"Texas Hold'em. We're just short a player. Come join us—you can deal."
A bespectacled dealer in gold-rimmed glasses, dressed like a refined gentleman, glanced at the Rolex on his wrist. At the buzz-cut middle-aged man's nod, he invited Samael to sit down. After expertly shuffling the cards, the seemingly professional dealer began dealing.
The ceiling was adorned with crystal chandeliers, the redwood furniture smelled fresh, and even the wool carpet beneath their feet felt exceptionally soft.
The elegant surroundings were secondary. Two burly, tattooed men stood blocking the door, making the implication obvious.
Samael rubbed his nose and took the vacant seat. After slightly lifting the corners of his two hole cards, both bearing Ks, his initial unease seemed to turn into delight. He immediately tossed out chips, raising the stake dozens of times over. After the buzz-cut middle-aged man stubbed out his cigarette and called, the other three sneered and raised the bet several times.
Then, when the dealer laid out two As, a nine of diamonds, and two Ks as the community cards, the Ancient Serpent could not help but beam with excitement.
The other three players all displayed exaggerated frustration, throwing away their two hole cards. One of them moved so broadly that he blew up half of one of the buzz-cut middle-aged man's face-down cards.
As the faint image of nine hearts in the center of that card became visible, the fierce-looking buzz-cut middle-aged man lost all his former confidence. His expression shifted uncertainly, but he still angrily threw all his remaining chips onto the table.
Under standard Texas Hold'em rules, players combined their two hole cards with the five community cards and selected five cards. Regardless of how many hole cards they used—even none at all—they formed the strongest possible hand and compared it against