Chapter 21: The Poker Game

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Originally, there should have been no further interaction between the two men, but recently, Link had become quite well-known in New York, and Tony Stark had come to the city to check on the progress of Stark Tower. Naturally, a few business associates needed to be met, and Pepper Potts had arranged a gala.

During the event, poker was mentioned, and someone brought up Link, the rising poker star whose reputation had skyrocketed. It was then that Tony Stark remembered the guy who had once won five million from him. Intrigued, he immediately inquired about Link and got hold of his phone number.

Link had participated in numerous poker games, with varying stakes. The best targets were always gamblers—they were easy to win against, especially when they got emotional. Professional games, on the other hand, required strategy and typically offered smaller wins, so Link often had to set up traps to win bigger.

Tony Stark, in a phone call, had told Link that this upcoming game would be a big one. Link, of course, never thought he would lose, especially since it was just a matter of signing checks at the end—no need to bring cash.

Jessica was astonished. "Is it really Stark?"

"Of course. Didn't I tell you before? I won five million from him," Link replied with a grin.

"That's unbelievable!" Jessica was shocked.

...

The next evening, after a dinner out, Link dropped Jessica off at home and then began preparing for the game. He picked out his suit, shirt, tie, cufflinks, watch, and shoes. He also made sure to conceal a weapon under his suit jacket, bringing along his checkbook and three cigars.

"How do I look?" Link asked, turning to Jessica for approval.

"You look amazing!" she said, adjusting his tie. "But don't get too caught up in winning."

"Don't worry, Stark's no match for me," Link gave her a confident smile.

Driving downtown, he arrived at a luxurious hotel, which had special rooms for events like this.

"Mr. Stark!" Link greeted as he entered the room, spotting Tony. "Didn't expect you to be here so early."

"Of course, I'm the challenger tonight, so I can't afford to be late," Stark said, motioning for Link to sit. "What'll you have?"

"Bourbon," Link replied, taking out one of his cigars. "I picked up a lot in Vegas last time—cigars and bourbon."

"Not bad. It's important to enjoy life. But I've heard you've turned poker into your profession?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you haven't lost yet?"

"Not so far. But I don't think I'm ready for international tournaments yet," Link replied modestly. "I lack experience in those kinds of professional games."

"You might want to try eventually. That's where the real professionals are," Tony noted. "But tonight, you won't have it easy."

"We'll see," Link said with a smirk.

Tony added, "There'll be two others joining us: one's a bank director, and the other—you might know—Justin Hammer."

"Is Hammer really up for playing with us?" Link's expression showed some surprise.

Tony laughed. "He's too stubborn to quit."

Before long, the other two arrived. Justin Hammer, as expected, came in with a defiant attitude toward Link. "We're playing thirteen cards tonight. No way I'm losing this time," Hammer declared.

"As long as you enjoy yourself," Link chuckled in response.

Tony then laid out the stakes: "Ten thousand dollars per card, with the option to double the stakes. We'll be starting with one million in chips. Any objections?"

"No problem," the three others agreed.

A hotel employee handled the dealing, and as usual, Link started by losing a little, then shifted to winning big. The game was similar to Texas Hold'em, where each player had thirteen cards and discarded the jokers. The rules followed the hand rankings of Texas Hold'em, and the goal was to be the first to play all of one's cards.

Every time another player was left with cards in hand, they lost according to how many cards they had left. Link, casually sipping bourbon and smoking his cigar, steadily increased his winnings.

Tony, curious, asked, "Are you using psychology here too?"

"Of course, but that's a secret," Link said with a sly grin. "If I told you now, how could I keep winning?"

"Fair enough!" Tony nodded in understanding.

As Link played, he casually remarked, "By the way, I just had my accounting firm buy some Stark Industries stock. Think it'll rise soon?"

"Hah, that's a smart move," Tony chuckled. "You won't lose money, that's for sure."

"I figured. Tax season's coming, and I need to get ready. It's a bit sudden, but, well, I recently came into some money," Link said with a wink.

Tony was impressed. "Seems like you know how to handle yourself."

As the game continued, with stakes occasionally doubling, Link managed to win over ten million dollars in just a couple of hours, effectively taking half of everyone's chips.

By midnight, the game was over, and Link emerged as the clear winner. He collected three checks and gave the service staff a generous $500 tip.

Tony, clearly impressed, said, "You really are something. Playing against you, there's no hope of winning."

"Now will you tell us how you do it?" Tony asked, alongside the curious expressions of the other players.

Link explained, "When you pick up your cards and organize them, that's when you give away the most. After that, it's about reading your body language."

Tony frowned thoughtfully. "You mean you figure it out based on our actions and expressions?"

"More or less. I also count the cards. I have thirteen, and based on your movements, I estimate what cards you have and how you might play them," Link said, to the astonishment of the other players.

Tony acknowledged, "You really are good. And yet you still don't feel ready for tournaments?"

Link shook his head. "I'm still just an amateur. The pros would have thought of all this already, and finding their tells is much harder. I need more practice—games like this are perfect."

"New York's full of elites with their own strategies. They make great opponents," he added.

...

As the game wrapped up, Justin Hammer, though having lost, seemed satisfied, especially since Tony Stark had also lost. He spent the rest of the night teasing Tony, though Stark, never one to lose his cool, planned to have Jarvis analyze the game later.

As for the bank director, he seemed uninterested in Link, preferring to engage Tony in conversation about business matters.

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(End of Chapter)