Chapter 350: A Bright Man Beats a Blind Man
Guan Yi's eyes lit up. She naturally knew about the bet between Jimmy and Chen Xu that day, but what impressed her most was not Chen Xu's amazing memory, but the stakes Jimmy proposed.
Hesitation leads to trouble.
But this is easier said than done; once you're caught up in it, who can truly understand it?
"Ah Xu, are you sure you can do it?"
“If it’s just a matter of card counting and memorization,” Chen Xu smiled confidently, “there may be people in this world I can’t beat, but at least I won’t lose.”
Chen Xu was speaking the absolute truth. With Xiao Min's help, he was practically invincible. If the opponent also had a skilled player, the worst-case scenario would be a draw. It's like two people with completely identical playing styles playing Counter-Strike. They face each other, run out of bullets, and reload. After reloading halfway, they switch back to their pistols. When their pistols are empty, they reload again, and after reloading halfway, they switch back to their machine guns…
This back-and-forth motion can complete a whole game.
However, Chen Xu was also aware of his own abilities. With Xiao Min's help, he was almost invincible in terms of card counting, but he was lacking in card deduction. That's how poker is; excluding luck, some experts can even play with all their cards exposed. In Texas Hold'em, the importance of card counting isn't just about knowing the cards, but about using the rules to get the cards you want, or preventing your opponent from getting the cards they want.
In this respect, Chen Xu's gambling skills are not good. Although Xiao Min helps him with the calculations, he may not be able to keep up with a real gambling master.
After all, Xiaomin is just a computer!
Relatively speaking, playing cards are easier to play, as they are simpler to calculate. Go, the most complex game, is one that even supercomputers wouldn't dare say they could defeat the world's top players.
However, remembering cards, calculating cards, observing the opponent's expression to make judgments, and thus judging the opponent's inner thoughts, whether they are happy or worried... Observing the opponent's expression to judge the strength of the opponent's hand is an essential quality for every top player. Of course, no one can pay attention to their opponent at all times. Putting aside everything else, it is at least not a polite thing for someone to stare at the other person's face.
However, Xiaomin was able to observe the other person continuously and make a judgment accordingly.
Card counting, card memorization, and keen observation skills already put Chen Xu in an invincible position—of course, such methods used in gambling will be subject to certain rules in the future, but for now…
Hehehe.
Guan Yi pondered for a moment. The contest between Chen Xu and Jimmy that day was indeed talked about by the students of Hexie University. She had also heard about Chen Xu's extraordinary, even terrifying, memory. If that was the case, then he should be able to beat this stray dog... Well, even if there was only a 30% chance, Guan Yi felt she should give it a try.
This is to create momentum for Chen Xu!
Imagine if Chen Xu had won this battle; he would have earned the respect of everyone in the casino, paving the way for his future.
Thinking of this, Guan Yi finally nodded: "Alright, Manager Xu, give him ten million US dollars in leverage..."
When Chen Xu entered the room, the mad dog was laughing smugly: "Li Chang, your skills are nothing special. You've already given me a few million, and you want to keep giving me more?"
Li Chang chuckled and said nonchalantly, "No, no, you've really changed a lot in just a few days. Mr. Dong, I didn't expect you to have such gambling skills now. It seems that even if you don't marry the housekeeper's daughter in the future, you won't have to worry about making a name for yourself in Las Vegas."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu and Guan Yi couldn't help but think to themselves, "This guy is truly insidious!"
This guy clearly lost money and knew he couldn't get his revenge, so he deliberately exposed this mad dog's secrets—you see, while gambling masters are respected here and can gain wealth and power, they are ultimately just a tool.
The knife held in the hands of those wealthy conglomerates hidden in the shadows who control the fate of this gambling city!
Dong Qinghong's original status was sufficient to be the one wielding this knife. But to go from being the one wielding the knife to the knife itself is undoubtedly a demotion in status. Moreover, Li Chang explicitly stated that Dong Qinghong's current power was solely due to a woman.
But Dong Qinghong seemed not to hear him. Seeing Chen Xu enter, he deliberately exaggerated and said, "Oh, isn't this the housekeeper's future son-in-law? Coming in at this time, are you trying to pull some tricks?"
Although Chen Xu's machismo made him slightly annoyed by the nickname "mad dog," he didn't take it to heart. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and said with a smile, "Yeah, seeing you guys having so much fun, I came over to join in the fun too." At that moment, someone behind him took out ten million US dollars worth of chips and placed them on the table. The crystal-clear chips made the atmosphere a little tense.
To be honest, Chen Xu was also a little nervous.
This thick crystal plate in front of you represents one hundred thousand US dollars!
Although Chen Xu is now quite wealthy, his upbringing still makes him feel that this lifestyle is far too extravagant. One hundred thousand US dollars! For many ordinary people, that's equivalent to a house in a second-tier city in China.
Whether from the perspective of not gambling or from the perspective of saving money, Chen Xu felt that... in fact, even betting a penny or two is still gambling. The point of gambling is to experience the thrill of winning or losing. Is it a waste to spend so much money?
However, having already sat down at the gambling table, Chen Xu naturally couldn't let his confidence falter. He casually pulled out the small-denomination chips he had just obtained in the casino from his pocket, handed them to the waiter beside him, and said with a smile, "You've been playing for so long, aren't you thirsty at all? Would you like something to drink? It's on me." Before the others could answer, Chen Xu said to himself, "Give me a bottle of Coca-Cola, on the rocks."
"..."
"..."
The entire room was deathly silent.
Guan Yi turned her head away, not wanting anyone to see her tense expression. Ordering Coca-Cola in this luxurious VIP room was probably a first since the casino opened. Even in the main casino lobby, practically no one drank such a "common" beverage. In VIP rooms, it was always the kind of fine wines costing tens of thousands of dollars—even if Coca-Cola was used, it was for mixing with alcohol, not for drinking straight from the bottle. It was like going to a Western restaurant and asking for a basket of steamed buns…
Dong Qinghong looked at Chen Xu, revealing a mouthful of impossibly white teeth: "It seems the future son-in-law of the housekeeper is quite an interesting person. By the way, didn't you just say you don't know how to gamble?" The implication was that he was going back on his word. In Western societies where trust is paramount, the saying "all's fair in war" often leaves one open to criticism.
Chen Xu laughed, "I'm not good at gambling; I've never gambled with anyone for money since I was a child. But I do know a little bit about cards. Seeing that you are all distinguished guests, Xiao Yi was worried that you might not have had enough fun, so he asked me to play with you." Chen Xu acted as if he were the host, patting the mountain of chips piled up next to him with great generosity: "I'm not very good at playing; I'm just here to give you all some money, consider it making friends!"
Several people at the gambling table narrowed their eyes.
The people at the table, even the arrogant Mad Dog, who was all very self-important—or, in his words, extremely arrogant—felt they couldn't understand Chen Xu.
"Then let's play a couple of rounds." Li Chang gave Chen Xu a meaningful look, pondering the guy's purpose in showing up now. He was thinking about whether to take this opportunity to sow discord. In short, he couldn't let that mad dog be so smug, and he certainly couldn't let this suddenly appearing "butler's future son-in-law" steal the spotlight.
"Carbin, please step aside, I'll take your place."
Upon hearing the young lady speak, the expert sent by the casino, Cabin, felt somewhat embarrassed and gave up his seat, his heart filled with unease. Although the casino's rule was that the money lost while playing with guests was entirely covered by the casino, losing so much at once, especially to a notorious mad dog, made Cabin feel ashamed and worried that his future position in the casino might be shaken.
At this table are Chen Xu, Guan Yi, and members of three other families. Now, all four major Chinese families have gathered.
"The cards are checked, I have no problems." Watching the dealer skillfully flip over and fold a new deck of cards, and with Xiaomin's prompting in his mind, Chen Xu smiled faintly and said, "By the way, Mr. Dong, didn't you just say that if I win, you'll tell me a secret? Does that promise still stand?"
“I, Mad Dog, always keep my word.” Dong Qinghong took a deep puff of his cigar and pointed to Yu Lang, who had been silent all along. “I used to hate it when people called me Mad Dog, but I lost a bet with him last time, so I accepted the nickname. Actually, it sounds pretty good.”
When Yu Lang heard Mad Dog call his name, he looked up, smiled disdainfully, picked up his wine glass, and began to sip his wine.
"These guys are really strange." Guan Yi wondered, observing their behavior. Although she had been away from North America for a long time, she kept up-to-date with information on important figures there, including what significant things they had done, which allowed her to deduce their personalities.
However, of the three people present today, apart from Li Chang's decent performance, the other two behaved strangely, which did not match the intelligence.
But as she thought this, she was unaware that the others were thinking the same thing about her: According to the information, Miss Ellen spent her days in the library in London and was considered gentle, quiet, and charming. But now, looking at her, she seemed more like a young lady from a wealthy family, with a commanding presence and strong opinions... This was more like the heiress of a large family.
The one in London, on the other hand, felt too much like Lin Daiyu (a character from the classic Chinese novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*).
Guan Yi brought over five million chips, placed them on the table, and said with a smile, "Since you've come to play, as the host, I naturally want to make you feel at home. I'm not very good at playing, so please go easy on me. It's not about the money, but you should let me hold on for a while longer."
Everyone at the table laughed. No one knew Guan Yi's skill level, because no one had ever gambled with her. However, the butler's casino occupied a very important part of the business, so as the heir, Guan Yi's skill level shouldn't be too bad.
After shuffling and checking the cards, Guan Yi gave Chen Xu a wink, and Chen Xu smiled and nodded confidently.
How could I not be dissatisfied?
Xiaomin had already reminded him that she had memorized all the cards during the card checking process, with an error margin of no more than one percent... This error margin is because sometimes a card might be partially obscured, making it impossible to judge. However, an error margin of less than one percent is enough for Chen Xu to know the cards held by everyone.
At the gambling table, the mad dog naturally had the most chips—he had won over ten million from the casino, and with the chips others had given him, he now had three times as many chips as Chen Xu, gleaming and incredibly extravagant. This guy made no attempt to hide his smugness, occasionally taking a puff of his cigar, a sip of wine, and then pulling his scantily clad female companion over for a passionate kiss.
Overall, this guy's behavior was nothing like that of an aristocrat. Even Chen Xu, who had never received any aristocratic etiquette training, behaved much better than him.
Next was Chen Xu, whose table was neatly set with ten million chips. Behind him was Yu Lang, whose chips were even more than Guan Yi's.
Next was Guan Yi, who also received five million US dollars. Finally, there was Li Chang, who didn't have much left.
"Deal the cards."
When the dealer started dealing the cards, Chen Xu already had a plan in mind. He couldn't call this round because his hole card was the 10 of Hearts, which couldn't form a straight with the following cards. His hand was weak, and he couldn't bluff anyone. So, during the first round of conversation, he just smiled and folded.
The mad dog glanced at Chen Xu and threw out a crystal chip.
That one throw cost $100,000!
Yu Lang looked at his cards, shook his head, and gave up.
Li Chang looked at his cards, hesitated for a moment, and then followed suit.
Guan Yi remained calm and casually tossed out a chip.
In the first round, two people gave up, and three people continued.
Stud poker is a game that should be familiar to many people, at least in the gambling movies that were once very popular in Hong Kong.
In reality, the game isn't as fantastical as it appears on TV. Things like card swapping or even superpowers are impossible. Skilled players rely on the memory gained from a quick glance at the cards, and then on mentally calculating what cards they'll receive, their opponents' cards, the possible combinations, their odds of winning, and so on…
These are the keys to a skilled player's game. Those without a strong memory and mental arithmetic ability can only pray for luck.
However, in Texas Hold'em, the element of luck becomes very small after the first two methods. This is because a skilled player has essentially memorized all the cards and calculated the probabilities. If you get a good hand, well, other players can't just fold, right?
Can you expect to get an incredible hand every time?
Of course, there is another very important point.
Even the strongest players in the world couldn't possibly memorize all those cards in an instant; they could only remember most of them at most! That's already quite an achievement. And for some cards, if they couldn't remember them, they would have to rely on the opponent's facial expressions and body language to judge the strength of their hand.
This is psychological warfare.
Chen Xu had been observing the mad dog. He knew that the mad dog's hole card was the King of Spades, while his hand consisted of the Jack of Spades and the 8 of Hearts.
This hand is very strong, and the hole card, the King of Spades, is also a very strong hand.
The other two were clearly no match for this mad dog.
Mad Dog's expression was smug, extremely smug. Not just smug, but arrogant, completely disregarding the occasion, he reached out and roughly groped the chest of the European beauty next to him a few times, causing the woman to giggle. Guan Yi couldn't help but frown.
So, most people would know he has a winning hand just by looking at him like that.
Guan Yi glanced at Chen Xu, noticing his eyes darting around casually. She knew he meant for her not to follow, so she decisively gave up. And with Guan Yi's decision, Li Chang also gave up.
The mad dog won the first hand easily, but of course, he only won the minimum guaranteed chips.
In the second round, Chen Xu's hand wasn't good either. But he knew that the mad dog's hand wasn't good either; you could see that the guy was cursing and swearing, looking really nasty, and he threw away his cards without any attempt to hide it.
In this round, Guan Yi won in the end, which surprised Chen Xu a bit. Li Chang had a pretty good hand, but he was scared off by Guan Yi raising the stakes by two 500,000s in a row. He didn't have many chips left, while Guan Yi had a decent hand. In fact, he didn't know that Guan Yi's hole card was completely unrelated to the hand; it was a three of diamonds.
This is a bluff, also known as stealing chickens.
It was obvious that Guan Yi was very skilled at this, and Chen Xu was now very glad that he hadn't played cards with this woman back in school.
After playing five or six rounds, Chen Xu gradually came to a realization.
That mad dog's memory and mental arithmetic skills are indeed very strong. In one round just now, things went like this… Li Chang's next card was a 10 of clubs, a card the mad dog needed to complete a straight flush. So the mad dog deliberately raised the bet, forcing Li Chang to back down, and that card ended up in his hand—and his usual behavior is that he's happy with good cards and folds with bad ones. So Li Chang actually fell for his trick.
But does that mean this mad dog is invincible?
Of course not!
Because his skills are not up to par!
If someone could truly memorize all the cards instantly like Chen Xu, sort and calculate them like a computer, and firmly imprint them in their mind... yes, then even if they couldn't win, at least they wouldn't lose.
The problem is that while the Mad Dog's card-counting ability is strong, it also has its limits!
After the seventh round, Mad Dog's expression grew increasingly serious, and his bidding speed slowed down—he was starting to forget the cards that followed!
And then, in the tenth round...
Chen Xu had already realized that at this point he had no idea about the order of the cards, and could only start to calculate the probability of winning or losing based on everyone's cards on the table!
Chen Xu laughed, "A sighted person hitting a blind man."
Right now, everyone at this gambling table except myself is blind!