To show off one's axe skills at the Ban Gate

After Zhuang Jia finished speaking, the scattered guests from the idle players also greeted Lao Hei one after another.

Someone even made a seat available for Lao Hei, inviting him to sit down.

Originally, Lao Hei tried to persuade me not to play, but he sat down openly instead.

He slapped the four hundred yuan in his hand onto the table and said to the dealer,

"Just one round, four hundred, no doubling. If I lose, I'll leave..."

They were playing a game called "La 9."

It was a popular folk variation in Harbin.

The rules were simple. Each player was dealt three cards, and the points were calculated based on the sum of the cards.

A counted as 1 point, while 10, J, Q, and K were all counted as zero points.

The rest were counted according to the face value of the cards.

Nine points was the highest, with a payout of five times the bet. Eight points paid three times, and seven points paid two times.

Below seven points, the payout was one time.

If the banker and the player had the same points, the banker won.

However, in this case, regardless of the points, the payout was always one time, without doubling.

"La 9" also had "Leopard" (three of a kind) and "Straight."

Only a Leopard of 3 was considered a Leopard, with a payout of ten times the bet.

The rest were not considered Leopards and were counted according to the normal points.

Straight only counted as 2, 3, 4 because their sum was exactly nine points, with a payout of eight times the bet.

Other straights were counted according to their normal points.

As for Lao Hei's remark about not doubling, it meant that regardless of the points he got with this four hundred, even if it was a Leopard of 3, he would not double the payout and it would be counted as one time.

Generally, when someone says they won't double, it means they're out of money. Because if they double and lose, they won't be able to pay the banker.

This type of gameplay was straightforward, without any technical skills, and greatly favored by gamblers.

Lao Hei had a good idea.

In the first round, he was dealt J, 7, A, totaling eight points, while the banker had five points.

Under normal circumstances, Lao Hei would have bet four hundred and won double, meaning he could have won eight hundred.

But since he said no doubling, he could only win four hundred.

After playing for a while, Lao Hei's luck with the cards was good, and he won over two thousand yuan.

Seeing me standing on the side, he was afraid I would be bored.

So he took out one thousand yuan and handed it to me, saying,

"This round is going well. Why don't you join in? Don't worry, if you lose, I'll cover it..."

Lao Hei didn't care much about money and was a generous person.

But I shook my head and refused.

I still adhered to my rules. I always observed first before participating in any game, after ensuring there were no issues.

I watched the game for a while, and I can be certain that the house cheated.

However, the methods used by the house were quite pathetic.

The cheating method was just one.

Bottom dealing.

It involved occasionally dealing a card from the bottom of the deck.

Perhaps the dealer himself knew that his skills were lacking.

Usually, he didn't dare to use it.

He would place two fingers on the card underneath, but due to nervousness, he failed to execute it.

I found it amusing in my heart.

To think that he would dare to use such a clumsy technique that even an amateur could see through.

He must not be afraid of being caught and having his hands chopped off.

In addition to observing the table, I also paid attention to the surroundings of the gambling area.

Although this place is not a formal casino, just a chess and card room.

But there may still be secret signals.

However, in this game, the secret signals seemed inadequate.

I've been watching for so long, and only one person who looked like a signaler came over.

But he just glanced at the table and left.

Instead, a young man next to him, with dirty clothes, messy hair, and a face covered in dirt, caught my attention.

He appeared to be quite young, maybe around eighteen or nineteen.

His clothes were baggy and oversized, with a few patches.

Based on his appearance, it was hard to tell whether he was male or female.

But I noticed that his eyes were beautiful.

Clear and bright.

At first, I thought he was one of the undercover signalers in the establishment.

However, after observing him for a while, I realized that this beggar-like young person...

Was not interested in the game but rather in who was winning and losing.

Whenever he saw someone winning money, he would try to get closer.

It seems he was a beggar hoping to mooch some lucky money.

Because of the rules of playing "La Jiuzhong", betting comes first.

After three cards are dealt, the player compares their points with the banker's separately. There is no process of requesting additional cards or placing further bets.

This also means that besides changing the hidden cards, players have no other effective method to cheat.

Even if you know the cards and find a suitable moment, it's useless because the comparison is done immediately after dealing.

Hiding cards implies the risk of being caught with evidence, carrying the guilt at all times.

The best way to win money is to be the banker.

In this game, the banker position is not fixed.

Whoever gets a "Baozi 3" (three of a kind) or a straight like "234" can become the banker.

If someone doesn't have enough money to be the banker or doesn't want to be, they can sell the banker position for a few hundred bucks.

While observing, I noticed that Lao Hei had already lost all his money.

I could tell he still wanted to play.

Sitting there, he seemed reluctant to leave his seat.

So, I took out two thousand yuan and threw it on Lao Hei's table, saying,

"You can use this to keep playing..."

Lao Hei glanced at me gratefully.

Seeing that I had a good relationship with Lao Hei, the banker invited me voluntarily, saying,

"Come on, buddy, open a hand too..."

I had actually intended to join, and his invitation came just at the right time.

I found a seat and sat down accordingly.

The minimum bet for this round was one hundred yuan, while the maximum was one thousand yuan.

I casually bet one or two hundred yuan.

I didn't care about winning or losing, just patiently waiting for an opportunity to be the banker.

Perhaps my luck was just terrible.

After playing for over an hour, I never got a "Baozi 3" or a straight.

I decided that I couldn't wait like this anymore.

Cheating was the quickest solution.

Because Liu Ye had warned me before.

Cheaters cannot leave any evidence on their person.

Leaving evidence behind meant planting the seeds of calamity.

I asked Liu Ye what to do if I had to hide cards and steal cards.

Liu Ye remained silent for a long time before finally telling me:

There is only one method: sleight of hand, framing others.

But it's best not to use that method.

This is also the reason why I hesitated to cheat and hide cards.

In this hand, I have four points, two twos, and a ten.

After comparing the cards, when I placed them back into the deck, I discreetly kept one of the twos in my hand.

This move is called "Concealing the Universe in My Palm" in the realm of sleight of hand.

It belongs to the beginner level of sleight of hand techniques.

Usually, when a cheat is involved, their fingers involuntarily curl inward.

This ensures that the cards in their hand won't fall.

But I don't need to do that; I keep my palm flat, and the cards in my hand won't drop either.

If someone wants to see what's in my palm, when I turn my palm over,

I can flip the cards onto the back of my hand at a speed that the naked eye can't perceive. The cards still won't fall.

Of course, in a chaotic situation like this, where there are many onlookers,

After concealing the cards in my palm, I need to quickly transfer them elsewhere.

Into my sleeve, my clothes, my pants.

Anywhere that's convenient for me.

After hiding one of the twos, after a few rounds, I finally managed to use that two to form a straight of 2-3-4.

But I didn't bet much, only 100, eight times the amount.

The banker had to pay me 800, and at the same time, I could become the banker.

Shuffling, cutting, dealing.

Everything appears completely normal.

But in reality, I am already in control of the entire situation.

During shuffling, I can remember the order of every single card without using any sleight of hand techniques.

And when dealing, I can randomly draw any one of the 52 cards.

Even if you stare intently, with your eyes wide open, you won't be able to spot any flaws.

But I'm still cautious; most of the hands I deal are neither too big nor too small.

I aim to kill three players and pay out to two.

Of course, among the players I pay, there will almost always be the blacklisted ones.

Occasionally, I may go easy and let everyone win.

I'm playing the game.

Suddenly, a man's voice came from beside me.

"This guy looks unfamiliar..."

(End of chapter)