The Philanthropic Gambling King Tsunade

Uchiha Mai had a vague intuition that there was something strange about this table.

Taking advantage of his short stature—a "blessing" in disguise—Uchiha Mai turned into a slippery eel, twisting and turning through the crowd until he squeezed into the very front, arriving at the gambling table.

Looking up, he saw seven or eight gamblers seated at the table. Most were generic-looking extras, but one blonde woman particularly caught Uchiha Mai's attention.

Her long golden hair was tied into two low ponytails that draped over her shoulders, looking messy and far less silky than one might expect.

Her grey undershirt was stretched tight by the prominent mounds on her chest, showcasing a fiery figure. Had he been tall enough and positioned at a better angle, he might have seen that bottomless cleavage from behind her.

Over the undershirt, she wore a sky-blue coat, which lacked the "Gambling" kanji on the back—a detail that differed from Shippuden.

Uchiha Mai leaned in and caught a glimpse of the woman's profile; her features were so exquisite she looked like she had walked straight out of an anime.

If one ignored the sleep in the corners of her eyes, the chive bun hanging from her mouth, and the half-bottle of sake by her hand, she was an absolute ten-out-of-ten beauty.

Without a doubt, this woman was Tsunade.

A group of hormone-fueled gamblers crowded behind Tsunade, jostling each other but not daring to get too close, unsure if they were watching the cards or the woman.

Seeing Uchiha Mai take the initiative to approach Tsunade, they couldn't help but feel a sense of respect. How impressive; this little pervert is doing what we all want to do but don't dare.

Tsunade turned her head slightly to glance at Uchiha Mai. Seeing a delicate, handsome young boy, she didn't feel much repulsion.

She picked up her bottle, took a swig, and let out a boozy burp right into Uchiha Mai's face. With a flushed complexion, she asked, "Kid, what do you want?"

"Nothing much, I just want to watch you play cards, big sister," Uchiha Mai smiled.

"Hmph, you little brat, you've got good taste!"

Tsunade gave a haughty snort, ruffled Uchiha Mai's hair, and boasted shamelessly, "I've been gambling since I was four years old.

In the past thirty years, I've played every gambling game in the ninja world and visited every casino. There isn't a single way to gamble that I don't know.

At the card table, even the likes of the God of Shinobi Senju Hashirama and the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama were defeated by me.

If you watch me play, you're bound to learn a lot."

This old woman really can lie without blinking.

Uchiha Mai suppressed the urge to retort and smiled, "Big sister, you're joking. You look like you're only eighteen, not much older than me. How could you be over thirty?"

No woman is indifferent to her age, especially Tsunade. If she didn't care so much about her appearance, she wouldn't have learned the Yin Seal.

"Hiccup... caught in a lie by a little brat like you."

Tsunade let out another burp, puffed out her chest, and said, "I really am only eighteen.

But even so, I've been obsessed with the way of gambling for over a decade. If you can learn even a fraction of my skill, it'll serve you for a lifetime and let you win in every casino."

Pfft!

The onlookers crowding behind Tsunade showed expressions of disdain. You Big Fat Sheep, you really have no shame.

Anyone who frequented Tanzaku Town knew she had been a famous Big Fat Sheep for over a decade. Eighteen back then, and still eighteen now?

Deceiving an innocent, handsome boy—how shameless!

At this moment, Master Minato led Guy and Kakashi to the outer edge of the crowd.

Seeing Mai chatting enthusiastically with the target and recalling how composed Uchiha Mai had been at the inn, he decided not to rush forward.

"Big sister is absolutely right," Uchiha Mai said with a beaming smile, his handsome little face looking completely harmless.

"Watch closely."

Tsunade muttered, then watched as the dealer dealt two cards. She took a deep breath, looking incredibly nervous as she peeled back a corner of her cards.

After checking her hole cards and seeing a Diamond 2 and a Spade 2, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly covered them back up.

The ninja world was a strange place; it had English and advanced mathematics, so the appearance of playing cards in a casino was perfectly reasonable.

Because of his height, Uchiha Mai had also seen Tsunade's hole cards. Confused by her excitement, he asked, "What are you playing, big sister?"

"Texas Hold'em," Tsunade replied.

Uchiha Mai: "..."

Playing Texas Hold'em and getting excited over a pocket pair of 2s? What the hell!

The general rules of Texas Hold'em involve each player receiving two hole cards, followed by five community cards. Players must choose the best five-card combination out of the seven available.

Aside from community cards, small blinds, and big blinds, the rules were identical to the showdowns seen in movies like God of Gamblers or All for the Winner.

A pair of 2s could hit three-of-a-kind, a full house, four-of-a-kind, or a flush. The total probability of hitting these hands was less than 20%.

Most of the time, players could only form high cards, one pair, or two pairs. Among these, the probability of a high card was the lowest.

In other words, as long as you call, you're guaranteed at least a pair.

The probability of a pocket pair hitting three-of-a-kind is 13%, while a non-paired hole card has a 50% chance of pairing up during the flop (the first three community cards).

Tsunade's hole cards had a heads-up win rate of less than 25%. There were seven people at this table; for every additional player in the pot, the win rate dropped further.

At this point, the players at the table had already begun to bet.

The small blind was 200 ryo and the big blind was 400 ryo. Tsunade was seated two spots after the big blind, a very early position.

Position is also crucial in Texas Hold'em; players after the blinds must choose to check, fold, or raise based on their hole cards.

Theoretically, the later the position, the wider the range of hands one can play, as one can analyze information based on the actions of the preceding players.

Tsunade's position was two seats after the big blind, known as Under the Gun +1; theoretically, she could only deduce information about the hole cards of the player immediately before her.

According to GTO Theory—that is, the Game Theory Optimal strategy—it is not recommended to enter the pot from this position unless one holds a premium hand.

With a pocket pair of 2s, folding immediately is the optimal choice.

After the previous player raised 2,000 yen, Tsunade did not choose to fold, but instead, with great bravado, chose to call the 2,000 yen.

This move was truly baffling.

"Big sister, are your hole cards that strong?" Uchiha Mai asked.

"Kid, you saw my hole cards just now, didn't you? Are they not strong?" Tsunade asked back, looking somewhat puzzled.

His knuckles turned white, and his blood pressure spiked.

Uchiha Mai finally understood why Tsunade lost so much money. This woman wasn't just unlucky; her playing skills were abysmal.

Setting aside the questionable decision to call a raise with a pocket pair of 2s, she chose to just call instead of re-raising.

The optimal play for this hand is to fold, while a more aggressive—albeit foolish—approach would be to call the 2,000 yen and then re-raise by ten or twenty thousand, representing a pocket pair of Aces or Kings to bluff.

If lucky, the high cost of entry might scare off the other players, allowing her to successfully steal the 2,600 yen pot contributed by the previous three players.

Spending tens of thousands to steal 2,600 yen is indeed stupid, but it's not as stupid as Tsunade's move of just calling without raising, which is essentially throwing money away.

As for Tsunade, I definitely have to write about gambling. I enjoy playing Texas Hold'em myself, so I'll be writing about it in some detail; I hope everyone understands.

Finally, please vote for this book.