the rank.
Seeing my hesitation to call, the cigar man beside me immediately taunted, "Kid, judging by your indecisive look, your hole card is clearly not the Ace of Hearts!"
"Without the Ace of Hearts, your maximum possible hand is a straight."
"It's a shame that while your straight can beat my three of a kind, it can't beat that bald guy's flush! That's why you're so conflicted! Am I right?"
The cigar man was absolutely correct. I was indeed caught in this predicament, placing myself in a complete dilemma.
This was the first time I had encountered a situation where I had an opportunity to cheat but couldn't win the hand.
At this very moment, I had no idea what to do.
Should I call? Go all-in? Or fold?
Seeing me lost in thought with my head down, the referee Gu Jingjing couldn't help but remind me to pay attention to the time.
If I exceeded the time limit, it would be considered forfeiting my turn.
At this moment, my internal tension reached its peak.
I knew very well that I couldn't afford to lose.
If I lost the gamble, Mr. He would undoubtedly regard me as disposable, leaving me to fend for myself.
But in such a dilemma, how could I ensure that victory wouldn't slip away from me?