The dealer turned to the crowd and extended another invitation. "Our Texas Hold'em table is currently one player short. Anyone want to join?"
A slight commotion arose in the crowd.
The gamblers whispered among themselves, their eyes darting between Draco and the other players, but no one stepped forward.
Are you kidding me? They saw what happened in those rounds! That dark-haired young man is a monster!
The opponent's mental fortitude was as strong as iron, and his betting was as ruthless as a madman. Most importantly, his luck with the cards and his unfathomable aura made it impossible for anyone to figure him out.
Play against him? That's just throwing money away! Even the bespectacled guy with two Kings lost so badly, who would dare to risk their life?
No one answered from the crowd, so the dealer prepared to invite them again.
"Fine, let's just the five of us play," Draco said.
Whether there are many people or few makes no difference to him.
"I have no objection!" The trendy young man was the first to respond. Fewer people would reduce the chances of things happening, allowing him to focus on dealing with Draco.
The middle-aged man nodded, and the older woman agreed.
The fat man had no objections.
"Five players, Texas Hold'em, blinds unchanged, now the cards are dealt." Seeing no objections, the dealer picked up the cards again, shuffled and cut the deck, and a new round of play began.
The atmosphere in this game was exceptionally strange.
The cards are dealt, and everyone looks at them.
The fat man glanced casually at his two cards, then his eyes suddenly lit up with wild joy. He almost couldn't control his expression, so he took a puff of his cigar to cover it up with smoke.
The well-off middle-aged woman looked at the cards twice before calmly placing them face down. She had the Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Hearts!
The middle-aged man remained calm and collected. His hand consisted of the Jack of Hearts and the Jack of Spades, a not particularly strong pair, but passable.
This time, the young man had learned his lesson. He looked at his cards expressionlessly, then subtly scanned everyone. He had the 6 and 7 of diamonds! His hand was weak, but he could start with a flush draw.
Draco glanced at it casually and then closed the card.
"500!" The fat man bet that amount again, wanting to build up the pot and pave the way for a possible flush or straight.
Seeing the fat man place his bet, the middle-aged woman was overjoyed, but pretended to hesitate before gritting her teeth and following suit. "I'll bet 500!"
With AA in hand, she naturally wants more people to join the pool.
When it's Draco's turn, let's not say anything more:
"2000." Another opening cap!
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat! It's that trick again! The audience was also eagerly anticipating this scene. "Here we go again! Capping the game right from the start!"
"I knew this bastard didn't know the meaning of being low-key!"
"Is this another bluff?"
"Look at his expression, it's exactly the same as when he was bluffing! I bet he's still cheating!"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned; he needed more information.
So he decided to call and see, "Call 2000."
Seeing that everyone else had followed suit, the young man had a flush draw, a strong hand, and frustrated with Draco, he didn't hesitate:
"Follow 2000!"
This time, neither the fat man nor the middle-aged woman were scared off.
"They've all followed! This is going to be interesting!"
"This pool... wow, it's already this big in just the first round!"
"The black-haired man is under a lot of pressure; four people are going head-to-head with him!"
The dealer then turned over the three community cards on the table.
Square 10, Square J, Square A.
This deck of cards is practically tailor-made for this battle of the gods; everyone sees what they've always dreamed of!
Besides Draco...
In the second round of betting, the fat man looked at his 8 and 9, knowing he was only one card away from a straight flush—either a Q or a 7—so he chose:
"Call 2000." The fat man's expression was very calm.
Upon seeing A, the middle-aged woman was overjoyed, but she had to pretend to be reluctant. "Follow 2000."
"2000." Draco continued to bet.
The middle-aged man hit the top three Jacks, but seeing the three diamonds made him uneasy. The betting by the fat man and the middle-aged woman also made him wary. However, it was only the first round, so he chose to call 2000 and see how things would develop.
When the young man saw the three diamonds, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat—he had hit a flush! This gave him a huge boost of confidence; although some could beat a flush, they weren't common.
"2000." The young man nervously followed suit.
In the second round, all five players called again!
The pool has swelled to an alarming degree!
"They all followed it again! They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"
"I've never seen such a big pot on the flop!"
Amidst the gamblers' frenzied discussion, the dealer dealt the fourth community card: the King of Diamonds. The community cards are now:
10 of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Spades
The appearance of this Ace makes the hand more complicated.
The fat man didn't hit any cards, but his flush draw had huge potential, so he still chose to call 2000 in this round.
Upon seeing the second Ace, the woman felt that her four Aces were unbeatable unless someone hit a straight flush, which seemed highly likely. However, the four Aces gave her a lot of confidence, so she calmly called 2000.
"Follow 2000." Draco didn't mince words and went straight to the answer.
The second Ace upgraded the middle-aged man's three Jacks into a Full House, meaning three of a kind with a pair. This hand was almost Cleansweep, with only four of a kind and a straight flush able to beat him.
So he confidently bet 2000.
Two Aces appeared on the community cards, which meant that the probability of three Aces and four Aces was very high. The young man could reliably win three Aces, and the possibility of four Aces was extremely small. This was the best hand out of the three rounds, so he wanted to take a gamble and called 2000.
In the third round, all five players called again, and the pot had piled up to a mountain, the gleam of the chips almost blinding.
All the onlookers held their breath, waiting for the final river card. This wasn't a gamble; it was a brutal war, where everyone seemed to hold a deadly weapon.
The dealer deals the final river card, the Queen of Diamonds.
Final community cards: 10 of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Spades, Queen of Diamonds.
The fat man's pupils contracted sharply when he saw the Q of Diamonds!
His 8 and 9 of diamonds, together with the community cards of 10, J, Q, and A of diamonds, formed a straight flush of 8-9-10-JQ!
If you want to earn more money, you have to be a good actor.
"2000." The fat man placed his bet with a calm expression.
The middle-aged woman, the middle-aged man, and the young man felt a sudden jolt of fear. The probability of a straight flush was too high, but the woman's four aces were an unbeatable hand for a straight flush, so she was unwilling to fold and decisively placed a bet: "2000".
"2000." Draco without hesitation.
The middle-aged man looked at the cards, at the fat man's bet, at the older woman's call, and at Draco's calmness. His full house was a slim chance of winning against a possible straight flush and four of a kind.
Finally, the middle-aged man closed his eyes in anguish, let out a long sigh, and shoved his cards. "Fold." Reason had triumphed over greed, but giving up such a huge pot still tore at his heart.
The young man glanced at the poor little flush; it was a joke in the face of a possible straight flush.
The young man gave a bitter laugh and folded.
Now it's time for the showdown!