I glanced at the several decks of professional Butterfly playing cards in my hand... These playing cards are professionally manufactured, casino-grade, high-end stuff, a deck can cost several hundred yuan...
"All in! All in! Today I'm going to dominate everyone!" Minister Jin said, glancing at me.
Somewhat awkwardly: Well, let's see you dominate the battlefield.
I sighed.
I'm actually quite helpless...
Don't I want to gamble bigger? Like the God of Gamblers in the movies, pushing out millions of chips, how glamorous and arrogant!
But... I dare not!
If I lose, it's Fang Nan's money that I'm losing... I'm already in a difficult situation. If I lose another few million, wouldn't I owe this woman even more?
If I win... that's even worse! Today isn't my lucky day! I forced myself to use the ring and won... now I'm in for a lot of bad luck! The more I win, the worse the side effects!
That's why I tried to keep the stakes small... that way, if the side effects backfire, the consequences won't be too terrible!
The dealer had already shuffled and dealt the cards, and each of the four men was presented with a stack of chips. Ironically, in this upscale VIP room, we were presented with only small chips, each worth at least 100 yuan… 10 chips each, totaling 1000 yuan per person.
We're playing Texas Hold'em, the same game played in Hong Kong movies like God of Gamblers, God of Gamblers II, and God of Gamblers III. There's a game called "Five Cards" on QQ that's basically a modified version of Texas Hold'em. The rules are similar.
In the first round, everyone threw out 100 dollars. I didn't even look at my hole cards, except for one face-up card, which was a King of Hearts, which was quite high. However, Li Wenjing had a higher card in this round, an Ace of Spades.
Li Wenjing remained calm. His eyes showed no emotion whatsoever, and his expression remained completely unchanged. He casually tossed out a hundred coins, and everyone else followed suit.
There's not much to say about the middle part; everyone just played casually until the fifth card, when the situation became a bit complicated.
Li Wenjing's hand consists of a pair of Aces, two single cards, and the hole cards. His highest possible hand is three Aces, or a pair of Aces plus a pair.
Minister Kim had bad luck this round. He had a terrible hand, from 8 to K, and couldn't form a straight. He didn't even have a pair. Even if he had a K in his hole cards, it wouldn't beat Lee Moon-kyung, so he simply folded.
Park Yong-dae's eyes gleamed; his hand consisted of a pair of eights and a pair of nines. This hand was interesting because if his hole cards were also eights or nines, he could easily beat Lee Moon-kyung. Even with only two pairs, he might still have a chance against Lee Moon-kyung.
My hand, on the other hand, looked pretty good. My four cards were 10, J, Q, and K, and it was a flush of hearts!
Li Wenjing glanced at my cards and smiled, "Not bad, a straight flush? But the nine of hearts is in Park Ryong's hand, so unless your hole card is the ace of hearts, you can't beat him. Otherwise... even if you have a straight, if it's not a straight flush, Park Ryong's hand is very likely a three-of-a-kind with two extra cards, which can still beat you."
He narrowed his eyes: "I remember you haven't looked at your hole cards from the beginning until now! Do you have a card-counting technique?"
I chuckled and said, "You have a pair of Aces on your board. You're so confident. Do you have the Ace of Hearts in your hole cards? Is that why you're so sure I don't have a straight flush?"
I smiled calmly.
I didn't look at the hole cards for two reasons.
Firstly, I've heard that expert gamblers are usually also experts in psychology. They can tell whether you're nervous or excited from your facial expressions, your movements, and every other detail... and then deduce what your opponent's hand is.
As for me, I don't consider myself a gambling expert, and I can't guarantee that I can fake my expression well, so I simply don't look at my cards!
I don't even know what my own hand is, so no one can expect to see any flaws in my facial expressions!
As for the second reason...
hey-hey!
I sighed, took my wallet out of my pocket, then took out the ring, carefully put it on my finger, and gently turned it.
"Flush is the best, flush speaks loudest." The dealer glanced at me.
I nodded, and without thinking, pushed all the chips in front of me out: SHOU HAND.
Sigh, it's rare to have a gamble like this, a chance to show off like the God of Gamblers... but the stakes are too low, it doesn't feel like much...
Li Wenjing glanced at me. He narrowed his eyes, smiled, and then without hesitation, slammed his cards down: "I don't like taking risks, I'm not playing this round."
Pu Dalong sat directly across from me, quietly observed me for a moment, then shook his head, uttered a single sentence, and pushed out all the chips in front of him, slowly revealing his hole cards.
Three nines, one pair of eights!
I remained expressionless: What did he say? I glanced at Li Wenjing.
Li Wenjing smiled and said, "Unless your hole card is the Ace of Hearts, but I think the chances are very small."
I nodded. I said calmly, "The chances are small, but it's not impossible."
Turn over the cards, and there's an Ace of Hearts!
Park Yong-dae remained expressionless, merely glancing at me calmly before suddenly smiling: "%%$%%&"
"He said you're really lucky." Li Wenjing smiled.
I admit it. I nodded.
The dealer announced my win and pushed the chips towards me. I thought for a moment, then took out two and tossed them to Park Yong-dae: "Consider it a loan. Let's continue."
Park Yong-dae's expression suddenly turned very strange...
Minister Kim couldn't help but laugh, "How interesting! I never imagined that Park Yong-dae would need to borrow money to continue betting on such a small game!!! Hahahaha... I'm dying of laughter!!"
The next two games.
Wearing the ring, I effortlessly drew four aces, all on the table! This was practically the best hand in the game besides a straight flush! As for what my hole cards were, it didn't matter at all.
The other three immediately threw down their cards and gave up.
The game restarted, and I once again had a pair of Aces and a pair of Kings, while the other three players all had lower hands. I won again.
The third round was even more outrageous. I had four Kings, while the other three players each received a bad hand of 9, 10, J, and A of different suits.
I had a pile of chips in front of me, while Park Yong-dae's table was empty (I had already lent it to him twice), and Minister Kim and Lee Moon-kyung's tables only had one last chip worth 100 won left.
"This is unbelievable!" Minister Jin rubbed his chin vigorously. "You're like a gambling god possessed! Playing cards with you, you obviously have no skill, but your luck is just too good! You get big hands every single time! Are you cheating?"
I gave a wry smile: "I've been sitting here the whole time. The cards belong to the casino. The dealer is also from the casino. How could I cheat?"
Li Wenjing suddenly smiled and said, "Alright, I admit defeat."
He turned his cards over: "There's no point in continuing... Chen Yang's luck is too good. I've never seen such good luck..." He paused, his gaze turning serious as he looked at me: "I've been observing you the whole time... You definitely didn't cheat... But that's what surprises me, how did you do it?"
I shook my head: "I don't know either. It's probably just luck."
Lee Moon-kyung glanced at Minister Kim: "Alright, Mr. Kim, you win, I concede... I think Park Yong-dae probably feels the same way I do."
He glanced at the Koreans. Park Yong-dae suddenly said, "Outside the perimeter."
The fact that he uttered those two awkward Chinese characters caught me off guard for a moment.
The dealer next to him immediately understood: "Are you gentlemen looking to bet on the sidelines? Our casino offers that service. We can directly place bets on major European and Asian leagues and cup competitions, as well as racecourses in Hong Kong and Macau, all remotely controlled." He pointed to a huge television screen on the wall: "The closed-circuit television here uses satellite signals, and we can directly transmit race data from Macau and Hong Kong."
Then he added with a smile, "We also have odds from major bookmakers and betting companies around the world for your reference and selection... We will do our best to meet all your requirements!"
"Want to play?" Minister Jin thought for a moment, then looked at the last hundred yuan: "I only have a hundred left. Li Wenjing is the same as me, and that kid Chen Yang has several thousand! Even if we gamble on the sidelines, unless it's a very high odds betting line, we probably won't win much with a hundred yuan."
Li Wenjing suddenly interjected, "No need for such a complicated process. We're not comparing the amount of money involved, we're comparing the odds!"
Part One: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter Ninety-Four: Gambling on the Outside
"How can we compare them?" Minister Kim was stunned.
“It’s very simple,” Li Wenjing said leisurely. “For example, I bet on a 1 to 10 odds ratio and I won, while Chen Yang bet on a 1 to 3 odds ratio and he also won. Although he had more capital than me, my 1 to 10 odds ratio means I took a greater risk and had better foresight, so I win! How about that?”
Minister Kim laughed loudly: "You mean, regardless of the amount of capital, we should only use the odds to determine whether we win or lose? Then I might as well just pick the one with the biggest odds and bet on it, and I'll win!"
"That only works if you bet on something that will win!" Li Wenjing smiled faintly. "What's the point if you lose?"
Minister Kim's eyes lit up immediately: "I understand, you want to compare everyone's 'testing skills'!"
Li Wenjing nodded and turned to me: "So? Interested?"
I frowned: "Kaozhuang? What does Kaozhuang mean? I don't understand."
Li Wenjing narrowed his eyes and smiled mysteriously: "You really don't understand? Chen Yang? Haven't you ever gambled before?"
At this moment, a casino employee brought in an ultra-thin laptop, placed it in front of Minister Kim, and displayed some strange images on it.
"These are all the betting options available today, from football matches to horse racing, as well as various betting methods from major European bookmakers. We offer instant betting on everything," the dealer explained. "Please feel free to choose."
Minister Kim was already engrossed in making his selections when, at that moment, staff brought up three more laptops and placed them in front of me, Lee Moon-kyung, and Park Yong-dae.
Li Zhangjing wasn't looking at the computer... he was looking at me.
"Actually, 'testing the dealer' is also called 'calculating the dealer.' Chen Yang... you really haven't been involved in the gambling industry before, have you?" He looked at me and nodded, then smiled wryly, "That's really strange... your card skills are simply divine..."
"That's not card skill. It's just luck."
“Alright, let’s not talk about this.” Li Wenjing said slowly, “Actually, the so-called betting on the outside… is just a kind of mathematical calculation. Of course, most gamblers don’t understand these things. For example, in a football match, ordinary bettors will only analyze the team’s strength, the players’ condition, etc… In fact, too much analysis is not very useful… The real betting game is controlled by the bookmaker!”
"I understand." I nodded. It's similar to the racing games Xiao Si played...
"Bookmakers need to ensure their own profit, so while the odds they offer are based on strict calculations, they also need to take into account the amount of money bet. To give a simple example, in a football match, after the bookmaker sets the odds, most people bet on team A to win, while very few people bet on team B to win. So if team A actually wins, the bookmaker will lose money! Therefore, the bookmaker will control the outcome of the match to ensure that team B wins!"
Of course, actual gambling is not that simple. If it were that easy for people to see through, there would be no point in playing. That's why the odds play a decisive role.
For example, the odds to bet on team A are 100 to 1, while the odds to bet on team B are 3 to 1. Most gamblers would consider team B the favorite and bet on them. Even if fewer people bet on team A, because the odds are so high, if team B wins, the bookmaker will have to pay out a lot of money, while if team A wins, the bookmaker can actually make a small profit…
Of course, I'm not saying all football matches are fixed, but there are several incredibly powerful gambling syndicates around the world, with influence far beyond your imagination! To make a profit, they manipulate a small portion of the matches. Most of the matches you see are real, but a small portion are indeed rigged.
A typical betting syndicate usually runs betting on many matches simultaneously. Most of these are legitimate matches where the bookmaker doesn't manipulate the odds, but they control them through precise calculations, taking into account both the odds and the amount bet, to create a balanced system that ensures the bookmaker breaks even regardless of which team wins. The remaining match they manipulate is used to swindle money from the bettors.
The problem is that outsiders don't know which of those betting games is controlled by the bookmaker. For most people, if you bet on games that aren't manipulated, then your luck depends entirely on your chances. If you happen to bet on a game controlled by the bookmaker to make a quick buck... then you'd better bet you're not on the opposite side of the bookmaker, or you're doomed.
A manipulated match is like a balance scale, with a large number of gamblers throwing money at each side.
However, the bookmakers see this very clearly. Through calculations, they will take the money from the side with the larger sums, causing most people to lose and a small number to win. In this way, they make a lot of money.
For professional gamblers, the method of gambling is to figure out how to win!
First, in a lot of matches offered by a bookmaker, you need to be able to figure out which ones are not manipulated and which ones are manipulated!
This is calculated and determined based on the odds and the popularity of betting; there's a lot to it!
Professional gamblers specifically choose to bet on matches that are manipulated by the bookmaker! Because by calculating the bookmaker's odds, they can determine which side the bookmaker will ultimately favor, essentially knowing the outcome beforehand! Naturally, they have a guaranteed win! Of course, calculating odds is a very complex skill; figuring out exactly who the bookmaker is controlling the match to win is not easy and requires considerable skill from the gambler!
I was listening intently and couldn't help but ask, "Then, if you calculate it and predict the outcome of the match controlled by the bookmaker, wouldn't you be able to win a lot of money? Wouldn't the bookmaker have to lose money?"
"That's impossible!" Li Wenjing shook his head: "Even if you calculate and predict the outcome of the match, you still need to calculate how much to bet to avoid affecting the overall situation! If you bet too much at once, causing the bookmakers to lose money, they will immediately change the outcome of the match! Making the team you bet on lose!"
In short, it's similar to playing the stock market. We're riding the wave of the big players, but if you bet too much and crush them, how can you compete?
After saying this, Li Wenjing looked at me helplessly: "You really don't understand these things? I thought you were a hidden master."
I smiled and said, "At least I'm grateful that you told me this."