Chapter 74: 74、Texas Hold’em
The atmosphere at the gambling table was extremely tense.
Both Chen Gongzi and Xu Ziang harbored substantial hostility towards Chen Che.
Needless to say, Xu Ziang.
The two could even be considered rivals in love.
As for Chen Gongzi, in the beginning, when he wanted to use Chen Che, he could still muster a smile.
But he never expected that trying to steal a chicken would instead cost him the rice. Not only did Chen Che not take the fall, but they also struggled to plant a mole beside An Nishang, and Chen Che managed to uncover them by sheer accident.
This also led An Nishang to firmly link the arms dealings to the Tasting Commerce Association. The crazy woman now has the Horus Grand Casino surrounded.
[Is this pretty boy addicted to gambling again? No, after what happened last time, how dare he come to the casino so casually? And he’s brought Xia Na... Could it be An Nishang who sent him? Sent him to scout for Natasha’s location in the casino? Quite possible...]
Chen Gongzi was also from Tasting Commerce Association; listening to his thoughts, Chen Che raised an eyebrow.
He certainly wasn’t here just to gamble. With the extraordinary advantage of Candy of Listening to the Heart, he was definitely aiming to enter the casino and interact with the big shots.
Listening to the information they inadvertently divulge in their minds.
So... Natasha is indeed hiding in this casino.
As expected of An Nishang, this woman’s mind is meticulous and beyond my imagination. Perhaps when she assigned me to investigate Pandora’s Kiss, she had already foreseen this day... A thought flashed in Chen Che’s mind as the cards were dealt to him.
Texas Hold’em poker, known as 德克萨斯扑克 in Chinese, is a player-versus-player community card game. At least two players can be at a table, up to twenty-two, but it generally involves 2-10 players.
In Texas Hold’em, there are 52 cards in total, and no jokers.
Each player is dealt two cards face down as "hole cards," while five community cards are dealt face up by the dealer.
Initially, each player has two face-down hole cards. After all the betting rounds, if there’s no winner, the game enters a "showdown," where the remaining players reveal their hole cards to determine the winner, the player with the best hand wins.
Similar to a game called Chinese Poker, but slightly more complicated and with more uncertainty.
This type of game often appeared in world-famous gambling films shot in Hong Kong in the civilized world.
Gambling is in human nature.
Even as the apocalypse descends and various ancient texts might be lost in history, this type of gambling game is passed down through generations, and even if it fades away, it can be recreated.
As long as human civilization exists.
Gambling will never disappear.
The game commenced.
There were six players at the table in total.
Besides Chen Che and the other two, there were three unfamiliar faces, all experienced gamblers, judging by their clothing and demeanor, they all had considerable wealth.
The Ninth Special Zone, under the construction of the Night Empire and Tasting Commerce Association, also became a powerful economic center.
Its rich mineral resources attracted other commerce associations from the Wasteland to come here for business circulation.
So the casino business was exceptionally prosperous.
Often, some business groups and consortia from other places would find time to gamble at this place whenever they came to do business here.
The dealer dealt two hole cards to each person.
Chen Che glanced at his hole cards: Ten of Spades and Two of Hearts.
Hmm, two cards that don’t pair well together.
But there’s no rush; Texas Hold’em gives him a bigger edge compared to Chinese Poker.
After all, he could read minds.
In Texas Hold’em, most people won’t just choose to keep their cards facedown the whole time because you need to combine your hole cards with the community cards to form a hand.
Unlike those gambling movies where the protagonist reveals his hole cards only after seeing most of the community cards, this rarely happens.
Most people check their hole cards from the start.
Then, based on each round of community cards, decide whether to continue betting.
In this case, the whole game unfolded transparently to Chen Che.
Unlike Chinese Poker, where the cards you receive are final, some opt to keep their cards face down throughout, leading to an all-out reliance on luck.
This made it impossible for Chen Che to know the situation of the game.
With the God’s perspective, I won’t stop until I strip you of everything... Chen Che smiled.
Almost everyone checked their hole cards, and after grasping their hole cards, Chen Che followed two rounds of community cards before decisively folding.
"Tsk, couldn’t even follow for two rounds, I wonder what Director An saw in you?" Xu Ziang mocked.
Upon hearing this, Chen Che raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile, "Ah, I am quite self-aware, not as wealthy, nor do I have the background? I’m not even fit to carry your shoes, Young Master Xu. Perhaps it’s because my looks suit the leadership’s taste better than Young Master Xu’s, or maybe I’m longer."
Someone at the table was drinking water and almost choked to death hearing this.
Chen Che’s first line subtly mocked that Xu Ziang wasn’t as handsome as he was.
Yet the most irksome remark was the final one.
Xu Ziang’s face turned red instantly, burning with rage.
Even Xia Na looked at Chen Che incredulously, are you even comparing that?
But Xia Na had coincidentally encountered it last time.
No wonder her sister likes those few ounces of meat he has...
This guy’s specialty is probably unmatched by most men.
Xia Na cast a doubtful glance at Xu Ziang, then shook her head.
This scene infuriated Xu Ziang even more.
Letting out a cold laugh, he continued to concentrate on gambling.
The first round ended with Xu Ziang winning the entire pot with two pairs.
The game continued.
Over the next ten or so hands, Chen Che lost more than he won, betting big on the golden gambling stones; in less than an hour, he lost almost a full hundred thousand.
This was normal.
In Texas Hold’em, you can’t just fold immediately; you need to follow at least two rounds of community cards.
Under full view, by the third round at most, Chen Che could tell if he could win this hand.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
Waiting for the chance to harvest a big win.
Another round of hole cards.
Winning slightly over fifty thousand, Xu Ziang’s face bore an arrogant grin. He revealed his hole cards, Ten and Nine of Spades, his eyebrows raised instinctively.
With these hole cards, at the very least, he could make a straight.
Looking at the others, they all seemed content too.
The first round of blinds.
This refers to placing bets before any community cards have been dealt.
Everyone made small followers in turn.
"Everyone’s so cautious, playing like this is no fun. I’m going big with 5,000 chips."
The player next to Chen Gongzi was Chen Che, who, after looking at his hole cards, decisively called the bet.
"Chen Che, you’ve already lost about a hundred thousand, right? Be careful, your card luck has been notoriously bad. You’ve lost hundreds of thousands in my casino before; I can waive these debts only because of Director An. But at the Horus Grand Casino, if you lose too much, I can’t help you."
Chen Che’s gaze roamed around the casino. Hearing Chen Gongzi’s taunts, he just smirked.
"Don’t worry about me, Chen Gongzi. It seems everyone has decent cards now, maybe I’ll win it all back in one go?"
[An Nishang, this crazy woman. Does he really care nothing about his future and has the entire casino so tightly sealed off? Damn, what the hell is that bastard Black Bear doing? The new batch of Pandora’s Kiss is already shipped and still hasn’t come to claim it... Damn, did the equipment malfunction? No, I’ve got to go check...]
Chen Che’s gaze locked onto the tuxedo-clad manager Ulat, listening to his inner voice.