After the plain-looking young man was eliminated, only five people remained at the six-person table.
My ranking, third from both the front and the back, felt particularly awkward.
Although the main game had a full hour more than the preliminary round, catching up was difficult.
This was because it was an all-in game!
Unless one held a sure-win hand, rashly playing mind games and going all-in was simply gifting points to the opponent.
Therefore, with no one daring to go all-in easily, chips were accumulated gradually.
If I wanted to defy fate, I had to start from this very moment.
After a brief contemplation, I decided to find an opportunity to use the marks made by the fat man's unique card-marking technique to feign a retreat and lure the enemy deeper.
After a minor shift in momentum in one round, the next three hands were rather dull.
The elimination of the young man served as a warning to others who intended to cheat discreetly.
No one dared to make a move rashly; everyone played by the rules, honestly and diligently.
Of course, one person was an exception.
Relying on his one-of-a-kind card-marking skill, the fat man won two of the next three rounds, widening the point gap between himself and the middle-aged alluring woman by about thirty thousand points.
Compared to my situation, the difference had reached a staggering one hundred thousand points!
I knew I had to find a way to cheat, no matter what.
As the old saying goes, "Three strikes and you're out."
Just as I was preparing to cheat in the fourth round, I suddenly saw that the hole card the dealer dealt me... had been marked by the fat man!
In other words, this card was known only to heaven, earth, him, and me.
If I could make good use of this marked card and secretly play some tricks, I might have a chance to gain some points.
When the face-up cards were dealt, I took the opportunity to glance at the hole card with the mark.
It was the Ten of Clubs.
The moment I saw the hole card, while pretending to take out a cigarette and light it, I quickly scanned the table.
Including the fat man himself, two out of the other five people also had marked hole cards.
This was not easy!
Unlike the eighteen hidden cards in "Zha Jin Hua" (a card game), in an all-in game, there were only six hidden cards before the fifth hole card was dealt.
To get three marked hole cards in one hand, one could only say that the fat man's luck had truly turned.
But at the same time, it was also a good opportunity for me to make my move.
In this hand, my face-up card was the Eight of Diamonds, which was mediocre.
When it was my turn to speak, I followed the others and bet ten thousand chips.
After I placed my bet, it was the fat man's turn.
At this point, the fat man, who was leading in points, had resumed his smug demeanor.
After a disdainful cold laugh, he unhesitatingly raised the bet to fifty thousand.
The fat man chose to raise because one of the other two people with marked hole cards was himself.
If I couldn't be sure before whether the fat man's marked hole card was one of J, Q, K, or A...
Then, at this very moment, I knew.
To not bet when holding an Ace or King is foolish!
The gambler Chen Xiaodao's words were not without reason, especially when the hole card was an Ace.
Therefore, I concluded that the fat man's hole card was an Ace!
With the first face-up card raising to fifty thousand, even if the betting continued at a normal pace, each person would have to bet at least another fifteen thousand chips.
If the four of us followed suit, and he won in the end, he would gain at least eight hundred thousand chips, or eighty thousand points.
It was clear that the fat man intended to solidify his leading position.
After the fat man raised, the middle-aged alluring woman immediately chose to call.
The uncle with graying temples also called after a few seconds of hesitation.
Then, it was the turn of another young man.
Although he also had a plain appearance, unlike the one who was eliminated, this one had a very distinctive square face.
As the saying goes: "Square and stable."
Unlike the rash and unstable young man, from the beginning of the game, whenever someone raised the bet, the square-faced man would frown and ponder for a while, playing very conservatively and cautiously.
He was seen frowning and rubbing his hands back and forth.
It was evident that his caution was genuine, not feigned.
Because the square-faced man had delayed more than once, the fat man was particularly dissatisfied with his behavior.
Especially after gaining the advantage, he had urged the other person to hurry several times.
As soon as he saw the square-faced man zoning out again, the fat man immediately called out, "Hey, hey, hey, brother! Is it that serious?"
"These chips can't be taken away, so why make every hand so serious?"
"If you really want to gain points, you might as well gamble on luck and go all-in!"
"Staring blankly and thinking with every hand, people might think you're stalling!"
As soon as the fat man finished speaking, the middle-aged alluring woman chimed in, "Exactly, exactly!"
"Little brother, men... as long as it's not in bed, when it's time to be quick, you must be quick!"
"By doing this, you're not only failing to catch up, but you're also disrupting the rhythm for the rest of us. Why bother?"
Since the middle-aged alluring woman's points were closest to the fat man's, she was eager to speed up the pace.
Upon hearing this, the square-faced man didn't get angry. Instead, he scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, greeting all of us.
Then, he chose to call.
After the square-faced man called, it was my turn to top up the bet.
Once everyone had placed their chips, the dealer began dealing the second face-up card.
I didn't pay much attention to the other people's cards. When I saw that the fat man's first face-up card, the Ten of Hearts, was followed by a Three of Spades...
I immediately noticed that the fat man's brow furrowed for a moment but then quickly disappeared.
Mixed suits of Ace, Ten, and Three meant no chance for a flush or a straight.
His initial raise of fifty thousand chips had backfired on him first.
The middle-aged alluring woman's face-up card was a Six, and then she received another Six, forming a pair.
The white-templed uncle's face-up card was a King, and he received a Ten. All his cards were Diamonds, forming a diamond flush-straight possibility.
The square-faced man received a Ten of Spades as his face-up card, followed by a Nine of Spades, both being Spades.
As for me, I had a Nine of Hearts.
Combined with the hole card Ten of Clubs and the first face-up card Nine of Diamonds, it formed a two-way straight of 8, 9, 10.
It's no exaggeration to say that by raising to fifty thousand, the fat man had set up a situation where the four of us who called benefited, while he alone lost out.
Now, it was the middle-aged alluring woman's turn to make a move.
Holding a pair of Sixes, the middle-aged alluring woman unhesitatingly threw fifty thousand chips onto the table.
With two more cards yet to be dealt, regardless of whether her hole card was a Six or not, the middle-aged alluring woman could not raise the bet at this moment.
This was because those who were willing to call would still do so.
Her not raising was a strategy to play the long game and catch a bigger fish.
However, judging by the expression on her face, I felt that her hole card was very likely also a Six.