Bluffing

Accumulated a lot of good karma?

Luck turning around?

Lu Xinyi felt like laughing, and it further confirmed her guess.

Unlike the other three steady players in Community No. 17, Lin Sizhi was likely a gambler who liked to go all-in.

He probably got a little taste of success from a gamble with the Chip Exchange Machine, then got carried away, and ended up losing many rounds consecutively.

Many gamblers have a strange obsession with luck; for instance, after losing a lot, they believe they are bound to win big next.

But the real probabilities in reality aren't like gacha games with guaranteed drops.

However, Lu Xinyi wasn't so easily convinced.

Whether he was a genuine gambler or just pretending to be one, ultimately, it had to be judged through repeated actions of betting, calling, and folding in the game.

A gambler's actions, only when paired with the value of their chips, could reveal their true intentions.

The game begins.

Everyone took out 1000 chips and placed them in the betting area on the table.

The mechanical arm, just like before, took out a new deck of cards, shuffled them randomly, and dealt them in order.

Lu Xinyi was the dealer, and Lu Mingxuan was still to her right.

"Fold."

Lu Mingxuan immediately threw down his hand.

The four people from Community No. 3 had already developed great synergy; Lu Mingxuan's action indicated that his hand wasn't strong, so he could only rely on his two companions to raise the bet.

It was Lin Sizhi's turn.

He carefully pushed aside the overlapping cards in his hand and took a quick glance.

Then, he silently threw a full four 1000-point chips onto the table.

"Raise."

After speaking, Lin Sizhi stared calmly at Lu Xinyi, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Lu Xinyi's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Raising the bet to 4000 points right from the start meant that Lin Sizhi and Jiang He were definitely not the same type of player.

He was indeed more like a gambler who liked to go all-in.

But the question remained: did Lin Sizhi genuinely have a strong hand, or was he bluffing?

Many experienced gamblers were masters of this art: having a very weak hand, they could use superb acting and skillful play to make the opponent believe their hand was strong, thereby forcing the opponent to fold.

Admittedly, Lin Sizhi's acting was much better than Jiang He's; Lu Xinyi couldn't quite see through him for a moment.

But Lu Xinyi noticed that Lin Sizhi's hands were clasped together, and they seemed to be trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Was this also part of the act?

Lu Xinyi's mind raced.

Qin Yao chose to fold, which was normal. To call the bet now would require adding 4000 chips at once.

Lu Xinyi knew that even if Qin Yao exchanged blood for chips, she probably wouldn't have exchanged too many. At most, she would have around 30,000 chips on hand, and there was no need to force a call when her cards weren't good.

Lu Xinyi's gaze swept over the faces of the other three people from Community No. 3.

It was clear that none of them had strong hands; their expressions showed hesitation.

"You all fold."

Lu Xinyi picked up four 1000-point chips one by one from the chip pile in front of her: "I have to say, your skill is indeed much higher than that clumsy girl from before, and you're much bolder.

"I really can't tell if you genuinely have a strong hand or if you're bluffing.

"But unfortunately, you should have come in the previous game.

"Because now, my chip stack is much larger than yours, and I can catch you many times without any psychological burden.

"I bet you don't have a strong hand.

"Call."

Lin Sizhi's expression froze, and his fingers instinctively tightened.

One raised, one called, and the cards were automatically revealed.

Lin Sizhi silently turned over his hand.

Three of Hearts, Seven of Clubs, Five of Hearts.

Lu Xinyi's lips curved slightly as she revealed her hand: "I have a bunch of high Aces. Thanks."

Watching the mechanical arm sweep all the chips on the table to Lu Xinyi's side, Qin Yao also seemed a bit nervous.

It was clear that being seen through on the first round's bluff would be very disadvantageous for the subsequent games.

The psychological pressure on both sides was completely unbalanced.

Lin Sizhi seemed to adjust quickly, managing a strained smile. "It's just one game. Wins and losses are common at the gambling table. Let's continue."

In the second round, Lu Xinyi was the dealer.

Lu Mingxuan raised by 1000. It looked like his hand was good this time.

Lin Sizhi carefully examined his cards. His thinking time was noticeably longer than last time.

A moment later, he pulled four 1000 chips from his pocket.

"Raise."

Lu Xinyi was a little surprised. It was rare for someone to continue bluffing in the very next round after being caught bluffing in the previous one.

Perhaps Lin Sizhi's hand was indeed very good this time?

Or maybe he was exploiting the "hiding in plain sight" psychology in reverse.

Lu Xinyi looked at her own hand. Unfortunately, her hand was very bad this time, just a weak 7-high.

In this situation, even if Lin Sizhi was bluffing, it would be hard for her to catch him.

Not only that, but Qin Yao, sitting to Lin Sizhi's right, also took out a handful of chips from her pocket, counted out 5000, and placed them gently in the betting area.

"I'll raise too."

A large pile of chips accumulated in the betting area, instantly making the atmosphere tense.

Lu Xinyi stared at Qin Yao, trying to find any clues in her micro-expressions, but found nothing.

Judging by Qin Yao's expression, she was indeed very nervous. But the problem was, she wasn't playing with Jiang He this time; she was playing with Lin Sizhi.

Lu Xinyi knew that Lin Sizhi must have discussed some basic cooperation strategies with Qin Yao before they came.

Therefore, Lu Xinyi couldn't tell if Qin Yao's current nervous expression stemmed from bluffing or from her inner anxiety about some special plan.

"A double bluff?

"But, judging by the amount of chips, it's more likely that Qin Yao actually got a strong hand..."

Lu Xinyi knew that Qin Yao didn't have many chips. Even after exchanging blood for chips, she would have at most a little over 30,000.

Betting 5000 chips at once was definitely not a small amount.

It seemed Qin Yao's hand should be good.

However, Lu Xinyi couldn't rule out the possibility that both of them were bluffing. This round had to be revealed, otherwise, the mystery would never be solved.

But to reveal the cards, just calling wasn't enough.

The reason Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao had both raised was to infinitely increase the chips.

If Lu Xinyi called this round, then Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao would keep raising, up to eight thousand or even ten thousand.

Just like how Lu Xinyi and Lu Mingxuan had played before.

It would be a huge waste to pay such a high price to see the cards.

But Lu Xinyi wasn't flustered; she had another way.

The young man to Qin Yao's right had already chosen to fold. With a weak hand, 5000 chips exceeded his capacity.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Xinyi gave an instruction to the next player, a lady sitting to her left.

"Sister Liu, you'll see this hand through to the end."

Sister Liu was taken aback. She wanted to explain that her hand was really weak.

But Lu Xinyi shook her head slightly, signaling her not to say more.

Sister Liu could only lower her head and look at the few chips she had left. "Alright."

She was the unluckiest of the four from Community No. 3. In the previous game with Jiang He, she had lost more than she won, and now she only had 7000 chips left.

Of course, most of her chips had been won by Lu Xinyi and Lu Mingxuan.

The four people from Community No. 3 all had bad hands, but at least one person had to call to see the cards.

The more chips a person had, the greater the risk of calling to the end. Conversely, for someone like Sister Liu with few chips, going all-in at the end would only cost her a maximum of 7000 chips.

In terms of chip count, it was the optimal solution.

Sister Liu put in 5000 chips to call.

It was Lu Xinyi and Lu Mingxuan's turn, and both of them chose to fold.

Lu Mingxuan's hand was decent, but the chip amount this round exceeded his capacity.

Their main strategist was Lu Xinyi. Since Lu Xinyi needed to observe more before giving a clear instruction, Lu Mingxuan chose to fold for safety.

"So many people folding?

"What a shame. I'll raise again."

Lin Sizhi put another 2000 chip into the betting area.

"I'll raise too." Qin Yao also put in a 2000 chip.

Sister Liu looked at Lu Xinyi. After receiving a nod of affirmation, she threw all her remaining 2000 chips into the betting area.