"I and..."
After considering it for a moment, Jervis put up eight million chips.
When Jervis was counting the cards, he clearly remembered that the third card at the bottom was a three. He could easily get a pair of threes, and with good luck, he might even get a three of a kind. There was no reason for him to be intimidated by Zhuang Rui.
"Deal the cards..."
Zhuang Rui waved to the dealer, feeling a little frustrated, because he knew that even if he got the fifth card, it would all be single cards, while Jervis could get a pair of 3s.
Chapter 914 Attempt to Steal a Chicken Backfires
At the gambling table, there is a behavior called "stealing chickens," which is a homophone for "speculation." It refers to having a small hand but betting a large amount to bluff the opponent, causing them to fold and thus winning the bet.
Zhuang Rui's current behavior is exactly like that. He pushed out eight million chips in the first hand, which was actually meant to make Jervis fold. However, he did not expect that Jervis knew he had at least a pair and would not give up so easily.
"Mr. Jarvis's third card is the Queen, Mr. Zhuang's is the Ten, Mr. Jarvis speaks..."
The betting continues, and the cards are Jervis big.
"10 million..."
Jervis was far more shrewd than Zhuang Rui had imagined. Trying to swindle such a world-class gambling king by "stealing chickens" would be beneath him. Seemingly seeing through Zhuang Rui's true nature, Jervis immediately pushed out a stack of chips.
"and……"
Zhuang Rui forced out a "call" through gritted teeth. This was only the third card. If he folded, he would lose 8.5 million including the ante. Zhuang Rui planned to bluff Jervis again on the fifth card.
After all, Zhuang Rui currently has 200 million more chips than Jarvis. Even if he loses this hand, he will still have a chance later. Moreover, he needs to convince the other party that he likes to "bluff" in order to entice Jarvis to go all in later.
Zhuang Rui guessed correctly. Before this bet, Jervis had inquired about Zhuang Rui's previous bet. He didn't believe Zhuang Rui's claim that he didn't look at his cards. People with good eyesight and gambling skills can roughly see the cards at a small angle the moment they are dealt.
Based on his understanding of Zhuang Rui, Jarvis knew that Zhuang Rui liked to bluff and cheat, and Stevenson had fallen for this trick several times, so Jarvis would not be easily intimidated by Zhuang Rui.
"It's still Mr. Jarvis who speaks..."
After the fourth card was dealt, Jervis had a pair of 3s, while Zhuang Rui had a 10, J, and A, and a small nine as his land card. Regardless of the board and the land card, Zhuang Rui lost to Jervis.
Jarvis tapped the table and said, "Zhuang, you have an Ace, and I have a pair of 3s. But even though the pair of 3s is smaller, it's still bigger than the Ace. How about this, 20 million..."
Jervis was now 60% certain that Zhuang Rui was bluffing, so he pushed out another 20 million chips. If Zhuang Rui ran away, he would win 18.5 million; if Zhuang Rui called, the final hand would decide the outcome.
"I and..."
Zhuang Rui said expressionlessly, pushing out 20 million chips. Now the total bets on the table have reached 38.5 million, and this is only the first round of all-in poker.
On the fifth card, Zhuang Rui received a small seven, while Jervis received a small four. However, Jervis's hand was stronger, which made him hesitate slightly.
His hole card is a 5, which means his current hand is a pair of 3, 4, 5 and Q, while Zhuang Rui's top cards are 7, 10, J and A. As long as the hole cards can be matched into a pair, Jervis will definitely lose. Therefore, Jervis does not dare to use such a small pair to place a heavy bet.
"Give me another 10 million, Mr. Zhuang, we need to see your hand when it's one against three, right?"
Jervis pretended to be nonchalant as he pushed out a ten million chip, though he was actually a little nervous inside.
"Heh, you think you can beat me with a pair of threes? Jervis, I'll beat you no matter what pair I have in my hole cards, right?"
Zhuang Rui sneered, then pushed out a pile of 50 million chips in front of him and shouted, "I'll bet 10 million against you, and then I'll beat you by 40 million!" Zhuang Rui had already seen through Jervis's hole cards. It wasn't three of a kind or two pairs. In other words, his final hand was a pair of threes. In Texas Hold'em, this was only slightly better than a single Ace, which was considered a relatively small hand.
Zhuang Rui just wanted to take a shortcut. If Jervis didn't follow, he would get 48.5 million for nothing. Even if Jervis followed, he could afford to lose. On the contrary, it would make Jervis feel that he was used to "taking shortcuts".
"Wait a minute, this young man looks like he's stealing a chicken..."
"Yes, judging from his eyes, he didn't seem very confident..."
"Perhaps it was to mislead Jarvis, who knows..."
Those in the casino hall might not be able to grasp Zhuang Rui's expression, but those in the private rooms could see close-ups of his facial expressions magnified, and for a moment, everyone started discussing it.
To be honest, Zhuang Rui's acting skills are really not good. His eyes basically revealed his guilty conscience, which even the onlookers could see.
Of course, Zhuang Rui was just playing himself. He wasn't afraid that Jervis would see through his cheating, and he didn't care even if he lost this hand.
Only in that way can the other party lower their guard; otherwise, when you get a strong hand, it won't be easy to go all in with them.
The pressure at the gambling table is now almost entirely on Jarvis. If he doesn't bet, the tens of millions he's already won will be wasted, given away to Zhuang Rui. If he does bet, the chances of losing are still very high. Now is the time to test Jarvis's gambling skills.
Dozens of eyes in the hall were now focused on Jervis, waiting for him to make a decision.
"40 million, Mr. Zhuang, you have quite the nerve, betting such a large sum even with all single cards. I have a pair of 3s, what am I afraid of? I'm calling..."
Jervis suddenly laughed. Those watching from the private room could see the panic in Zhuang Rui's eyes, and with Jervis's sharp eyes, he could see it even more clearly. Zhuang Rui had just been bluffing.
With the opportunity right in front of him, if Jervis couldn't seize it, he wouldn't deserve to be called the King of Gamblers. So he pushed out a pile of stacked chips in front of him.
Tens of millions of chips clattered against each other on the gambling table, making a loud clattering sound. This time, not only the people watching the screen in the private room noticed it, but also the people in the gambling hall noticed that Zhuang Rui's expression seemed a little unpleasant.
"Oh no, why was Xiao Rui so impulsive? He dared to cheat without even having a pair of cards! Oh no, oh no..."
Qin Lao Er, who was watching the game from the private room, lost his composure and muttered to himself, as if he would definitely be better than Zhuang Rui if he were on the field.
"In expert card games, it's best to avoid bluffing. If your hand is weaker than your opponent's, don't try to be a hero. It's like the stock market; you can use the 'empty city strategy' (a tactic that leaves you with nothing), but if you don't execute it well, you'll lose everything..."
Liu Daheng, who was standing nearby, also chimed in, saying that he was in the finance business and could relate this gambling game to the stock market, but he didn't mean to mock Zhuang Rui.
"Damn, you really dared to follow me. I'll bluff you again next round..."
Zhuang Rui's expression was half feigned, but the other half was genuine. This Jervis was a tough nut to crack; he had the audacity to take two mistresses and offer 40 million, far surpassing Stevenson's abilities.
"According to the rules, the opponent has called, Mr. Zhuang, you may now show your cards..."
Before Zhuang Rui could think further, the dealer standing in the middle of the gambling table spoke, and as soon as he said this, everyone in the room looked at Zhuang Rui's hidden card.
This time, Zhuang Rui didn't play the trick of relying on luck without looking at his cards. Playing such a thing once is fine, but playing it too often is useless and will only arouse suspicion. That's why Zhuang Rui just revealed his cards and took a look.
"I lost."
Zhuang Rui acted just as straightforwardly as Jervis had earlier, immediately throwing his cards in the Netherlands' favor and conceding defeat.
However, his folding skills seemed a bit off. The card tumbled in the air and landed face down on the table, clearly revealing it to everyone as a nine of diamonds.
With one side having a pair of 3s and the other having all single cards, Jervis doesn't even need to reveal his cards to secure a win against Zhuang Rui, causing a stir among the crowd.
"The King of Gambling is indeed the King of Gambling, amazing..."
"That's right, they dared to follow a mistress to the very end..."
"I couldn't do that. That young man's hand only needs one pair to beat a pair of threes..."
Everyone could see the changes at the gambling table clearly and understood that Zhuang Rui was cheating and trying to pull off a trick in front of the world's gambling king. Everyone thought that Zhuang Rui was overestimating himself.
Sitting behind Jervis, Liu Minghui and the others were all smiles. This round of all-in betting showed that Zhuang Rui's gambling skills were really not up to par. Brother Hui was confident that he could have beaten that kid.
"Zhuang, it seems like I'm having better luck than you. I was one against three, but you didn't manage to find a pair..."
Jervis didn't miss the chance to retaliate against Zhuang Rui. After the dealer handed him the chips, he followed Zhuang Rui's example and started stacking them up in front of him one by one.
"So what? You just won one game. Let's go all in this round, you dare?"
Zhuang Rui seemed to have been provoked by Jervis. He slammed his hands on the table and stood up, his face full of provocation. Everyone who saw this shook their heads inwardly, thinking that this young man was too reckless.
"I request a 15-minute break..."
Before Jervis could respond, a voice rang out behind Zhuang Rui. It was Qin Haoran who, seeing the situation was turning against him, quickly called for a halt.
The dealer glanced at Qin Haoran and said, "I'm sorry, a break can only be requested by either of the betting parties. Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Jarvis, if there are no objections, the game will continue..."
"Of course, no problem, we can continue..."
Zhuang Rui was in a state of great confusion, and Jervis was itching to kick him while he was down, so naturally he refused to rest.
"Xiao Rui, tell him to rest. I have something to tell you..."
Qin Haoran couldn't just stand by and watch his son-in-law continue to lose. In his opinion, Zhuang Rui was acting rashly.
“Okay, I think I need to take a break. I'll request a 15-minute break…”
When his father-in-law called from behind, Zhuang Rui still had to give him some face, even though it would disrupt his plans.
Chapter 915 All in (Part 1)
"Xiao Rui, don't be impulsive. Winning or losing a hand doesn't matter. Besides, you still have a lot of chips. Don't always think about bluffing. Wait until you get a big hand before betting heavily..."
Although Qin Haoran only had a superficial understanding of gambling, he believed that what he said was correct. However, he did not consider that with Jervis's gambling skills, unless Zhuang Rui had a winning hand, would the other party be likely to follow suit?
Although the card games depicted on TV are very exciting, in reality, it's quite rare to see straight flushes, four of a kind, or Fulhouse hands. Often, a single hand can decide the outcome of the game, just like the dice game we just discussed.
"Dad, I know, I won't act impulsively. From now on, I'll just throw away any small bets. Anyway, a few hundred million in stakes is enough to lose for half a day..."
Zhuang Rui nodded upon hearing this. With his father-in-law calling a halt, he had to change his strategy. Otherwise, if he continued to act impulsively, Jervis might become suspicious.
"Yes, that's how we bet. We'll find a weakness in their game and beat them so badly they can't recover..."
Qin Haoran was greatly pleased to see that Zhuang Rui readily agreed with his suggestions. However, all of what he said was just theoretical. Was it so easy to find the loopholes in the world's gambling king?
Compared to the somber mood on Qin Haoran's side, Jarvis's side was much more relaxed. Liu Minghui eagerly handed him a sports drink, saying, "Mr. Jarvis, it seems that kid's good luck has run out..."
Jervis said proudly, "Of course, next I'll make him give back all the chips he won..."
As a veteran who had been in the gambling world for two or three decades, Jervis could naturally tell whether Zhuang Rui was a gambler. Based on Zhuang Rui's folding style and his naive performance during the bet, he had already concluded that this young man was a novice.
Gambling involves luck, but it also requires skill. From card counting and other gambling techniques to observing the opponent's facial expressions and eyes, and even psychological tactics through language, these are all qualities that a master must possess. In contrast, Zhuang Rui seems to lack all of them.
"Gentlemen, your break time is over. Please return to your seats..."
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly, and the dealer reminded Zhuang Rui and Jervis.
Zhuang Rui's expression had become very calm, as if the impulsive behavior just now was not happening to him. Jervis couldn't help but take a few more glances at Zhuang Rui, clearly a calm opponent was much more difficult to deal with.
However, Jervis was still confident enough to defeat Zhuang Rui. As long as he seized an opportunity, he could force Zhuang Rui to go all in. Such a decisive game was a common occurrence for Jervis.
"I won't go with..."
In the first hand after the restart, Zhuang Rui got a four of hearts, while Jervis got an ace of spades. Zhuang Rui immediately covered his cards.
"Zhuang, this isn't like you at all..."
As the dealer dealt a new hand, Jervis took the opportunity to tease Zhuang Rui, never missing an opportunity to put psychological pressure on him.
"Hehe, my hand isn't as strong as yours, of course I'm not calling. My chips are tens of millions more than yours..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this, but a hint of uncertainty flashed across his face, which Jarvis caught. Jarvis was immediately overjoyed; it seemed the other man had begun to doubt his good luck. ...