Card Room

Chapter 298 - Largest Card Hand

The Clubs teenager had Xiao Lou, Ye Qi and the others who weren’t directly involved go to the neighboring room.

This VIP room had an inner and an outer room. The outer room was spacious and had a card table that seated up to 10 people. The inner room was a lounge and the two rooms were separated by floor to ceiling glass. In this way, those who didn’t play the game could watch from the inner room. They could see the situation of the card table clearly but they couldn’t affect the people at the table.

After bringing his teammates to the inner room, Xiao Lou found that the lounge had snacks and fruits prepared for everyone. However, they weren’t in the mood to eat. Their expressions were full of worry.

Xiao Lou took the initiative to comfort his teammates. “Card games have a certain element of luck. Besides, this isn’t a game of life and death. If we lose everything then we will make money again.”

His mouthful of poisonous words made Ye Qi laugh. “Yes, if it doesn’t work then I can sing on the streets.”

Old Mo added, “I can also run my decoration company again.”

Long Sen said, “I don’t know if there is a shortage of school physical education teachers here? Or I can be a fitness trainer.”

Qu Wanyue continued, “The income of a dance teacher should be pretty good.”

Liu Qiao thoughtfully touched her chin. “I haven’t graduated from university. If I go to the pharmacy to apply for an internship, will anyone accept me?”

Xiao Lou didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “We shouldn’t be so miserable that we have to collectively go to work as a group.”

Everyone relaxed a lot after the conversation. Ye Qi said, “In addition to luck, the key to poker is playing skills and psychological quality. I don’t know how to play but I’ve seen poker world championships on the Internet before. The professional poker players are very calm. No matter what, Chief Shao and Group Leader Yu have a first-rate psychological quality. They aren’t worse than these wealthy people.”

Xiao Lou agreed. “So there is no need to be too pessimistic. Just watch them play.”

At this time, Shao Qingge and Yu Hanjiang were already sitting at the poker table.

The Clubs teenager put on white gloves. He was obviously going to be the dealer in this game. He introduced everyone present in turn. Number 1 was Li Mo, the richest real estate developer in the Card World. Number 2 was surnamed Zhang, a capable woman with short hair. She was the owner of an Internet technology company. Both of these people were young and promising.

Number 4 was a slightly fat middle-aged man with the surname Liu. His family was in the clothing business and he was a rich second generation.

A shrewd-looking man wearing glasses was number 5. He was the boss of a movie and television company and his surname was He. Number 7 was a stylishly dressed curly-haired woman. She had the surname Wang and was the owner of a luxury brand. The bald man as number 8 was the boss of an electronics business surnamed Chen. All four were over 40 years old based on their appearance.

Since these people were all bosses, they called each other names like ‘Chief Chen’ and ‘Chief Wang.’ The Clubs teenager introduced them to Shao Qingge and Yu Hanjiang in the same manner. Yu Hanjiang was sitting in position 3 and Shao Qingge in position 6.

The game began and they took turns in the dealer position.

The Clubs teenager opened his mouth. “In this game, each chip represents 1 million. The small blind bet is two chips and the big blind bet is four chips. Take turns to be the dealer and there is no limit. In the first game, Chief Li is the dealer.”

In the rules of poker, the dealer didn’t need to bet. The first player on the left hand side of the dealer (clockwise) placed the small blind while the second place placed the big blind. ‘Blind’ meant they had to bet before looking at the cards. Their vision was dark and it was entirely up to luck. This rule was to avoid the situation where everyone kept folding. The present of the blinds meant that if everyone had a bad hand and collectively folded, the dealer would win the blind bets.

After the blind, the hole cards were dealt clockwise. After looking at the hands, the next player after the big blind would take turns clockwise to fold, call or raise. The call must be equal to the previous player’s bet and the raise was higher than the previous player.

In every round of the game, the big blind was the last person to speak. In the first game, number 1 was the dealer, number 2 was the small blind and number 3 Yu Hanjiang was the big blind. For the hole cards, everyone got two hidden cards that only they could see. XIao Lou and the others couldn’t see it from their room.

Yu Hanjiang’s expression was calm while Shao Qingge was smiling and looking very relaxed. Number 2 pushed two chips into the middle of the table and Yu Hanjiang calmly placed four chips into the prize pool.

It was the flop. Three community cards were opened on the table: 5 of Clubs, 7 of Hearts and 9 of Hearts.

Such community cards had many different hands such as a straight of 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. Perhaps someone already had the 2 of Hearts in their hand and could wait for a flush of hearts. Or someone could have a pair of 5, 7 or 9 in their hands and could make three of a kind.

In such a game, players with a good hand would definitely call. Sure enough, the number 4 person next to Yu Hanjiang, the middle-aged uncle calmly followed with 4 million gold coins.

Number 5 was also a middle-aged man with silver-rimmed glasses. He pushed up his glasses and smiled. “Raise.” Then he pushed eight chips into the prize pool, raising it by 8 million gold coins.

Number 6 Shao Qingge simply folded and the curly-haired woman at number 7 also folded. Chief Chen was the bald man sitting at number 8. His head could almost reflect the light of the crystal chandelier as he calmly said, “Follow.”

There were eight more chips.

The number 1 dealer Li Mo looked calm as he stated, “Add 12.”

Number 2 folded.

Once it was Yu Hanjiang’s turn, Xiao Lou nervously calculated the prize pool in his mind. 2 chips for the small blind, 4 chips for the big blind, 4 chips for number 4, 8 chips for number 5, 8 chips for number 8 and 12 chips for number 1. The current total prize pool was 38 million.

Sweat dripped down his back. The exchange ratio of gold coins to RMB was 100: 1 so this was 389,000 when converted to RMB. It was only one game.

The world of the wealthy was too terrible. What would Group Leader Yu do? Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang nervously. Yu Hanjiang calmly chose to fold. Folding meant he would lose the 4 chips from the big blind just now but it was better than betting and losing.

There was a saying ‘losing less is equal to winning more.’ In this game, they shouldn’t play cards with impetuous hearts. In the first game, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge both folded on the flop and the remaining bigshots continued to fight.

On the turn card, A of Clubs revealed the fourth card which was a 3 of Diamonds. At this point, the amount of the bet had reached 1200. Number 4 frowned and folded. Number 5 also folded while number 8 chose to follow with 12. Li Mo also continued to call.

It was the river card and A of Clubs opened the last community card: 2 of Clubs.

Number 8 smiled helplessly and folded directly. Li Mo won automatically. He calmly revealed his hand which was two 7s.

The community cards were: 5 of Clubs, 7 of Hearts, 9 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds and 2 of Clubs. Li Mo had three 7s.

Number 8 who folded at two Hearts cards in his hand. He obviously wanted to bet on a straight flush but unfortunately, his luck at the end was bad. Li Mo got 60 chips.

Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge looked at each other tacitly. Yu Hanjiang actually got two kings and Shao Qingge got an A and a 9. Their initial hole cards were good but they still chose to fold to observe.

In the second game, number 2 was the dealer and Yu Hanjiang was the small blind of 2 chips. On the flop, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge folded again. In the third game, Yu Hanjiang was the dealer and still folded. Shao Qingge followed him by folding.

The fourth game, the fifth game...

As the games continued, the teammates observing found that Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge had folded eight games in a row! Moreover, they folded at the flop where only three community cards were turned over. Was it because their luck was extremely bad today and their hole cards were super bad every time?

The mood of the team members was a bit uneasy.

However, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge looked the same. The former still had a calm expression while the latter had a smile on his face. They put on an attitude of ‘you play, I will just watch the show.’

Ye Qi couldn’t help speaking. “Are they under too much pressure and don’t dare to bet with the bigshots?”

Qu Wanyue sighed. “The world of the rich is really terrible. After playing eight games, Li Mo has won the most at present. I think he has won hundreds of chips. One chip is worth 1 million! I can’t imagine it.”

Long Sen smiled bitterly. “If it was me then I would be shaking just sitting there. Tens of millions of gold coins in one round is simply the rhythm of buying a villa in a game!”

Xiao Lou told them, “Don’t be nervous. Group Leader Yu and Chief Shao shouldn’t be folding because of pressure. They must be observing their opponents.”

Ye Qi looked at Xiao Lou. “Professor Xiao, what do you mean?”

“The first time you play cards with people, you have to figure out their styles. There is no need to play too hard in the first few games. Based on my understanding of Group Leader Yu, he might fold even if he gets good cards. As for Chief Shao... he might usually play cards very freely but this time he is facing a financial strength that far exceeds ours. If he is too unrestrained and loses all his chips then he will be very passive.”

The simple truth was that if someone knew you only had 20 chips at most, they could raise it by 20 directly to force you to go all in. If your cards were a bit worse then you would lose directly.

Currently, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge only had 100 chips from A of Clubs. Even if they exchanged it with the amount in their bank account, the maximum number was no more than 500 chips. The game would last for four hours and the rhythm of poker was very fast. One game only took 1-3 minutes.

In each round, the big and small blinds added 2 and 4 chips. If you weren’t the big and small blinds then you could fold after seeing the cards and there was no need to lose money.

Although the two of them folded in eight consecutive games and it seemed a bit embarrassing, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge actually only lost the big and small blinds once, in other words, a total of 12 chips. They still had a lot of chips in their hands. There was still a long time left. The game was four hours from 8 to 12 so there was no need to worry.

The team members saw that Xiao Lou’s mentality was very stable and gradually relaxed. After all, the one who knew Group Leader Yu best was Xiao Lou. If he thought that Group Leader Yu was fine then they believed in his judgment. Indeed, Group Leader Yu’s expression was very calm.

On the second round around the table, it was Li Mo’s turn to be the dealer again.

Li Mo gave Yu Hanjiang a thoughtful look. Would this handsome man who had always been sitting like a statue continue to fold? He smiled at Yu Hanjiang. “Mr Yu, is your luck so bad today? You folded eight games.”

Yu Hanjiang replied lightly, “It is really a bit bad. I get bad cards like 3 and 4 every time.”

Li Mo shrugged in a noncommittal manner. “I hope you and Mr Shao will have better luck in the second round. We don’t want the two of you to keep watching all the time.”

The number 5 man with glasses joked. “I also folded three games today. Chief Li, why don’t you care if my cards are bad?”

Li Mo smiled. “I am meeting Mr Yu and Mr Shao for the first time today after all. Chief He, you are an old fox. You won so much money from me last time. I want you to spit it all out today.”

Chief He chuckled. “Then it depends on Chief Li’s luck today.”

They casually joked together. They should’ve played cards together often and were very familiar with each other. Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge looked at each other. After eight games of observation, the two of them already knew the opponents at the poker table.

The number 1 Li Mo played very steadily and would fold if he had a bad hand. Usually when he called, he had a good hand and often won. This scheming man could definitely count cards and probabilities. He was currently the biggest winner.

The two women, the short-haired Chief Zhang in the number 2 position and the curly-haired Chief Wang in the number 7 position were more cautious. The number of folds with their hole cards was only second to Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge. They raised depending on their hand.

Chief Liu in the number 4 position and Chief He in the number 5 position had similar styles. They went for one or two rounds to see the situation and would fold if it was wrong. They rarely got to the last round and folded on the turn i.e. when the fourth community card was turned over.

The bald Chief Chen in the number 8 position was the most unrestrained player and loved to bet on luck. As long as his hand was a bit better, he would raise and call. He would bet until the last round and it was common for him to lose dozens of chips in a round. He had a lot of money and wasn’t afraid of losing.

Xiao Lou’s speculation was correct. Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge were indeed observing the players at the table to find out their details and play style. In the second round, Li Mo was the dealer and Yu Hanjiang was the big blind.

Once three community cards were opened, Shao Qingge called 4 chips. The next four people also called, including Yu Hanjiang. The cards on the table were 7 of Spades, 8 of Spades and 9 of Diamonds.

The community cards themselves were a straight. If someone got a 5 and 6 or 10 and J, they could make a straight. If someone had the 2 of Spades, they could also wait for the fifth spades card to make a flush.

All eight people called, indicating that everyone had the chance to get a big hand.

Li Mo glanced at Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge. The two watchers were finally participating in the game. As the biggest winner at the moment, Li Mo’s chips were piled up in three stacks in front of him. He wanted to see how the two men played next.

On the turn card, the keeper opened the fourth card: A of Clubs.

The appearance of this card made things more complicated. If someone’s hold cards were a pair of A, they could combine it with the A of Clubs to make three of a kind. This was considered a big hand. However, a flush was greater than a straight and a straight was greater than three of a kind... people might not dare to call.

This was the time when mentality was important.

The number 4 Chief Liu called with 4, the number 5 Chief He also called with 4, the number 6 Shao Qingge folded, the number 7 Chief Wang folded and the number 8 bald-headed Chief Chen started to play freely again. He directly raised it to 12!

It was Li Mo’s turn and he deliberately increased the raise amount. “24.”

The man gently pushed 24 chips into the prize pool and gave Yu Hanjiang a thoughtful look.

Li Mo was deliberately putting pressure on today’s newcomers. Number 2 after him folded directly. To his surprise, the new handsome guy didn’t frown when he saw that Li Mo added 24. His expression remained as calm as usual. “Call.”

Yu Hanjiang also threw 24 chips into the prize pool.

It was the river card. The last community card was opened by the Clubs teenager to reveal a 9 of Spades.

The community cards: 7 of Spades, 8 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds, A of Clubs and 9 of Spades.

There were many hands that could be formed such as three of a kind, straight, flush, four of a kind and even a straight flush! There were still five people at the table and they started to express their intentions.

Number 4 thought for a while before folding. Number 5 also folded. This was also within Yu Hanjiang’s expectations since 4 and 5 didn’t have a special style.

Number 8 was different. His hand should be good so he simply raised. “Let’s have a whole number. 30.”

It was Li Mo’s turn and he smiled. “Raise, 36.”

He glanced at Yu Hanjiang. Yu Hanjiang was the last to speak. This position had the advantage of being able to observe the attitude of the others before making a decision. The disadvantage was that if the person before him raised the amount higher, he had to match it to call.

Before the hole cards were dealt, he bet 4 chips due to the big blind. On the flop, he called with 4. On the turn, he called with 24. If he continued to call with 36 chips then he would bet up to 68 million in this game!

Xiao Lou’s heart was in his throat and he couldn’t help clenching his fists by his side.

Yu Hanjiang’s expression didn’t change. He looked back at Li Mo and said calmly, “Call, 36.”

He counted 36 chips and threw them into the prize pool. There were gasps from the lounge. The team members were obviously surprised by Group Leader Yu’s actions!

The Clubs teenager said, “Please turn over your hands to compare the size.”

There were three people left at the table. The teammates on the sidelines couldn’t help standing up. They walked to the glass to carefully look at the cards on the table.

The community cards: 7 of Spades, 8 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds, A of Clubs, 9 of Spades.

Li Mo’s cards were: 9 of Hearts and 9 of Clubs. In the flop, he already had three of a kind. The last river card was a 9 and he got 9999. This was a very large hand.

Number 8’s hand was: 5 of Hearts and 6 of Spades. Add them to the community cards and he had a straight of 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

The last one was Yu Hanjiang. Everyone looked at him nervously. The man looked calm as he gently revealed his hand with his slender fingers.

A 10 of Spades and J of Spades.

In other words, when only three cards were revealed on the flop, he had already made up a straight of 7, 8, 9, 10 and J. Finally, once the 9 of Spades were turned over on the river, he could replace the 9 of Diamonds. He formed a pure spades set of 7, 8, 9, 10 and J—a straight flush!

No wonder why he had to call the big amount of 36 on the last round. It was because this time, his hand was already the largest one that could exist on the table!

The Clubs teenager opened his mouth. “Number 3, Yu Hanjiang won.”

The round chips piled up on the table were calmly taken by Yu Hanjiang. In this game, he won a total of 200 chips!

Ye Qi almost jumped up and down excitedly. “Group Leader Yu won 200 million in this game!”

Everyone saw the huge pile of round chips in front of Yu Hanjiang and sighed with relief.

Xiao Lou released his fists and a smile appeared on his face. Group Leader Yu was indeed reliable. He knew that with Yu Hanjiang’s calm character, he must have the biggest card type that existed before betting with Li Mo. Otherwise, once the 9 of Spade was revealed last, there might be a 9999 on the field. If he didn’t have a straight flush then it was quite risky to call 36 chips.

Folding for eight consecutive games and only calling when he got the biggest hand, Yu Hanjiang’s strategy could be called ‘as stable as Mount Tai.’

However, in this round, there were too many big hands possible with the community cards. The number 8 bald middle-aged man and the number 1 Li Mo both became the fattest fish eaten by Yu Hanjiang!

Proofreader: Fictional Reality