Zhuang Rui's heart skipped a beat when Fourth Madam looked at him, and he almost agreed on the spot. However, Zhuang Rui remained resolute and shook his head in the end, setting the tone for the conversation: "Fourth Madam, let's wait until the betting game is over before we talk about it..."
Chapter 1039: A Change of Fortune?
After the afternoon gambling began, the gambling kings became noticeably more cautious. Zhuang Rui even bluffed and won several hands, taking away more than 20 million in chips for free.
In reality, gambling isn't as exciting as people imagine. Most of the time, after the cards are dealt, the ante is quietly eaten up by someone else. Occasionally, someone gets a big hand, but that requires cooperation from others. A king-to-king situation is very rare.
It's hard to feel the passage of time in a casino. Zhuang Rui only felt that after playing a few hands of cards, it was already past 7 p.m., which was the time when the gambling would end.
"Gentlemen, please leave your tables..."
The emcee walked to the center of the gambling hall, with four armed guards standing behind him. He was now to verify the remaining chips of everyone to determine the six people who would participate in the final gambling game tomorrow.
Upon hearing the emcee's words, the gambling kings who stood up showed either joy or dejection. True card masters are people with excellent memories; how could they not calculate their wins and losses?
After the gambling kings returned to their respective company's guest seats, the dealers who had been hosting the game quickly stepped forward to count everyone's chips. The chips scattered on the table were neatly stacked in front of each person's table.
"At table one, Mr. Zhuang's final chip stack totals 684 million, Mr. James has 450 million, Mr. Walter has 482 million, and Mr. Clayderman has 479 million..."
As the emcee announced through the microphone, the winners of Zhuang Rui's gambling table who would advance to the finals were revealed. To the astonishment of the spectators, Zhuang Rui was the only winner in this game; everyone else lost, differing only in the amount of their losses.
Water, who went toe-to-toe with Zhuang Rui in the first game, actually made it to the finals. Perhaps he learned from his mistake, because in the subsequent games, whenever he faced Zhuang Rui, Water basically chose to fold. However, he won a few games against other people and in the end only lost 18 million, which was the least amount lost at Zhuang Rui's gambling table.
"It seems this young man is not just all talk; otherwise, how could he be the only one to win when all five others lost?"
"Yes, this young man is no ordinary person. It seems there will be a fierce battle in tomorrow's gambling king competition..."
"My God, where did you find such a freak? Even several world gambling champions can't beat him?"
The announcement of this result still shocked the guest bosses who already had a good idea of what was going on. They had invited gamblers who were basically among the top three in previous gambling competitions, but they never expected that Zhuang Rui would sweep them out of the game like leaves in the wind.
"Brother Zhuang, you won over 100 million in just over three hours this morning, how come you only won 60 million in six or seven hours this afternoon?"
After handing Zhuang Rui a glass of water, Peng Fei asked, "Sixty million is too little? That's US dollars, which is equivalent to several hundred million RMB."
Zhuang Rui shrugged innocently and said with deep agreement, "They fold as soon as I bet big. They won't even call a bluff. What can I do?"
He was also a little unhappy. There were a total of 3 billion US dollars on the table, and 2.5 billion not counting his own. In the end, he only won 180 million, which was far from Zhuang Rui's expected goal. Originally, Zhuang Rui was thinking of winning more to supplement Lao Si's charity foundation.
"What's the big deal? It's just a bit of luck. Tomorrow you might lose everything, even your banknotes..."
A voice suddenly rang out. Although no name was mentioned, everyone knew that the voice must be referring to Zhuang Rui. Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw Mr. Halbert, the gambling tycoon, looking at Zhuang Rui with a provocative expression.
Because of Jervis, Halbert found a replacement to participate in the card competition, and the replacement actually performed well, grabbing a spot in the final round at table number 2. This allowed Halbert to vent some of his resentment that had been building up for months, and he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark about Zhuang Rui.
"That's right, that's right, hehe, I just got lucky, but... even if I lose, it doesn't seem like I have to take my pants off..."
Before Halbert could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui's voice rang out, his face showing deep agreement. However, upon turning to see Fourth Wife beside him, Zhuang Rui immediately became embarrassed: "Uh... Fourth Wife, that's not what I meant. I meant, the person taking off their clothes definitely isn't yours..."
"Haha, maybe it will be Mr. Herbert too..."
A voice rang out.
"Oh, I'd much rather it was that pretty lady..."
One of them looked at the fourth wife with a strange smile. Although the fourth wife was already over fifty years old, she still looked like she was in her thirties.
"Winning or losing depends on ability, not words. I have high hopes for that young man..."
The person speaking was somewhat sarcastic, clearly not on good terms with Halbert.
After a day of gambling, Zhuang Rui managed to win alone despite facing attacks from several world gambling kings. This can no longer be explained by "luck." Halbert's provocation made everyone feel that he was overestimating himself.
"Alright, let's find out tomorrow..."
Feeling the utter disbelief and disdain of the crowd, Halbert experienced an unprecedented humiliation. He coldly surveyed the room, and before the emcee could finish announcing the final result, he and his chosen gambling expert left the gambling hall. ...
"One million, I'll go with..."
"If you don't call, I'll fold..."
"I'm not calling either, I'm folding..."
In the same gambling hall as yesterday, the final battle to determine who would win the gambling license was taking place. Apart from Zhuang Rui, everyone at the gambling table was a well-known figure in the gambling world. Today's match was also the battle to determine who would become the King of Gambling.
"Three million, Mr. Zhuang, are you going to agree?"
Walter threw out three chips, and the scene at the table became a bit strange. Texas Hold'em allows four raises in total, and this was only the second time, but four players had already folded, leaving Walter alone to bet against Zhuang Rui.
"I won't go with..."
Zhuang Rui uttered two words expressionlessly, but he was extremely annoyed inside. He looked up and gave Walter a cold look.
Perhaps feeling the pressure, these people targeted Zhuang Rui from the very beginning of the day. Whenever Zhuang Rui raised the bet, everyone without a good hand would immediately withdraw, leaving those with strong hands to gamble against Zhuang Rui. As a result, Zhuang Rui's attempts to bluff were thwarted several times, and he wasted over 20 million yuan in chips.
"Damn it, don't let me run into any big names, or I'll beat you all in one go..."
Zhuang Rui secretly vowed to himself, wondering if it was just bad luck. The game had been going on for over two hours, and it was almost lunchtime, but Zhuang Rui hadn't managed to get a single decent hand. This was something that had never happened to Zhuang Rui in his gambling career, leaving him extremely frustrated.
As the next round began, Zhuang Rui raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. When the dealer dealt the cards to him, Zhuang Rui reached up and tugged at his collar, suddenly saying, "I'm not looking at the hole cards. This round is all down to luck..."
"Mr. Zhuang, your luck doesn't seem to be very good today. Be careful not to lose all your chips by not looking at your hole cards? Haha..."
A man sitting opposite Zhuang Rui laughed. His name was Bennett, a newcomer who had made a name for himself in the gambling world in recent years. Reaching the finals today had already established Bennett's status in the gambling world.
Bennett's goal now is to finish in the top three. This will not only bring him immense fame but also a huge fortune. Yesterday, Herbert told Bennett that if he wins this bet, he will receive all the winnings plus a $300 million bonus. Therefore, given this opportunity to strike at his opponent, Bennett is seizing it without hesitation. Gambling isn't just about skill; it's also about psychology. Many people can't withstand the immense psychological pressure and often make blunders, which is why Bennett made that statement earlier.
"Oh? Mr. Bennett, are you willing to follow this to the end?"
Zhuang Rui immediately retorted, causing everyone in the room to shake their heads. This didn't look like a gambling king competition at all; it looked more like a gambler who had lost everything in a small casino.
"Hey, this isn't Texas Hold'em, is it? Who plays without looking at their cards?"
Huangfu Yun, who was watching from the sidelines, muttered in Chinese, "In Texas Hold'em, not looking at your cards is called blind betting, which allows you to double the chips that others throw. But there's no such rule in Texas Hold'em. What is Zhuang Rui trying to achieve?"
Not to mention Huangfu Yun couldn't understand Zhuang Rui's thoughts, even the Fourth Madam was secretly annoyed. Zhuang Rui's performance today really disappointed her. Her idea of giving Zhuang Rui 10% of the shares yesterday had long since vanished.
"Seven of Hearts, a straight flush, Mr. Walter, please speak..."
After the emcee dealt the cards, he was surprised to see the cards on the table. There were so many high-ranking hands that could be formed with such a hand. After a day and a half of gambling, this was the first time he had seen a straight flush on the community cards.
"One million..."
Walter glanced carefully at his hole cards and threw out a chip.
"I and..."
"One million? I'll take it too..."
"Me too..."
Whether it was the flush that triggered everyone's nerves or not, no one folded this time and they all threw in their chips. Zhuang Rui, as he said, didn't even glance at his face-down card from beginning to end.
"I'll bet another five million on a million more..."
When it was Zhuang Rui's turn, he threw five million-dollar chips onto the table.
Chapter 1040 The New Gambling King (Part 1)
Zhuang Rui, looking exasperated, defiantly said to the people around him, "I'm not looking at the ante for this hand. Anyone want to play to the bitter end?"
In fact, Zhuang Rui hadn't lost much money that morning, just over twenty million US dollars. However, today's betting amount was still five hundred million US dollars, not including yesterday's. So, if Zhuang Rui couldn't recover, he might really lose this betting card. The idea of the gambling kings present was to first eliminate Zhuang Rui, this uncertain factor, and then everyone would use their own methods. This strategy was quite successful. However, this hand was a straight flush, and everyone's cards were different. Zhuang Rui was betting blindly, without even looking at his cards, so the gambling kings all had something to do with their cards.
“Mr. Zhuang, you weren’t so lucky yesterday…”
"I'll go for it too, it's just five million, right?"
"I'd like to see, Zhuang, whether your luck is really as good as the legends say..."
With various thoughts in mind, the gambling kings placed their bets one after another. However, Walter, who had gambled with Zhuang Rui yesterday, hesitated. When the dealer urged him, Walter said hesitantly, "Forget it, I'm not betting this time..."
Firstly, Walter only had a King of Spades and a Six of Hearts in his hand, which was too weak to match the community cards, so he lacked confidence. Secondly, he had suffered heavy defeats in several rounds against Zhuang Rui yesterday, so he was unconsciously having some mental obstacles.
Seeing Walter's actions, Bennett said with some disdain, "Walter, the dealer hasn't even looked at his cards, and you're still afraid to call?"
Having unexpectedly made it to the finals yesterday, and then receiving assurances from Halbert, Bennett is now bursting with confidence. He not only wants to win a betting license, but also wants to step on these predecessors to establish his own status in the betting world.
So not only Zhuang Rui was his target, but everyone at the table was his target. Now that Walter had folded, he certainly wouldn't let go of this opportunity to undermine Walter's confidence. "I only have two small cards, would you call?"
Walter curled his lip. He had the most chips on the table and was dealt a bad hand, so of course he wouldn't rashly follow suit. As for Bennett, he couldn't affect him at all. Without exceptional mental fortitude, Walter couldn't have won the runner-up title in two consecutive gambling championships.
Walter tossed out his two face-down cards. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the cards suddenly spun in the air and landed face up on the table, making them clearly visible to everyone. The sight of the six of hearts, in particular, confirmed that there were no more straight flushes to come, which would be crucial in their assessment of the hand.
Seeing that this round of betting had ended, the emcee announced, "For the third round, Mr. Chatterley will speak..."
"One million..."
Chatterley, the champion of the 1999 Texas Hold'em Grand Challenge, was still very steady, but most importantly, his hole cards were not very strong. He could only make a pair of small nines, which made him only dare to place an ante.
"If I buy one million, I'll make five million..."
Bennett, sitting to the left of Chatterley, mimicked Zhuang Rui's earlier action and threw out six chips. Card games are all about momentum; sometimes, when you get into a good position, your playing style can become exceptionally smooth.
Bennett's hand was a perfect example. His hole cards were a King of Spades and a Ten of Hearts. Although he didn't make a straight flush, he had a flush, which is the highest hand in Texas Hold'em, except for a straight flush, four of a kind, and a full house.
The community cards in this hand don't have any pairs, so the possibility of forming a full house is completely eliminated. There's no straight flush to go, and Bennett has a 10 of hearts. It's safe to say that the most likely outcome of this hand is a flush. Bennett's hidden King of hearts is already very strong; unless someone else has one and two hearts, they can't beat Bennett, which is statistically extremely unlikely.
So now that we've reached the river, which is the showdown, Bennett immediately raised his bet. If someone calls, this hand could lay the foundation for him to win.
"Five million? I'll bet..."
Bennett's left-hand player expressionlessly threw down his chips. He had a pair of sevens, enough to make a three-of-a-kind, so he refused to give up. Although a flush or straight flush is a big hand, it's not easy to get. Most games are decided by comparing the size of individual cards, and a so-called "Kings to Kings" hand is a rare occurrence.
After Bennett's next player called, all eyes turned to Zhuang Rui. At this point, Zhuang Rui was in the most precarious situation at the table.
Although Zhuang Rui only lost over 20 million, he had the fewest chips among everyone at the table. If he couldn't recover his losses in the end, he would definitely take the risk of cheating and bluffing, which would give others the opportunity to sweep him. If Zhuang Rui was unlucky, it wouldn't be uncommon for him to lose all his chips in one hand.
"Mr. Bennett? How about something a little more exciting?"
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Zhuang Rui grinned and looked at Bennett, continuing, "This time, I'm betting on luck. Win and it's heaven, lose and it's hell. I'm betting..."
When Zhuang Rui said this, he hesitated for a moment, glanced at the three cards on the table, gritted his teeth, and then said, "I'm going all in!"
Zhuang Rui leaned forward, opened his arms, and pushed out all the stacks of chips in front of him. Hundreds of chips were scattered across the large gambling table. In poker, "all in" is the term for a game called "stud". Although the rules are different from stud, no-ante Texas Hold'em does not limit the amount each person bets. You can choose to call or not call.
"Has this young man gone mad?"
"Yeah, he didn't even look at a single card. Good heavens, I need to call my wife and tell her to come see this lunatic..."
"Too impulsive! That's over four hundred million US dollars! Too impulsive..."