Chapter 44: Going to Macau
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Hey, Zhou Chao, are you still not up? Have you received your Hong Kong-Macau travel permit? The afternoon flight is coming up. Hurry and get up,” a voice came through the phone, rousing Zhou Chao from his groggy state. “I’m up,” Zhou Chao replied, glancing at the clock – it was almost noon. He promptly rolled out of bed.
After a quick bite with Lin Wu, they headed out. By the time they reached the airport, it was past 1 pm. Qin Fen and the others were already waiting.
“You both have your permits, right?” Qin Fen asked.
“Yep, got them. Just processed them yesterday,” Zhou Chao yawned, having stayed up late playing games until around 3 am. He still felt like he could use more sleep.
“Let’s go, boarding is about to start,” Qin Fen checked the time and turned to the group.
The group of six walked towards the boarding gate.
“We’ve finally landed. We can have a great time tonight.” Qin Lang gazed out of the window at the landed plane.
“Let’s go.” Qin Fen led the way out, and after completing the necessary procedures, they exited the airport. The group was already anticipating an exciting night at the casinos.
Stepping out of the airport, they flagged down two taxis by the roadside. The reputation of local taxi drivers trying to overcharge passengers had preceded them. Perhaps, seeing Zhou Chao’s group looking well-off and numerous, the drivers wore smiles when they heard they were headed to the Grand Lisboa Hotel.
These taxi drivers were not to be underestimated. In Macau, the permanent license for each taxi was worth several million. It was all a matter of who had more money.
Speaking of Macau, one couldn’t avoid mentioning its gambling industry. While Las Vegas used to be the epitome of a gambling city, now it was Macau that held that title. Macau’s gambling industry had surpassed Las Vegas, solidifying its position as the world’s gambling capital. Four out of the world’s top ten casinos were in Macau, and they ranked high on the list.
Soon, the taxis arrived at the Grand Lisboa Hotel. As Zhou Chao got out, he observed the bustling crowd and couldn’t help but marvel at the prosperity of Macau’s gambling industry. People here could lose their entire fortune overnight, but they could also turn their luck around just as swiftly.
After entering the hotel, they reserved six rooms to rest for a bit before their evening plans. Once everyone had their rooms set up, they went to their respective spaces to rest.
In the evening, after dinner, they headed straight for the casino. Each of them exchanged for a million dollars in chips. Zhou Chao also handed Lin Wu a million dollars in chips to play. Afterward, they dispersed to their respective games. They had agreed not to exchange more than ten million dollars each – if they lost that much, they were done playing for the night.
Zhou Chao aimlessly wandered around, as for him, it didn’t matter what game he played. He spotted a few celebrities playing at some of the tables, people he had only seen on TV before. Most of them seemed to be tourists, trying out the experience. Of course, photos weren’t allowed in the casino – after all, no celebrity wanted to trend the next day for being caught in a compromising situation.
As Zhou Chao observed a middle-aged croupier dealing cards at a random table, it reminded him of the spam messages he used to receive – “Glamorous croupiers dealing cards online”. It turned out that the ones dealing the cards were indeed middle-aged, although the servers were quite attractive, dressed in revealing low-cut skirts.
After a brief overview, Zhou Chao observed that the casino offered a variety of games: dice, roulette, Texas Hold’em, blackjack, and more. There were even some slot machines.
Zhou Chao randomly selected a dice table and took a seat. For someone endowed with the skills of a gambling god, it didn’t matter what game he played.
Holding ten 100,000-dollar chips, Zhou Chao watched the croupier shaking the dice. To him, it was as clear as day – he could predict the outcome.
The casino had numerous dice games, including big-small, point values, total dice, triple, and more. Among them, triple had the highest multiplier, reaching up to 150 times.
As the croupier placed down the dice cup, the total was 236, making 11 points in total. Zhou Chao didn’t bet on a triple, considering it was his first round. He bet big instead, doubling his bet on a hit. After around 20 rounds with some wins and losses, Zhou Chao’s stack of chips had grown to over 2 million. Betting 100,000 each round, he didn’t directly predict the dice results; he was here to enjoy the experience.
With over twenty 100,000-dollar chips in hand, Zhou Chao stood up. He sensed that if he continued, he might be tempted to place a massive bet, so he left the table, preparing to try something else.
After wandering around, he spotted an empty seat at a blackjack table. Without hesitation, he took a seat. Looking around, he realized that the table was populated by quite a few well-known businesspeople. As the dealer brought out a new deck of cards, Zhou Chao memorized the order at a glance.
After playing around ten hands, Zhou Chao felt the gazes of the others at the table change a bit. After all, he had turned his initial 2 million into over 10 million. Nearby tourists were even gazing with starry eyes. Zhou Chao decided to gather his chips and handed them to a chip runner standing behind him.
In the following sessions, Zhou Chao tried his luck at the Russian roulette, Texas Hold’em, baccarat, and various other games. The chip runners following him now had stacks of 100,000-dollar chips.
Zhou Chao also noticed Qin Fen and the others at gambling tables, but he didn’t join them. After all, everyone had their own way of playing, and the stakes weren’t an issue as long as they didn’t go overboard.
Turning around, Zhou Chao asked the chip runner trailing him, “Do they have Caribbean stud? Take me there.” The chip runner led Zhou Chao to the Caribbean stud table.
Following the chip runner, Zhou Chao arrived at a private room where a group of people were playing Caribbean stud. Taking a quick glance, he found an empty seat and sat down.
There were now five people at the table, including three middle-aged men and an alluring young woman. Judging by the chips in front of each player, surprisingly, it was the young woman who had won the most.
A few exchanged glances, but no words were spoken. The dealer gave them a nod and informed Zhou Chao that the minimum bet was 100,000. The dealer then began to allow each player to check their cards. After everyone had examined their cards, the dealer distributed one card to each player.
Zhou Chao didn’t even need to look at his card to know it was a red heart eight. He was also fairly certain of the others’ cards. The best hand on the table was the diamond A in front of the attractive young woman. The other players had higher cards than his. The dealer then dealt a second card. Zhou Chao glanced at his club 3 and knew the round had concluded. He immediately folded.
In her second card, the alluring young woman drew another Ace, while the remaining players were anticipating a straight. Betting more, they awaited their fate. As the dealer unveiled the third card, the three middle-aged men folded their hands. Once again, the young woman’s third card turned out to be an Ace. It became evident that a straight was out of reach for anyone at the table.
The second round continued the trend of the first, with the attractive young woman dominating once more. After several rounds, Zhou Chao had already lost nearly a million, just by placing initial bets..