Jacob and Helen made their way into the card area, their attention drawn to the most prominent large round table.
The table was encircled by a crowd of spectators, and the high stakes had attracted countless eyes.
Though many people were watching, only five individuals were actually participating in the game: Fukuyama(ghost-faced man), Elise, two men, and one woman.
The five of them were playing classic Texas Hold'em, and naturally, joining such a game came with specific requirements.
Each participant needed to have at least fifty chips.
A round had just concluded, and as expected, Elise—foolish and wealthy—had lost again.
Upon closer observation, Fukuyama had accumulated the most chips on his side of the table, winning the most hands, while Elise, despite having brought many chips, had clearly lost quite a substantial amount.
"Can one more person join?" Jacob's words immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
"Of course, as long as you have enough chips," Fukuyama replied with a smile. "Our game requires at least fifty chips to participate."
Jacob said nothing. He simply placed his chips and Gimmighoul coins directly onto the table. "There should be more than fifty here."
"There certainly are. Does anyone else wish to join?" Fukuyama glanced at Jacob, the corner of his mouth beneath the ghost mask curving upward slightly.
"Then let's begin."
Jacob took his seat at the card table, entering the game.
To be honest, he didn't really understand Texas Hold'em very well, and his attention wasn't entirely focused on the game itself. He was more interested in observing the other players at the table.
This led to Jacob's chip stack constantly decreasing, but he wasn't anxious in the slightest. Texas Hold'em wasn't like other gambling games—as long as Jacob didn't go all-in, he could play for a considerable amount of time.
He was patiently waiting for an opportunity, the right opportunity.
As soon as he encountered a "cooler" opportunity, he would commit everything.
After several more rounds, Jacob's chips had decreased significantly once more.
His luck hadn't been particularly good in these recent hands, and he hadn't received very strong cards. However, he had also intentionally stayed in a few rounds, naturally for the purpose of "fattening the pig."
Although he was losing more, it was clear that the other players at the table had concluded that Jacob's poker skills were genuinely poor.
This was precisely Jacob's goal. Texas Hold'em wasn't about the cards—it was about reading human nature.
Only by feeding these greedy opponents at the table, fattening them up, could he slaughter them more ruthlessly when the critical moment arrived.
Moreover, as long as he remained at the table, no matter how much he lost, there would always be a chance to turn things around.
"You don't know how to play Texas Hold'em?" Jacob wasn't anxious, but Helen, standing behind him, grew increasingly worried as she watched his chip stack dwindle.
"A little," Jacob answered honestly.
"Why don't we go back to the dice area? The card area isn't suitable for you, and Fukuyama is at this table." Helen was extremely anxious now, practically wishing she could pull Jacob up and take his place. She whispered softly in Jacob's ear.
"Just watch quietly," Jacob turned his head and glanced at Helen, his voice cold. "If you don't want to cooperate, you can take your one Gimmighoul coin and leave."
"You... this is all money we're losing. Be careful." Helen truly felt the pain of watching money slip away, but she was even less confident about gambling on her own.
"Number six."
"Number six."
"Number six. It's your turn to bet."
It wasn't until the dealer called out twice that Jacob realized it was his turn to place a bet in this round.
"Sorry. Two chips."
After tossing out two chips, the dealer began dealing the cards.
Jacob scanned the cards on the table, his eyes brightening. He had finally received the "cooler" hand he'd been waiting for, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.
Jacob's hole cards were the 3 of Clubs and 5 of Spades.
Fukuyama's hole cards were the 2 of Hearts and 6 of Spades.
Elise's hole cards were the 10 of Spades and 10 of Clubs.
The remaining man and woman held decent hands as well—Queen of Diamonds and Jack of Hearts, and Queen of Hearts and King of Spades, respectively.
Although Jacob's visible cards were the smallest, the next three community cards to be revealed would be the Ace of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, and 4 of Clubs.
This way, Elise's hand would form three of a kind—three 10s. The remaining man and woman's hands would be 10-J-Q-A and 10-Q-K-A, both capable of forming straights.
Except for Fukuyama, whose chances of winning were extremely slim, everyone else had a legitimate shot at victory. Only in such a scenario would the others place heavy bets.
Only when multiple players held strong hands would it be easiest to entice everyone to bet heavily and go all-in.
Otherwise, even if Jacob obtained a straight flush, it would be worthless if the others held weak cards and simply folded.
This was the "cooler" Jacob had been waiting for.
Fukuyama scanned the cards on the table and immediately chose to fold, withdrawing from the round.
Only four players remained at the table.
All four chose to call in the first betting round.
Seeing that all four had called, the dealer continued dealing, revealing the three community cards Jacob had foreseen: Ace of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, and 4 of Clubs.
The four players' expressions varied. Elise, who now held three 10s, was the most excited, though she maintained a calm demeanor, concealing her emotions.
The other two were also noticeably pleased because, judging from the current board, their odds of winning were quite favorable. As long as a Jack or King appeared in the next two cards, they could complete a 10-J-Q-K-A straight flush!
Conversely, among the group, Jacob appeared to have the lowest chance of winning. Although his hand had already formed A-3-4-5, if one more 2 appeared, Jacob could complete an A-2-3-4-5 straight. However, there was still a certain probability of losing to the other man and woman.
Nevertheless, Jacob possessed his own special ability, and what was an uncertain gamble for others was a guaranteed outcome for him.
Jacob used his system's ability to see that the next two cards were indeed a 2 and an 8.
Clearly, he would win.
Therefore, this round would be his chance to turn the tables completely, and such a game—where everyone held strong hands—easily led to sudden wealth.
Sometimes, turning the tables required only one round, and the fattened pigs were ready for slaughter.
What made Jacob slightly regretful, however, was that Fukuyama, that cunning old fox, had escaped early.
Still, four players were enough. As long as he won this round and claimed all the other players' chips, he would secure his place in the second round without question.
Jacob surveyed the people before him and chose to raise directly, throwing out eight chips in one motion.
Jacob's action made everyone present frown slightly, each analyzing what hand Jacob might be holding.
The man and woman, in particular, were constantly counting cards and attempting to deduce Jacob's hole cards.
What cards could Jacob possibly have to justify raising?
Facing Jacob's raise, Elise frowned slightly. However, holding three 10s, she couldn't possibly back down now. She maintained a thoughtful, hesitant expression, and after waiting several moments, she chose to call.
She hadn't even considered the possibility of losing—she was only concerned about raising too much and frightening off the other players.
Seeing Elise choose to call, the other man and woman hesitated briefly. However, with such strong hands, they absolutely couldn't back down either, so they very decisively chose to call as well.
They were all hooked.
Jacob sneered inwardly. Once they had called, there was no way they would back down now.