Hidden within Sato's shirt cuff, close to the muscle of his wrist, was a semi-circular iron box. Inside the box was a mechanism with a spring, containing three playing cards, cleverly concealed by the cuff. It was completely undetectable.
Zhou Xuan immediately understood why Sato was playing all-in. But at this juncture, he considered whether to expose Sato's scheme beforehand so that Sato couldn't cheat. Couldn't cheat?
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Xuan decided against revealing his secret at this time. He would wait and see; perhaps Sato believed he had a trick up his sleeve and was certain of victory, which would put Zhou Xuan in a favorable position to strike later.
After watching Sato cut and examine the cards, Zhou Xuan said calmly, "Mr. Sato, then please shuffle and deal the cards. Since it's just the two of us, it doesn't really matter whether we follow the other rules or not."
Sato shuffled the cards without any tricks. He shuffled them steadily, one shuffle at a time, his technique clearly visible to Zhou Xuan and the others. After shuffling, he placed the cards on the table and asked Zhou Xuan to cut them first.
Zhou Xuan casually cut a few cards; he wasn't sure how many he had, but he knew the numbers on the cards.
Sato picked up the playing cards and began dealing. The first card was face down, but Zhou Xuan knew Sato had a three of clubs. Zhou Xuan had a six of spades. The next cards were face up: Sato had a three of diamonds, and Zhou Xuan had a seven of spades.
Judging from the cards, Zhou Xuan's hand is stronger, so Zhou Xuan will speak.
Zhou Xuan discarded a five-million-dollar chip and said calmly, "Five million."
Sato naturally called the bet, and once he did, the game had to continue.
Then Zhou Xuan used his ice energy to analyze the remaining cards in the deck. The first card was the six of hearts, the second was the two of diamonds, and the third was the four of spades. If the cards were dealt in this order, the six of hearts would belong to Sato, the two of diamonds to Zhou Xuan, and the four of spades would go to Sato. Of the first three cards, only the four of spades was useful to him, as it could be used to make a straight flush.
Without hesitation, Zhou Xuan first transformed and devoured the first six of hearts.
However, no one noticed when Sato dealt the cards. Only Zhou Xuan, with his icy aura, detected that Sato's first card wasn't taken from the top, but from the bottom, though the movement was extremely fast. No one reacted or saw it clearly. The action was very subtle. It looked like a normal card dealing process.
Zhou Xuan had been on guard against him cheating for a long time. He just didn't expect him to use his trick so soon. Without thinking, he quickly transformed and devoured the second two of diamonds. When Sato dealt him another card, he dealt the four of spades that Zhou Xuan wanted.
On the cards, Zhou Xuan's face-up cards are the four and seven of spades. Sato's cards are the three of diamonds and the three of hearts. A pair of threes is higher in value, so Sato gets to speak.
Sato, of course, had no idea what Zhou Xuan had secretly done; he was the one who dealt the cards. Zhou Xuan hadn't even touched a single card. In this round, his chances of winning were 90%, and if he got the cards Sato had set up later, he would have a 100% chance of winning.
"Let's say twenty million then," Sato casually tossed two ten-million-dollar chips. At this point, it's not advisable to bet too much, but it also shouldn't be too big, lest it arouse Zhou Xuan's suspicion and make him worry that he won't call. But if it's too small, Zhou Xuan won't feel bad about folding if his hand is bad. So, a moderate bet is best. Once it's Zhou Xuan's turn to call, he won't be willing to fold, and then we can bet heavily to lure him in. That's the bluffing technique.
The next card was a spade, and the second was a five of spades. Sato was taken aback after playing it. Although it had only been a short time since the shuffling, his memory was exceptional; the hand shouldn't be like this. Zhou Xuan's face-up cards were five, six, and seven of spades, and his face-down card was four of spades, missing only a three or eight of spades. Either one would make a straight flush, guaranteeing a win against Sato. The only question was the number of cards. Would Sato clear his hand? If so, he would have to subtly hint at the secret behind Sato's hand! (To be continued. For more chapters, please visit [website name] and support the author. Support original reading!)
Volume One: The Lotus Seeds Begin to Bloom; Volume Two: Emerging from the Cocoon; Chapter 313: Betrayal
Four cards have been dealt: one face-down and three face-up. Sato's face-up hand consists of a pair of threes and the Ace of Spades, while Zhou Xuan's face-up hand is the 5, 6, and 7 of Spades—a straight flush, clearly stronger than Sato's. www.keN
Sato's hidden card is also a three, making it three of a kind, which is still considered a hand. Although Zhou Xuan appears to have a straight flush, it's extremely difficult to actually get one. The most likely outcome is that he'll get a suited card, which is much more probable, but that would require two spades. The hidden card is unknown, and there's one last card to play.
Zhou Xuan naturally knew that his hidden card was the four of spades. After checking the cards to be dealt, Zhou Xuan spoke first. The first card was his. The first card below was the nine of spades, the second was the three of spades, and the bottom card was the ace of hearts.
Sato dealt the first card quickly, using the bottom card. Apart from Zhou Xuan, no one else seemed to know this. That was Zhou Xuan's guess, but it's unknown whether Hank knew.
Whether Hank knew or not, he didn't say anything. Even if he did know, he probably wouldn't want to say it. In the current situation, Hank definitely regarded Zhou Xuan and Zhuang Zhixian as his opponents.
Zhou Xuan calmly converted and devoured the nine of spades. When the last card was dealt, he would get the three of spades. With the cards in his hand, he would have a straight flush of three, four, five, six and seven of spades. Judging from Sato's current hand, even if he got the highest card, it would only be four threes, and he was bound to lose.
After completing the preparations, Zhou Xuan deliberately hesitated for a moment before pushing out a bet of 20 million, saying, "Let's play a little game, just 20 million."
Sato, relying on his memory, knew that the first card dealt was the nine of spades. This meant that Zhou Xuan's hand would be the three, five, six, seven, and nine of spades, not a straight flush, but just a flush. Sato himself already had three of a kind and an Ace. He had already prepared for this, and when dealing Zhou Xuan's cards, he would use the same quick method to deal the cards at the bottom, which would be the Ace of hearts. Combined with the Ace of spades from before, his hand would become a full house with three of a kind and a pair of Aces. This was no small hand!
Sato chuckled and counted out fifty million in chips, then pushed them out and said, "Mr. Zhou, I'll bet on yours, another thirty million!"
Zhou Xuan shrugged and asked Sato to deal the cards. The last card could not be turned over; it was also dealt face down.
Sato took the first card from above and dealt it to Zhou Xuan. It was the three of spades. Sato guessed that the card was the nine of spades. This was a story-based guess. If Zhou Xuan had no cards at all, how could he have the confidence to bet big? In Texas Hold'em, no matter how big you bet, as long as the opponent calls, the cards will eventually be revealed. Bluffing is only used in the early stages and has no effect on the final stage.
Zhou Xuan's icy aura had already been probing, confirming that the card he was given was indeed the three of spades, and Sato had indeed quickly played the bottom card, the ace of hearts. This guy was indeed a master cheater; if Zhou Xuan hadn't been watching with his icy aura, he really wouldn't have noticed it with the naked eye!
Zhou Xuan didn't reach for the bottom card to look at it, but Zhuang Zhixian next to him was extremely anxious, staring at Zhou Xuan, not understanding why Zhou Xuan wouldn't look at the bottom card.
Sato took a look at the hole cards: three of a kind plus a pair of Aces, a Fulhouse. He then looked at the three face-up cards in front of Zhou Xuan: a five, six, and seven of spades. But the two face-down cards were a four of spades and a nine of spades, which were flushes. They could beat three of a kind and a pair, but they couldn't compare to his own Fulhouse. He no longer needed to use the card-switching device hidden in his sleeve.
Zhou Xuan smiled, not even looking at his cards, and said, "Mr. Sato raised the bet by 30 million, so I'll raise it by 30 million as well. I wonder if Mr. Sato has any other ideas?"
After looking at his hole cards, Sato glanced at the table. He and Zhou Xuan had both placed bets of 70 million, which wasn't a small amount. He chuckled, pushed all the chips in front of him out, and said with a smile, "Gambling once is gambling, gambling for a day is gambling. Since we're gambling anyway, let's settle the score with this one round. I'm going all in!"
To be honest, Zhou Xuan didn't want to settle the score with him in one round. If he had to say, he would definitely win this round, but if he gambled this round, Sato and Hank would lose all their chips, and the game would be over. Fu Ying and Wei Haihong's whereabouts were still unknown. What should he do then?
But if he doesn't follow, it means he's forfeiting and losing 70 million. Would he agree to Zhuang Zhixian's bet? He hasn't even seen the cards yet. If Zhuang Zhixian comes over and flips the cards and finds it's a straight flush, and he doesn't even call, wouldn't Zhuang Zhixian be so angry that he'd immediately call and kill Fu Ying?
If I kill Zhuang Zhixian and Ma Shu, how can I be sure I can find Fu Ying and Brother Hong within a few tens of minutes?
Zhou Xuan glanced at Sato, then at the anxious Zhuang Zhixian, and sighed. He had no way out, so he immediately said, "I have no choice but to go along with it!"
As for Zhou Xuan, he still has more than 350 million chips left. He now has a total of 700 million chips. Hank lost all his chips to him, including Sato, who also lost more than 10 million to him. Even if he loses this round, he will not lose a single penny of his capital. However, Zhuang Zhixian is definitely not willing to accept this.
Sato was naturally excited to see that Zhou Xuan had gone all in without even looking at his hole cards. He turned over his own hole cards, which were three of a kind and a pair of Aces. He said, "Mine is Fulhouse with three of a kind and a pair of Aces. What are Mr. Zhou's hole cards?"
Zhou Xuan said calmly, "I don't know. I'll have to trouble Mr. Sato to reveal this trump card for me. I dare not look!"
Zhuang Zhixian was so angry that he wanted to curse. He didn't even look at his cards before pushing out more than 300 million chips. Did he think they were just paper?
Sato chuckled. He hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to be such an unlucky person. He had overestimated him at first, thinking he was mysterious. This time, Zhou Xuan hadn't even touched his cards, and he didn't even know the two hidden cards. But he had never seen anyone gamble hundreds of millions of dollars with him without even looking at the hidden cards!
Sato smiled and said, "Alright, I'll do it for Mr. Zhou!" He then reached out and slowly peeled off the sheets one by one. To avoid being accused of tampering with the sheets, he deliberately slowed down his movements so that everyone could see clearly.
Turning over the first card, it was the first face-down card dealt, and sure enough, it was a four of spades. When Zhuang Zhixian saw this card, he clenched his fists and became even more nervous, not daring to blink.
The last card must be either the three of spades or the eight of spades to win against Sato; otherwise, any other card will result in a loss!
Sato gently lifted the last card and turned it over, drawing everyone's attention to it.
What's flipped over is a three of spades!
Sato's hand trembled, and he stared wide-eyed. There was no mistake!