The scene returns to the casino—
Faced with Hiyori Shiina's mindless all-ins, someone was bound to challenge her head-on after getting a good hand:
The first to do so was Katsuragi, who tried to challenge metaphysics with probability, believing he had victory in his grasp. The price was his 200,000 chips being reduced to pocket change.
The second was Yahiko, who, 'on a lucky streak' with a great hand, tried to avenge his big brother. His 200,000 chips evaporated in an instant.
The third to take the bait was a... perhaps... maybe... probably... somewhat skeptical Kakeru Ryūen. The result was that more than half of his 1 million chips vanished.
Observing the gloomy atmosphere at the table, Honami Ichinose hesitated for a moment before offering a somewhat strained smile to ease the tension. "Um... Hiyori, isn't your luck a little too good?"
She now had a very clear understanding of the game of Texas Hold'em:
The pace of the game could be slow, so slow that Mio Ibuki, who had the fewest chips and only posted blinds, could hang on at the table indefinitely.
The pace could also be fast, so fast that it could go from 1,000 to 1 million in just ten minutes.
Hiyori Shiina blinked and said softly, "My apologies. I didn't expect this outcome either..."
Symon quipped in her mind, "Hiyori, are you trying to make them quit gambling?"
"Not at all. I just don't want to waste mental energy on meaningless things," Hiyori Shiina replied in her thoughts.
As the two conversed, the dealer gathered the cards, spread them into a perfect circle on the table, and explained, "As per the rules, a deck of cards will only be used [8] times. Afterward, it will be replaced with a new deck. Players can also request a change at any time."
Saying this, the dealer, without waiting to see if everyone had finished looking, counted the cards to confirm the number was correct and then took a new deck from a server.
Rip!—The sound of the plastic seal being torn.
Symon joked inwardly, "Translation: you have eight rounds to steal or swap cards. Just be careful not to get caught by your opponents."
"I see..." Hiyori Shiina murmured, secretly glancing at everyone at the table:
Katsuragi's expression shifted slightly, Kōenji's smile remained unchanged, Kanzaki raised his eyes in silence, and Ryūen watched with a cold gaze.
A new hand began. As the initial cards were dealt to the seven players, the dead atmosphere at the table took a new turn—
Rokusuke Kōenji, sitting in the first position, didn't even look at his cards. He casually pushed his chips forward, propped his legs directly onto the table, and broke into a brilliant grin. "All in!"
Kanzaki gave him a slightly surprised look. After a moment's consideration, he also pushed his chips in, his tone calm as he said, "All in."
"Um..." Ichinose looked quizzically at the suddenly aggressive Kanzaki.
Snap!—Kōenji snapped his fingers, cutting off the girl's unnecessary words. He said with a smile, "Lady luck is smiling."
"Heh... what pretentious nonsense," Ryūen sneered. He glanced at the million chips in front of him and casually pushed them onto the table. "All in!"
So what if he was losing money to Hiyori Shiina? When it came to magnanimity, at least, he would never admit defeat!
At this point, the remaining players at the table also made their choices:
Mio Ibuki, feeling no pressure at all, tossed her hand to the dealer, achieving her 9th consecutive fold.
Ichinose looked at her hand, hesitated for a moment, then steeled her resolve and decisively chose to fold.
Katsuragi, sitting in the last position, also glanced at his cards. He then looked up at the others at the table, frowned in thought for a moment, and silently tossed his cards to the dealer.
Following the girl's perspective as everyone placed their bets, Symon thought for a moment and said casually, "Alright, let's finish this hand and go back to sleep."
"You'll have to wait a little longer, Mr. Ghost..." A smile flashed in Hiyori's eyes as she soothed him softly, pushing the neatly arranged chips in front of her forward a bit.
At the same time, the dealer cut three cards from the deck for the flop:
First card: 10 of Diamonds
Second card: 10 of Diamonds
Third card: 10 of Diamonds
The moment the three cards appeared, everyone except Hiyori picked up their cards to take a look. In the end, it was Ryūen who revealed the last 10 of Diamonds.
Seeing this, the players fell silent for a moment, all turning to look at Hiyori Shiina, wondering how she could possibly turn this situation around.
Hiyori Shiina tilted her head and reached out to reveal her hole cards: the Ace of Diamonds and the King of Diamonds.
Across from her, Ryūen was silent for a second. After contemplating the probability of losing, he tossed his hand directly to the dealer, stood up, and said coldly, "This is boring. I'm out!"
With that, Ryūen left his seat without even looking at the subsequent cards, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
And at that moment, as if on cue, the dealer revealed the final two community cards:
Fourth card: Queen of Diamonds
Fifth card: Jack of Diamonds
Whoa!!!
Yahiko, who had been the first one out, shot up from his seat, his face red as he slammed the table and demanded, "Mr. Dealer, are you sure you're not just giving her good hands because she's pretty?!"
"Hmph, hmph~" Kōenji chuckled, crossing his arms and quietly watching the performance.
Kanzaki raised his eyes and glanced at Ichinose beside him—from his perspective, based purely on external appearances, Ichinose actually had the advantage. Then he looked at Hiyori Shiina...
Just then, Ibuki also turned her head. She looked at the primly seated, silently smiling Hiyori beside her, then at Ichinose, and her gaze happened to meet Kanzaki's...
Kanzaki raised an eyebrow: What are you looking at?
Ibuki glared: What about it?
As their eyes met, the air suddenly crackled, thick with the smell of gunpowder!
Setting aside the silent battle between the two fan club leaders, the dealer, unfazed by Yahiko's accusation, clapped his hands. Two men in suits had appeared behind Yahiko at some point, and each slapped him once, sending him 'smack!' back into his seat!
"Rest assured, esteemed guest. We are an open business, and we value fairness and impartiality."
As he spoke, the dealer took out a rake, counted the chips in the pot in front of everyone, and pushed them all toward Hiyori, explaining in a calm voice:
"At the school's request, today's game is a rules tutorial. No fees will be charged."
"Starting tomorrow, this place will officially be open for business. At that time, we will take a five percent commission from the pot of each game, so please do not worry about us showing favoritism to any player."
Katsuragi frowned upon hearing this. "Five percent from every pot?"
The dealer nodded. "This is the price to ensure the game is as fair as possible."
Ichinose asked tentatively, "What do you mean by 'as fair as possible'?"
The dealer glanced at the girl, smiled and shook his head, offering no further explanation.
Symon quipped in his mind, "Even if the casino preaches fairness, who at the table is going to be fair to you? People who believe that stuff are suckers for life."
...
____
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