[But why do I feel like this chef is even more of a freak? In the other instances, he was just a cannon-fodder mini-boss. Why does he seem like the ultimate villain this time?]
[Texas Hold’em? How come I've never heard of it?]
[It must have been a popular game in that era. The NPCs all seem to know it.]
[I looked it up on the smart terminal. It really was a game from back then, but it's been so long that even AIs don't have it on record anymore. To think the Prisoner Island game still has something like this. It really is the most advanced AI system.]
[What are the rules? I don't think I get it.]
As if he had heard the viewers' questions, Xie Qi pulled a whiteboard out from behind his back without anyone asking.
Bailey, who stood beside him, felt his glasses tremble and glanced behind him, wondering where Xie Qi had pulled something so large from.
The viewers in the livestream were all drawn to the board in Xie Qi's hands. It had not only diagrams but explanations of every term. It could hardly have been more detailed.
Everyone who had known what Texas Hold’em was as soon as they heard the name watched the seemingly unhinged chef stand before them like a show host, enthusiastically explaining the rules. They were no different from the rules they remembered.
The fat, wealthy businessman was the most impatient. He interrupted Xie Qi:
"Hey! We know all that. Can you hurry it up? I'm still hungry."
When he heard they were going to play Texas Hold’em, he had been secretly delighted.
He was a casino veteran, a regular at the tables of all the major casinos. He might not be good at other games, but Texas Hold’em? Did this bunch of pretty boys really think they could beat him?
The businessman's eyes darted around, and he came up with a good idea.
"If we're playing a game, shouldn't there be stakes? We can't just play for nothing, can we?"
Xie Qi had long since ignored the businessman's interruption and continued explaining the game. Only when he finally finished did he answer, amid the others' strange looks:
"As for the stakes, how about you decide among yourselves?"
Smiling, Xie Qi left the decision to them.
"Then let's bet our meals. How about whoever loses gives today's meals to the winner?"
"What? Wouldn't the loser have nothing to eat all day?"
The police officer, who had been silent until then, spoke up.
"So what? We had nothing to eat when we were at sea before, either..."
Halfway through, the businessman seemed to think of something, and his expression suddenly changed. The others' expressions were unreadable when they heard him.
As if he hadn't seen them suddenly fall silent, Xie Qi maintained his detached attitude.
"Let's settle on that. Hurry up and start."
Phil suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. The others had no better suggestions, so Xie Qi led them to the long table where they had eaten the night before, and they sat down.
Xie Qi stood in the dealer's position and shuffled a deck of cards. He had just handed everyone ten-yuan chips, and each person now had 1,000 yuan in chips.
The two people sitting to his left were Phil, the rich heir, and Annie, the novelist. They first put the small and big blinds—the minimum bets—into the pot, and then Xie Qi dealt the cards.
Simply put, in Texas Hold’em, each player received two hole cards that only they could see. In addition, there would be five community cards on the table that all players could use.
At the final showdown, if you could make the best five-card hand at the table from the seven cards formed by your hole cards and the community cards, all the chips in the pot were yours.
That was how it worked in theory. In most real games, however, players folded before the showdown because they were unsure of their hands, and the eventual winner might have the weakest hand at the table.
That was also the appeal of Texas Hold’em.
It was a winner-takes-all game that put human nature and luck to the test. People who couldn't handle the pressure couldn't play it.
The deal was over, and everyone at the table now had two cards.
From this point, it was possible to see how well each person handled the pressure.
Those who seemed unfamiliar with the game, such as Annie, Officer Saul, and the blonde woman, immediately looked at their cards. Their expressions could be read at a glance.
The businessman, Phil, and Brussels, who were obviously casino regulars, didn't rush to look at their cards. Instead, they carefully observed the other players' expressions and movements.
Song Nan and Bailey, meanwhile, played it straight. Neither showed any change of expression, and after looking at their cards, they placed them face down again.
The first round of betting began.
The minimum bet was 20 yuan. A call required at least 20, while a raise required 40.
At first, everyone played it straight, and even the biggest raises were no more than 100. But things changed on the third hand.
Song Nan's hole cards were the jack and seven of spades. There were only three community cards on the table so far: the queen and three of diamonds and the seven of hearts. She already had a pair—two cards of the same rank.
She raised to 300, and the others folded one after another.
The community cards were a mixed lot, making a strong hand impossible. Song Nan's hand was already quite good.
The next community card was the two of clubs, too. Unless someone's hole cards were a pair that also matched one of the community cards, her hand was the strongest.
She thought she had victory in the bag, but the businessman next to act looked at her and smiled. His next move made Song Nan freeze.
"All-in!"
(All his chips went into the pot.)
The businessman stared into Song Nan's eyes without blinking, as if mocking her for not having the courage to call.
Only the two of them remained in the hand. If Song Nan wanted to continue, she would have to put in all her chips too, bringing the pot to nearly 3,000.
On one side was the 300 she had already put in; on the other was the 3,000 she might win.
Song Nan gritted her teeth as she weighed her options, but her cautious nature kept her from daring to gamble so much.
She folded.
As Xie Qi gathered the cards, the businessman turned over his hole cards and tossed them down in front of Song Nan.
They were two unrelated cards, neither of which made a pair with any of the community cards.
In Texas Hold’em, players generally didn't show their hole cards. If they did, it was either to applaud an opponent for making the right decision or to mock them for misjudging the situation.
The businessman was naturally doing the latter.
He was now the richest person at the table, with a total of 1,800 yuan.
Just as Xie Qi was about to deal the next hand, the businessman stood up and covered the cards in Xie Qi's hand with his own. Staring at him, he said:
"What's the fun in just dealing? Why don't you join the game too, chef?"
Faced with the businessman's provocation, Xie Qi slowly raised his head, the loose strands of hair on his forehead partially obscuring his eyes.
He wore a smile, and his eyes held long-suppressed excitement:
"Since it's a guest's request, I'll naturally do my utmost to oblige."