Although dealers like them don't take a cut, they do receive tips, which can add up to a considerable amount of money each day. However, if the table they manage loses too much money, they might be reduced in their chances of playing, and then they won't get any tips. So, whether the table makes money or not is closely related to these dealers.
"Open the cards."
Old Xie, standing next to Zhuang Rui, was getting impatient as the dealer hesitated to open the cards. He only ever gambled a maximum of ten thousand yuan at a time on the gambling ship. If he lost all five thousand yuan, he'd have nothing to do for the rest of the day. Once he'd eaten and drunk his fill, he could head home.
The situation is now completely reversed. Everyone is urging the dealer to reveal the cards. The middle-aged dealer didn't even look at the third card. It wouldn't matter if he did now. If it's a tie, unless he cheats, there's no way to change the outcome.
Although he was a little nervous, the dealer remained calm on the surface. He had worked in various casinos and this was not the first time he had encountered a high roller. With the urging of the crowd, the dealer revealed the cards in his hand.
"Seven of Diamonds?"
"Old Li, you've really put me in a difficult position. I said I wanted to go with you, but you insisted on pulling me back. Look at you, look at you."
"Two consecutive draws are really strange."
"What's so strange about that? I've seen seven consecutive draws in Macau. This young man is really lucky though."
"Yeah, if they bet on a draw again next game, I'll bet on it too."
"Hey, hey. Old Wang, where are you going? Didn't you say you'd take that card if it ended in a tie?"
When the dealer dealt the cards, the crowd erupted in cheers, drowning out all the other noise in the thousands of square meters of the gambling hall. Everyone's attention was drawn to the baccarat table, and the final words, "I want to take the card," made everyone burst into laughter.
"The cards belong to the casino; I'll take them if he gives them to me."
The man who had been boasting earlier only dared to speak up after the dealer threw all the useless cards into the discard box, drawing scorn from the crowd. However, this overshadowed the fact that Zhuang Rui had won two consecutive draws.
The only person in the room who couldn't laugh was probably Niu Hong, who was sitting next to Zhuang Rui. Not only did Niu Hong lose his hand, but the 20,000 yuan worth of chips he had bet on Zhuang Rui were also directly handed over to Zhuang Rui by the dealer without him even getting them back.
Since it was a three-way betting, the casino had to pay Zhuang Rui a total of 400,000 in bets. Of this, 40,000 went to Lao Xie, and 160,000 was won by Zhuang Rui. Qin Xuanbing, on the other hand, won the most, taking home a full 200,000.
The dealer, with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, pushed three 100,000 and four 10,000 chips in front of Zhuang Rui. "Still 20,000 short?" he asked. "Didn't you have Young Master Niu's 20,000? After paying another 40,000 to Old Xie, the debt was finally settled."
After Zhuang Rui handed Qin Xuanbing the chips she had won, he took the 100,000-yuan chip and played with it in his hand. This chip was different from the round 10,000-yuan chips; it was rectangular, slightly larger than a car remote control, and was also wrapped in transparent plastic. It had a bit of weight in his hand.
"Young Master Zheng, what does this guy you brought do? His luck is just too good, isn't it?"
In one of the rooms on the gambling ship, there were thirty or forty surveillance cameras, one of which was facing Zhuang Rui, magnifying his ordinary face onto the entire screen.
Zheng Hua hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to be so lucky. He said helplessly, "Judging from his technique, it must be his first time gambling in a casino. Let him play. We can afford to lose this little bit of money."
"Young Master Zheng, this is your friend. Why don't you invite him to a private room?"
The man speaking was Ji Yi, a highly skilled gambler and the technical director of the gambling ship. He usually had nothing to do, but when someone came to cause trouble and cheat, that was when he would step in. However, with his discerning eye, he could tell at a glance that Zhuang Rui was a novice and had nothing to do with cheating.
Seeing that Zheng Hua didn't respond to his words, Ji Yi quickly added, "Young Master Zheng, I'm worried that if his luck continues, everyone else will follow suit, and we'll suffer a huge loss. Should we change the dealer?"
The longer someone spends in a casino, the more they believe in luck. If Zhuang Rui continues to be so lucky and keeps betting on a tie, and someone else follows suit, he might win millions if he wins again. In that case, the casino would indeed suffer a significant loss.
Zheng Hua glanced at Ji Yi with a half-smile and said, "Old Ji, how much money do you win or lose in baccarat? Haven't you encountered someone causing trouble in a long time? Let him play. The gambling ship will pay whatever he loses. We're open for business, so we're not afraid of anyone coming to win money. Don't think about such petty things. Let me tell you, if we upset that guy, even though we're in international waters, we could be surrounded by several warships."
Zheng Hua knew that as the technical director of the entire gambling ship, Ji Yi took a cut from each gambling table. Although the cut was small, the total amount of money circulating was huge. Zheng Hua understood the trickery behind Ji Yi's suggestion to change the dealer. He was afraid that Ji Yi would do something stupid, so he deliberately pointed it out to him.
"Yes, yes, Young Master Zheng is right."
Ji Yi broke out in a cold sweat after Zheng Hua's words, inwardly cursing himself for being out of his mind. How could he dare to have such wicked thoughts about a friend brought by Young Master Zheng? He really didn't know what death meant.
“However, given his wealth, it’s a bit inappropriate for him to be in the casino. I’ll go down and ask him if he’d be willing to go into a private room and gamble with someone.”
Zheng Hua had no idea that Zhuang Rui's current net worth was only a few million, or more accurately, a little over a million.
While Zheng Hua and Ji Yi were chatting, Zhuang Rui had already placed his third bet. This time, he didn't bet on a tie, but instead bet 20,000 yuan on the player winning. Meanwhile, those waiting to place bets all put their money on the table, with one person betting as much as 60,000 yuan, several times more than Zhuang Rui's initial investment.
This time, however, Old Xie didn't follow the lead. Instead, he bet a thousand yuan on the house to win, which earned him ridicule from others.
However, after the cards were dealt, Zhuang Rui really lost to the dealer, which greatly disappointed those who had called. Naturally, Young Master Niu was not willing to let this opportunity pass, and started chattering again in his broken Mandarin.
"Brother Zhuang, this place is too small. How about going up to play?"
Chapter 386 The Bet
"Go upstairs to play? Where to?"
Zhuang Rui ignored the people who had called. Just as he was about to casually place another bet, Zheng Hua walked up to him and said something that made Zhuang Rui pause in surprise.
Zheng Hua looked around and said with a smile, "The games downstairs are too small. If you're not satisfied, Brother Zhuang, let's go to a private room. They have baccarat there, so you can play whatever you want. Or we can find a few people and play Texas Hold'em."
"Brother Zheng, no need. I'm just playing around. I'm mainly here to see what it's like. I'm not really interested in gambling."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. Not to mention that he was short of money right now, even if he had money, he wouldn't want to get too involved in gambling. The idea that small bets can be fun and big bets can make you rich was pure nonsense in Zhuang Rui's mind.
"Alright, then go with Brother Zhuang. If you feel the stakes aren't high enough, come find me again later..."
Zheng Hua didn't force Zhuang Rui. His mission this time was to make sure Zhuang Rui ate and had fun. Zhuang Rui liked to play in the lobby, so he could play there. Some high rollers also liked to gamble in the lobby; it was just a personal hobby.
"It's not that you're not interested, it's just that you can't afford to lose, right?"
A sarcastic voice rang out from the side. It was Niu Hongzheng, who looked at Zhuang Rui with disdain and said, "Playing for ten thousand a game like this, how much money can you lose even if you play until dawn? People from the mainland are so stingy..."
"Niu Hong, say less. Brother Zhuang is a friend I invited here..."
When Zheng Hua saw Niu Hong clashing with Zhuang Rui again, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. This kid was acting arrogantly and wouldn't listen to anyone. He should have invited Zhuang Rui another day when Niu Hong wasn't around.
"Mr. Zhuang was so extravagant when he bid on that necklace, it's rare that he doesn't even dare to gamble a little bigger?"
Niu Hong completely ignored Zheng Hua and continued to look at Zhuang Rui with a provocative expression. He had just figured it out: Zhuang Rui was absolutely clueless about gambling. He won two rounds by sheer luck, but his luck ran out on the third round. A casino novice like him was the easiest to take advantage of.
Niu Hong didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to force Zhuang Rui to agree to gamble in the private room so he could win some money from him. He wanted to vent his anger at being bullied earlier, so he kept verbally provoking Zhuang Rui, not even giving Zheng Hua any face.
"Oh, I don't know Niu Cang... uh, I mean Young Master Niu, how does Young Master Niu intend to gamble?"
Zhuang Rui was also provoked. He didn't want to lower himself to the level of this man, but after being provoked by him time and time again, even a clay figure has some temper. Although Zhuang Rui remained calm on the surface, his anger was burning fiercely inside.
"Zhuang Rui, don't bother with this guy, let's just play our game..."
Qin Xuanbing knew Niu Hong's character; he was skilled in everything from eating and drinking to gambling and whoring. If Zhuang Rui were to gamble against him, he would definitely suffer a loss.
"Brother Zhuang, listen to Miss Qin, don't lower yourself to the level of this scoundrel..."
Zheng Hua tried to drag Niu Hong away, but he was much smaller than Niu Hong, and the guy was standing there, so Zheng Hua couldn't move him at all.
“Brother Zheng, we’ve known each other for over twenty years, you can’t side with outsiders.”
Niu Hong was determined to embarrass Zhuang Rui today, standing there motionless.
"What do you want to bet on?"
Zhuang Rui smiled and asked another question. This Niu Hong was really too arrogant. If Zhuang Rui didn't empty his pockets today, he would feel bad for this scoundrel.
"Whatever you want, as long as the gambling equipment is available on the ship, you can bet on anything. Even if it's not available, just tell me the betting rules, and I'll bet with you!"
Niu Hong was overjoyed when he heard Zhuang Rui agree to gamble with him. He knew everything from mahjong and poker to dice, and dealing with a novice like Zhuang Rui would be a piece of cake.
"Let's go to a private room, it's too crowded here..."
Seeing that there were quite a few people around, Zhuang Rui gently patted Qin Xuanbing's hand to show her not to worry. Then he threw a 5,000 yuan chip into the tip box on the gambling table. He and Qin Xuanbing had won hundreds of thousands of yuan at this table, and if they didn't give some tips, they would be gossiped about.
"Brother Zhuang, this..."
Zheng Hua was a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected that his question would give Niu Hong an opportunity to put Zhuang Rui in a difficult position.
"It's nothing, Brother Zheng, just a little game. Let's go to the private room together, and let me see Young Master Niu's gambling skills."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Zheng Hua with a smile, "Let him choose whatever he wants?" In all his years, Zhuang Rui had never seen anyone so eager to give him money. Although Zhuang Rui was disgusted by gambling from the bottom of his heart, he felt absolutely no guilt about winning money from Niu Hong.
"Oh well……"
Zheng Hua was a little helpless. He glared at the smug Niu Hong. Zheng Hua had already made up his mind that if Zhuang Rui lost too much later, he would give him change when they got off the ship.
"Give me the key to VIP room number one, and also call Director Ji here."
Led by Zheng Hua, the group left the casino and entered the elevator. Upon reaching the second floor, a waiter immediately came to greet them. After giving the waiter some instructions, Zheng Hua took the key from the waiter and led Zhuang Rui and the others to the private room.
Opening the door to VIP room number one, Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded. It was practically a smaller version of a casino, except for the lack of slot machines that offered jackpots. It had everything else you could want in a casino, and while not as extravagant as the smaller rooms below, it was still a couple hundred square meters in size.
"Mr. Zheng, you called me?"
Director Ji arrived quickly; Zheng Hua and his group had just entered the private room when Ji Yi followed right behind.
Following Director Ji in were several casino dealers, and another person was carrying a chip box. According to the casino's rules, all gambling games could only proceed after cash had been exchanged for chips.
"Hmm. Young Master Niu wants to gamble against Brother Zhuang. You're the expert, so I'll trouble you to be the dealer for a bit..."
Zheng Hua called Ji Yi down because he was afraid that Niu Hong might cheat during the betting. With Ji Yi there, the fairness of the betting would be guaranteed. That was all Zheng Hua could do to help Zhuang Rui. He couldn't very well go down on Zhuang Rui's behalf to gamble, could he? If he did, not only would he have to fall out with Niu Hong, but Zhuang Rui probably wouldn't agree to it either.
"Alright, what do you two want to bet on?"
Ji Yi nodded and looked at Zhuang Rui and Niu Hong.
"Let him choose, he can bet on anything!"
Niu Hong waved his hand, looking very arrogant. In his mind, he was sure he would win against Zhuang Rui.
"Let me choose?"
Zhuang Rui smiled and asked Ji Yi, "Can you make your own rules? I'm not very familiar with casino rules."
Ji Yi pondered for a moment and said, "This, I'm afraid, requires Mr. Niu's agreement. If both parties agree, we can proceed with the betting according to the rules you've agreed upon..."
"I already said, you can bet anything you want, I'll play along to the end!"
Niu Hong didn't care at all how Zhuang Rui wanted to gamble; it was nothing more than poker, mahjong, and dice, all of which he was proficient in.
"Alright, let's bet on dice. Director Ji, you'll send two people, one to roll on my behalf and the other to roll on Young Master Niu's behalf. There are three dice in the cup, three to nine is low, and ten to eighteen is high. As for the rules, we'll guess each other's dice, and there's also the odd/even. If both of us guess correctly, we win. If we both guess wrong or both guess correctly, it's a tie. What do you say?"
Zhuang Rui immediately stated the rules of the bet. He had already planned it out back in the elevator. This method was the most convenient and fastest. Zhuang Rui refused to believe that he couldn't beat this arrogant young master Niu.
"Playing dice?"
Upon hearing this, Niu Hong revealed a playful smile. When he was a child, he had heard the story of how the gambling king Ye Han had defeated the dice-listening gang in the Macau casino. He had worked hard to learn the skill of listening to dice for a period of time. Although he dared not say that he could tell the exact number, he could guess correctly six or seven times out of ten when betting on big or small. It was just that odd or even was a bit troublesome. However, his chances were always greater than Zhuang Rui's, who relied entirely on guessing.
Thinking of this, Niu Hong nodded and said casually, "Let's play dice then, but how much per round? I won't play if it's a small bet."
"One million per round, I won't play for less..."
Zhuang Rui said calmly, but it startled everyone around him. Rolling dice is not like gambling or card games, where several rounds can be played in a minute. If it costs one million per round, and you gamble for an hour, the amount of money would be over one hundred million.
Even the dealers looked at Zhuang Rui differently now. This was a real big spender. If they treated him well, a single chip he casually tossed out could be worth 100,000.
"Zhuang Rui, isn't this a bit too much of a gamble?"
Qin Xuanbing tugged at Zhuang Rui's arm and whispered in his ear.
After being teased by Niu Hong for so long, Zhuang Rui finally had a chance to vent his anger. He looked at Niu Hong and asked calmly, "Big? Not really. Young Master Niu is a rich man. I was worried he would think it's too small. Young Master Niu, am I right?"