Chapter 37 - Casino
Ye Hao hesitated briefly before remaining silent.
In the unfamiliar territory of Anesas, Ye Hao wanted to avoid trouble. His goal was to safely make a few hundred thousand RMB and leave.
The tattooed young man noticed Ye Hao's reluctance to respond and turned to the casino staff, saying, “Deal the cards.”
The staff member proceeded to draw a deck of poker cards, thoroughly checking them in front of the five players. It was a clear message that there was no cheating involved.
Everyone accepted the procedure without question.
Without even glancing at his cards, the tattooed young man nonchalantly tossed a yellow chip into the pot.
“I'm in,” declared the player next to him, also opting not to look at his cards.
Truth be told, few players check their cards before the start of a game.
Doing so and then betting could lead others to believe you have a strong hand, prompting them to check their cards as well. This could result in a smaller pot if you win.
And if your hand isn't strong, would you keep betting?
Choosing not to bet might feel like a missed opportunity, while betting could lead to a loss. Moreover, once you check your cards, you're committed to doubling your bet.
Two rounds into the betting, a middle-aged woman decided to look at her cards. Discovering her highest was a 10, she tossed her cards aside in frustration.
“I fold.”
Ye Hao observed the scene quietly from the sidelines, easily deciphering their hidden cards.
Once he saw their hands, he knew the tattooed young man had won. His three cards were a consecutive flush—a high-scoring hand in the three-card game.
As expected, the young man with tattoos raked in three thousand chips that round, laughing triumphantly, “I'm on a lucky streak today.”
The other players' faces darkened with disappointment.
The tattooed young man's luck held, as he won three of the next five rounds, amassing over ten thousand RMB in winnings.
A woman caked in makeup stormed off in anger, and Ye Hao swiftly claimed her seat.
The tattooed youth shot Ye Hao a look and remarked, “Looks like someone else is about to lose their money to me.”
Ye Hao chuckled, unfazed by the situation.
Arguing was pointless.
Soon, he would show who was going to lose money today.
Once the casino staff had dealt everyone's cards, Ye Hao activated his x-ray vision.
In a mere half a second, he saw through all of their hole cards.
To Ye Hao's dismay, one player held three poker cards with the same pattern.
“I'll call.”
“Me too.”
It quickly became Ye Hao's turn.
The others were rendered speechless as Ye Hao scrutinized his cards directly.
His caution was extreme.
Standing behind Ye Hao, Ye Zhiguo and Guo Xiu caught a glimpse of his two aces and their faces lit up with surprise.
The tattooed youth among the others was visibly excited.
Ye Hao's cards appeared to have high points!
They were all set to follow Ye Hao's bet and check their own cards.
To the astonishment of Ye Zhiguo and Guo Xiu, Ye Hao tossed his cards in, conceding, “I fold.”
“Fold?” Zhiguo was alarmed, “Are you sure you saw your cards?”
Ye Hao gave Zhiguo a look, signaling him to stay calm.
But Zhiguo couldn't settle down.
He was eager to find out if Ye Hao really knew how to play the three-card game.
Guo Xiu pulled at Zhiguo's sleeve, advising, “Trust our son.”
Zhiguo was itching to declare that Ye Hao had no clue about the game, but he held his tongue after catching Guo Xiu's cautionary glance.
In the next round, Ye Hao was the first to check his cards again, only to casually discard them afterward.
This time, Zhiguo kept quiet, as Ye Hao's hand wasn't strong.
Ye Hao was frustrated; his luck was abysmal, with poor cards in five straight rounds.
“You're going to lose money to us,” taunted the tattooed youth.
To join the three-card game, players had to ante up.
Thus, Ye Hao had already dropped five hundred RMB after five rounds.
“Isn't it a bit premature for you to be talking like that?” The tattooed young man kept taunting Ye Hao, which made Ye Hao increasingly irritated.
“If you think you're so tough, then keep placing your bets in this game,” the tattooed young man challenged as he tossed two yellow chips onto the table.
He boldly upped the ante.
Ye Hao used his X-ray Vision to peek at his cards and was thrilled with what he saw.
In this round, none of the five players had strong hands, but Ye Hao's was the strongest.
Realizing his advantage, Ye Hao turned to Ye Zhiguo and said, “Dad, we need to get more chips.”
“How many do you need?”
“Two thousand,” Ye Hao replied after a brief pause.
Ye Zhiguo looked surprised and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” 𝐟reew𝗲b𝐧𝚘𝐯𝐞l.c𝚘m
“Okay then.” With that, Ye Zhiguo left to get the chips.
As soon as Zhiguo was out of sight, Ye Hao confidently tossed two yellow chips onto the table. “If you're brave enough, match my bet and raise the stakes.”
“You're way too cocky,” Qu Wen chuckled, then threw in another two yellow chips. “If you're really bold, keep raising.”
Qu Wen's taunt was meant to intimidate Ye Hao.
Nobody had revealed their hole cards yet, so it was unclear who had the upper hand.
Unless someone had been on a hot streak lately, it was generally risky to raise the bet without having seen the cards.
“It doesn't bother me. I just wonder if you're too scared to up your bet,” Ye Hao said with a nonchalant shrug.
Qu Wen was visibly annoyed.
Ye Hao had come to terms with the inevitable clash with Qu Wen.
The other three players suspected that Ye Hao and Qu Wen were holding strong cards, so they each checked their own.
One player found himself with a pair of twos. After a moment's hesitation, he doubled his bet.
Without a second thought, Ye Hao threw in two more yellow chips and gave Qu Wen a taunting smile.
Qu Wen wavered.
In this situation, he should really check his cards.
But if he checked now, he'd be admitting his anxiety to Ye Hao.
“I'll call,” Qu Wen decided, resolved to follow the raise even if it meant losing a sizable sum.
When Ye Hao raised the stakes for the fifth time, the player who had been scrutinizing his cards let out a wry smile and folded.
The player thought to himself, “This is too risky. I've already thrown down two thousand. And the other two players are still upping the ante.”
“Now it's just the two of us,” Ye Hao said, gesturing to the chips on the table. “How about we play five card stud? I'll go all in. If you think my chips aren't enough, I can always get more.”
Qu Wen's expression turned grim.
Ye Hao's chips were valued at two thousand four hundred.
But with things having escalated to this point, Qu Wen couldn't back down.
He grabbed twenty-two yellow chips and tossed them onto the table.
Qu Wen cautiously revealed his first hole card. A smile crept onto his face when he saw it was the Ace of Spades—a promising start.
He then carefully turned over his second card.
It was the King of Spades.
Qu Wen's heart pounded with excitement.
If his last card was a Spade, he was almost certain of victory. He didn't dare hope for the Queen of Spades—that was too much to ask for.
But when Qu Wen glimpsed red at the corner of his card, he knew he still had a strong hand.
“I don't believe you've got a pair,” Qu Wen declared, laying out his three cards and giving Ye Hao a challenging look.