Chapter 45: Gambling
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Chao maintained his calm demeanor. To him, winning was a simple affair. Even if he consistently played the low end of the spectrum each round, it would still take a considerable amount of time to go through the games. His primary objective was to bide his time for a promising hand. Although he hadn’t secured any earnings in the preceding rounds, he had gained a better insight into the playing strategies of the other participants.
A middle-aged man beside Zhou Chao looked at him and said, “Young man, playing Stud Poker requires boldness, a bigger risk. You need to go for a good hand. If you always fold after the second card, how will you win?”
Zhou Chao smiled at him but didn’t reply. He simply placed a 100,000 chip on the table.
The dealer opened a new deck, and after the cards were checked, dealt them out. After the dealer gave each person a bottom card, Zhou Chao knew his opportunity had come. He knew his bottom card was an Ace, while the others had a King, Queen, Jack, and Ten respectively.
Zhou Chao felt like laughing. It was essentially a cooler-hand showdown. As the dealer dealt the second card, it was the same as the bottom card but with a different suit. Now Zhou Chao had the highest single Ace on the table. He threw down 100,000 chips. “One has to take risks sometimes. At least I have the highest hand now.”
His next player, the man who had spoken to him earlier, said, “That’s the spirit. That’s what makes it interesting. I’ll match your 100,000.” The other three also matched without hesitation.
Seeing everyone matching the bet, the dealer dealt the third card. It was still an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten. The jovial atmosphere that had been present a moment ago turned tense. Zhou Chao knew he couldn’t show weakness now. He raised the bet by 10 million. His three following players matched immediately, and even the last young woman hesitated for a moment before also matching the bet.
In the fourth round of dealing, a strange scene unfolded on the table. All five hands were three of a kind. Zhou Chao called over a casino staff member beside the dealer and soon someone with a computer came in. Zhou Chao directly transferred 100 million yuan. The casino then brought him 100 million in chips.
“50 million.” Zhou Chao pushed all his remaining chips onto the table. Silence descended over the room. Everyone picked up their cards and examined them.
Zhou Chao’s neighbor thought for a moment, then took out a checkbook and wrote a 100 million yuan check, handing it to a nearby staff member for verification. It was quickly confirmed as valid, and he matched the bet with 50 million yuan.
The two other middle-aged men seemed to be influenced by the tense atmosphere and pulled out their own checkbooks, writing checks. “I’ll match.” The last young woman stared intently at Zhou Chao as if trying to see through him. After a moment’s contemplation, she folded her cards directly.
The dealer dealt the final card, and all four players received a 3. Zhou Chao decisively pushed all his chips to the center of the table, exclaiming “All-in!” Everyone had reached this point and didn’t hesitate – they all went all-in.
“Please reveal your cards,” the dealer said to them.
“I have four Jacks, my apologies,” the last man chuckled.
Before he could finish, the person in front of him showed his cards. “I have four Queens.” Laughter in the room abruptly turned silent. As he looked at the two players who hadn’t revealed their cards, a nervous expression appeared on his face.
The man to Zhou Chao’s left looked at him and said, “1 don’t believe you have four Aces.” He then revealed his bottom card, a King. The last young woman widened her eyes as she looked at the bottom card in Zhou Chao’s hand. She was also relieved she hadn’t matched in the last round; otherwise, she would have suffered a crushing loss.
Zhou Chao calmly revealed his Ace as he said, “1 apologize, 1 have four Aces. My apologies.” As they saw Zhou Chao’s revealed cards, everyone slumped into their chairs.
The attractive young woman looked at Zhou Chao’s handsome face and said, “Hey handsome, you’re really lucky. Would you be interested in having a cup of tea with me later?”
Zhou Chao’s expression remained neutral as he replied, “Thank you, but I don’t enjoy having tea at night.” He then instructed the staff to exchange all the chips for cash and checks. Soon, the money was transferred to his account. He handed a 100,000 chip to the assistant who had been following him.
Seeing that the game couldn’t continue, Zhou Chao left the room. Although his face appeared calm, he was secretly quite pleased. After all, this was the first time he had won so much money.
Just as he stepped out of the room, he received a notification from the casino indicating a transfer of over 400 million yuan. Excluding his initial investment, Zhou Chao had won over 300 million yuan this time. His bank balance had reached an impressive 1.1 billion yuan.
Zhou Chao roamed the casino for a while before spotting Qin Fen and his group. They were sitting in front of a slot machine, chatting absentmindedly. However, their expressions weren’t looking too good.
Walking over, Zhou Chao asked, “Did you all lose everything?”
Qin Fen turned to see Zhou Chao and replied, “We lost a while ago. Not only did we lose, but we lost big.”
Zhou Chao looked puzzled and asked how it happened.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Fen explained that it was a similar situation to Zhou Chao’s experience – they had encountered a cooler-hand showdown. However, Qin Fen was on the losing end and had lost nearly 60 million yuan.
Zhou Chao then turned to Lin Wu, who was standing nearby, and asked, “Did you lose everything too?”
Lin Wu replied, “No, I won a few hundred thousand, so 1 stopped playing.” Zhou Chao glanced at him and then spoke to the group, “Cheer up, everyone. How about I treat you to a late-night snack?”
Qin Fen and the others suddenly felt the rumble of their empty stomachs. They returned to the Lisboa Hotel and ordered a variety of delicious dishes. As they ate, they discussed their losses. Zhou Chao sat quietly, listening.
“Zhou Chao, how did you fare? You didn’t lose as well, did you?” Qin Fen looked at Zhou Chao, who was eating in silence.
After finishing a mouthful of fish, Zhou Chao took a sip of water, shook his head, and said, “No, 1 played a bit of everything and won a little in each game. 1 ended up playing some Stud Poker in a private room and won 300 million.”
Qin Lang and Yang Shuo, who were still eating, froze. Yin Keting patted his chest continuously, and Qin Lang quickly patted his back to help him recover. “You call winning 300 million a small win?” Yin Keting exclaimed once he caught his breath.
“Alright, alright, let’s eat. I’ll cover the expenses for tonight,” Zhou Chao offered.
Qin Fen edged closer to Zhou Chao and whispered, “Hey, Zhou Chao, could you teach me sometime? I’m not expecting a surefire win, just aiming not to end up losing.”
“Qin Fen, if there’s a chance, I’ll teach you a bit. But I can’t promise you’ll be able to master it.”
“No problem, as long as you’re willing to teach me, I’m pretty confident 1 can catch on,” Qin Fen responded with confidence.
After the meal, Qin Lang mentioned wanting to try horseback riding. Zhou Chao politely declined, and Qin Fen also turned down the offer. Eventually, Zhou Chao and Lin Wu returned to their room to rest..