Yang Jian initially didn't want to play cards with Shan Wei. Having witnessed the deceit in casinos, he had no interest in card games.
However, Shan Wei was his boss and had always treated him well. It wasn't appropriate to refuse when Shan Wei asked him to accompany him for the first time.
So, Shan Wei drove his Mitsubishi sedan with Yang Jian to a seafood restaurant. They ate seafood with five bosses who spoke with different accents and drank a small amount of alcohol.
Afterward, they rented a suite in a nearby hotel. The table in the room was opened, and the card game began. A few more young men arrived successively; they were the drivers or followers of these bosses.
It was no wonder Shan Wei had called Yang Jian over. Not only did he need help with driving, but it also made him appear more distinguished.
Yang Jian knew a bit about the game of "San Gong."
It involved a deck of 52 cards, excluding jokers. Each player received three cards.
The game required at least two players and could accommodate up to six. Spectators could also bet alongside these players, similar to Pai Gow, allowing many people to participate.
There were two ways to play San Gong. One was without a banker, where everyone compared their hands directly, also known as "Big Eats Small." The smaller hand paid the larger hand. For instance, if six people were playing, the player with the smallest hand would pay the player with the largest hand. If the money was insufficient, the second smallest hand would pay, and so on, until all the players with larger hands were compensated.
If the player with the smallest hand had enough money to cover the bets of the other five players, they would be the sole loser for that round, and any excess money would be returned; they wouldn't lose everything.
If the total bets of the other five players exceeded the bet of the player with the largest hand, the other five players would have to pay their bets to the player with the largest hand.
The second way of playing involved a banker and players. The banker compared their hand with all the players. This method was simple and fast, and the banker's wins and losses could be substantial.
The rankings in San Gong were also straightforward, from highest to lowest: Big San Gong (KKK, QQQ, JJJ).
Small San Gong: Three Tens, Three Nines, down to Three Aces.
Mixed San Gong: Any combination of three J, Q, K.
Scattered hands: The sum of the three cards, divided by ten, with the remainder determining the score. Nine points were the highest, and zero points were the lowest. Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Tens all counted as zero.
For hands with the same point value, the higher face cards determined the winner, with K, Q, J being the order of precedence. If the face cards were also the same, the suit order was Spades, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds.
Shan Wei and his group were playing with a banker, one banker and five players, with Shan Wei being a player.
This method was simple; players compared their hands with the banker to determine wins and losses, much like playing Pai Gow in the north.
There was tea and drinks in the room. Yang Jian poured Shan Wei a cup of tea and then sat beside him to watch.
They were playing for high stakes, using large denomination bills. The minimum bet was one hundred, and each player's total bet could not exceed five thousand.
Yang Jian recalled that, except for Golden Flower, most gambling games had limits. He had seen betting limits in all the games he had witnessed.
The banker was no exception, setting the maximum payout at twenty-five thousand yuan. He had fifty thousand cash on the table, and a young man behind him carried a backpack, likely filled with a significant amount of cash.
Shan Wei had brought twenty thousand yuan. Initially, his bets were small, one or two thousand, and he experienced both wins and losses.
As with any card game, the probability of cheating was high, as Yang Jia had been told by San Pang.
Therefore, Yang Jian specifically watched the banker's shuffling and dealing actions. Although he couldn't cheat himself, San Pang had taught him many ways to identify cheating.
Beginner cheaters might use tricks like hiding or swapping cards. If caught by an expert, evidence could be easily obtained.
Advanced cheaters, however, relied purely on skill. No matter how you cut the deck after they shuffled, they could control the entire game, ensuring whoever they wanted won, and whoever they wanted lost.
With such cheaters, even if you knew they were cheating, you couldn't catch them. The only recourse was to stop playing with them or to have the absolute power to force a confession.
After an hour of observation, Yang Jian realized the banker was a cheater, and a very skilled one at that, likely on par with Cat Brother.
The banker was a stout man, over two hundred pounds, in his thirties, tall, with a shaved head resembling a Maitreya Buddha. He had a kind face and was always smiling. Shan Wei and the others called him "Buddha."
Buddha played very skillfully, winning money slowly through a "boiling frog in warm water" approach. He would sometimes allow others to win, but rarely took all the money, thus avoiding suspicion.
In less than two hours, Shan Wei had lost all twenty thousand yuan. He prepared to borrow money from Buddha, indicating they were clearly familiar with each other.
"Uncle Wei, your luck isn't great today. Why don't we call it a night? We can play again next time."
Yang Jian tugged at him, reminding him softly, as he knew Shan Wei would lose more if he continued.
"It's fine. It's still early. Let's play a bit longer. We'll leave once I break even."
Shan Wei didn't listen to Yang Jian and borrowed thirty thousand from Buddha, without any interest.
In this situation, Yang Jian couldn't stop him further. Ultimately, Yang Jian and Shan Wei were in an employer-employee relationship. Shan Wei's wins and losses had nothing to do with him.
Since his well-intentioned advice was ignored, it was better to stay out of it. Besides, he couldn't find any concrete evidence of cheating, nor could he force Shan Wei to leave on the spot.
The only thing that made him uneasy was that they were in a hotel. If the police were to conduct a room check, he would be in danger. This was one of the reasons he urged Shan Wei to leave early.
"Everyone, it's getting late. I have to get up early tomorrow, so I won't be joining you any longer."
At half-past ten, Shan Wei had finally lost the thirty thousand yuan he borrowed. Fortunately, he had some self-control and didn't borrow more. Moreover, having to get up early was true.
Buddha smiled at him, "How about I give you back a few hands? We can play until twelve. Don't worry, I won't rush you for the money; you can pay whenever you can."
Seeing Shan Wei hesitate, Yang Jian still tugged at him, "Let's go, Uncle Wei. If we play any longer, I won't be able to get up tomorrow morning. I need to drive, and you need to make deliveries; we can't afford to be delayed."
"Alright then, Buddha. I'll transfer the money to you tomorrow afternoon."
Shan Wei finally knew when to stop. Also, it was too late to go back, and his wife would not be pleased.
"Okay, we'll play again when there's time. This young man has been sitting here all night. Here, take this few hundred yuan for a late-night snack."
Buddha said, rolling up a few hundred yuan bill and tossing it towards Yang Jian. His face remained smiling, but Yang Jian clearly felt a glint of malice in his eyes.
Yang Jian didn't want his money. He didn't reach out to take it. The money hit him and fell to the ground, and he didn't pick it up.
This action made Buddha somewhat embarrassed, and his expression changed instantly. Everyone else also stared at Yang Jian.
Shan Wei, seeing the situation turn sour, quickly took out a cigarette, "Buddha, I apologize. My nephew just came from the countryside and doesn't understand the rules. Please be understanding."
The young man behind Buddha pushed Shan Wei aside, pointing a finger at Yang Jian's face, "What do you mean, kid? You don't respect Buddha, do you?"
The atmosphere instantly tensed, and the game stopped. Even Shan Wei didn't know how to de-escalate the situation, as he knew what kind of person Buddha was.