Chapter 363 | The Blessings of Hell, The Abyss of Gambling.

Turn back the clock to one hour ago.

Luke looked up at Hotel Inferno, where smoke and black flames were billowing out, and walked to the head of the long line.

As Howard did, he held a few bills with his fingers and handed them to the black guy wearing a big gold necklace.

The latter readily took it and gave up his position.

No matter when and where the smell of ink on bills was always addictive.

"Residents of Las Vegas are oblivious to the oddities of this hotel, but they flock to it in droves."

Luke used the 'All-Seeing Eye' spell from the 'Book of Vishanti' to glance over at the two guards guarding the door.

Beneath the human skin was a ferocious body haunted by the flames of hell and crowned with the horns of a demon.

Walking into the hotel's entrance, the welcoming ladies, dressed like seductresses, weren't much different from them.

They all had red skin, enchanting bodies, evil breasts, and a slender tail that kept shaking.

'This is to Howard's taste.'

Luke suddenly remembered something very serious.

According to Alessandro, Howard walked into Hotel Inferno and never came out.

He had a preconceived notion that Mephisto was up to something.

But thinking about it differently, Howard was such an old pervert; it was possible that he was drained by a succubus.

In the exhausted state of having no ammunition left, his legs would be weak, and he wouldn't be able to walk.

After careful thought, Luke thought it was possible.

After all, Howard had even banged a female vampire, and his taste was diverse.

'I'll look for Mephisto first; where is the old devil...?'

Luke walked up to the front desk where the chips were exchanged, and his attention was instantly drawn to it.

Under his 'All-Seeing Eye', the chips in blue, red, and white, which were branded with the demon pattern and horns, turned into twisted faces.

They were all human souls!

'Pain and suffering are the currency in Hotel Inferno.'

The waiter who exchanged the chips recited the script and expressionlessly said, "Sir, everything you need can be obtained in Hotel Inferno."

"Provided that you dedicate your soul to win game after game."

Luke pursed the corners of his mouth. 'Mephisto is also a genius.'

The soul chips + casino model was used to build a circulation system.

It seemed that the old devil had skillfully learned all kinds of ways to profit after wandering the earth for the past few years.

Those so-called Devil Security Company, Hell's Loan Company -- their slogan should be 'No limit loans, guaranteed minimum interest, no forceful debt collecting.'

"Can I go to the table without chips?"

Luke glanced at the soul weighing scales. He wondered if he was going to expose himself by standing on them.

"It's okay. We have a guaranteed contract here. If you sign your name, you'll get your chips."

The waiter took out several paper contracts. The edges of the papers were decorated with beautiful patterns.

"A 10-year contract can be exchanged for one blue-chip, a 30-year contract for three, and so on."

The blue chips were equivalent to $10,000 for the casino, followed by red chips and white chips, which represent different values.

"Wow, there's a 1,000-year pledge contract?! "

Luke deliberately exaggerated. 'The old devil still had a hard time gaining profit.'

Anyone who thought this was just an act would sign the contract.

Once they lost all their soul chips, they would have to work for Mephisto for 1,000 years, never being able to rest.

"I want to sign the 1,000-years one."

Luke took out the contract and signed the name -- 'Sorcerer Supreme' without hesitation.

All these contracts were binding, so it was better to use the Ancient One as a shield.

Anyway, the Sorcerer Supreme should be very experienced in refusing debt collectors.

"Okay, Sir. Here are your chips."

The waiter put away the contract and handed the tray full of blue chips to Luke.

"Let me see what's interesting ... Texas Hold'em, let's go with that."

Luke made his way around, squeezed into the crowded poker area, and casually picked a table to sit at.

'Here comes another lamb.'

Hachem, pretending to be a gambler, glanced at the chips in Luke's tray and coldly smiled.

  ...

  ...

Back to the present.

Texas Hold'em had always been a popular game in casinos.

The number of participants generally ranged from two to twelve players.

There were three main types of tables: limited bet tables, pressure limit tables, and unlimited bet tables.

The rules were too complicated to elaborate on, and it was easy for others to misunderstand them as trying to increase word count.

So, to sum it up briefly, at the beginning of the game, each player would be given two cards facing down.

After several rounds of dealing and calling, the player should combine the cards facing down with the cards exposed to make a bigger hand and compare the numbers with the other players.

There were about ten types of cards, from big to small.

The biggest one was the royal flush, while the smaller ones include three of a kind, two pairs, one pair, and so on.

Texas Hold'em was a game of calculation and psychological manipulation.

Master players could read and predict the cards.

Basically, they would know what type of hand they should play in what round and predict their opponent's card through psychological hints.

For example, some people would wildly call to put pressure on their opponents. They obviously didn't have a big hand.

There were also some veterans who were very good at 'bluffing'.

Talking loudly, acting arrogantly...

The ultimate goal was to scare the opponents into calling or getting suspicious of their actions.

Hachem was the reigning champion of the World Poker Tournament and had mastered a variety of poker games, including bridge, stud, blackjack, and more.

Texas Hold'em was his specialty. His innate talent for reading cards enabled this guy to set up the most suitable hand in every round and win his opponent's chips.

Since his soul fell into hell and lost its freedom.

Hachem endured the heat, the smell of sulfur, and the chattering of those inferior demons every day.

Hell wasn't a nice place.

Otherwise, why would those devils, demons, and even Mephisto himself, go around wandering the human world?

It wasn't until the establishment of Hotel Inferno that Hachem, who was a gambler all his life, was remembered by Mephisto.

He had already become the devil's minion and temporarily left the worst area of Hell.

He became the regional manager of the hotel-casino, specializing in all aspects of the poker area.

Hachem had bankrupted dozens of guests within a few days, taking all their soul chips and making them into slaves for the Lord of Hell.

In short, he had a great track record.

Until Hachem met the bastard sitting opposite him, a young human who won 32 games in a row!

"You're definitely cheating!"

Hachem was enraged. The veins on his forehead bulged out.

The bloodshot, bulging eyes were staring straight at Luke's unfolded cards.

A, K, Q, J, 10; five cards have the same color and suit, which made up a royal flush.

"How can such a hand appear!?"

His cheeks were thin, so it made Hachem look like a drug addict. It gave off a feeling that his brain was about to explode any moment now.

According to his calculation, the occurrence ratio of a royal flush was 30,939 to 1, translating to a 0.003 probability.

That meant that, unless there was a miracle or Luke cheated, it was completely impossible to pull off such a rare hand that would dominate the entire field.

"Can't afford to lose? Accusing an opponent of cheating without evidence is a very unpleasant thing to do."

A blue chip with the largest denomination rolled through Luke's fingers. Within 2 hours of entering the casino, he had already won five people's worth of souls.

"Let's call it a day. You've made me lose interest in continuing the game, and you've lost everything."

Luke flexed his fingers and flicked the rolling chip to the succubus lady next to him.

The chip, branded with the devil's emblem, fell right into the middle of the latter's breast.

"You're so amazing! Hotel Inferno will always welcome guests like you!"

A blue chip was roughly equivalent to one-third to one-fifth of a human soul.

This wasn't a small amount.

The succubus couldn't wait to glue her body to Luke's.

Hotel Inferno also had a work assessment. They worked for Mephisto and were able to earn a certain amount of soul chips.

The old devil knew how to motivate the 'employees' under his command, and all the demons could enjoy the benefits, like social animals.

"Wait! I can still play!"

Hachem's face showed a hint of ruthlessness as he thought about his own work and the bonus.

"I can wager my soul!"