Chapter 837: Texas Hold’em, Opening!
The few people present were all from the same circle and were well aware of Xiao He's background, so they felt more curiosity than rejection regarding his joining.
After all, no one was a fool, and maintaining a facade was something they were best at.
Thus, Xiao He received a warm welcome from them.
However, of course, the one who was more enthusiastic among them was mainly He Ziye.
Zheng Ji, who looked fierce and was truly fierce in personality, was only attracted by the similar aura on Xiao He and couldn't help but take a few extra looks at him, without showing much enthusiasm on his face. As for that low-key foreigner, he wasn't very familiar with anyone present, so he just nodded slightly towards Xiao He to express his politeness.
Afterward, Bao Wenqi and Dong Huai also came to the table.
It was also at this moment that Xiao He remembered he hadn't exchanged chips yet, so he snapped his fingers at a waiter nearby: "Apologies, please wait a moment, everyone. I need to have them exchange chips for me."
"No problem, just use mine."
Bao Wenqi nonchalantly pushed a box of chips that they had just swindled from others downstairs in front of Xiao He.
Based on their previous few gambling rounds, this money was purely swindled.
Bao Wenqi gave it to Xiao He directly without feeling a pinch.
Xiao He just smiled and politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, President Bao, but I still prefer to use my own money."
Fortunately, there was a dedicated exchange counter upstairs, and the speed was very fast. In less than two minutes, a box of brand-new chips was placed in front of Xiao He.
Even so, Xiao He's chips were still the fewest among those present.
The others all had more than one box of chips.
However, they didn't say anything, just confirmed the basic betting threshold once, and then nodded to the dealer.
This dealer was not the same type of dealer from the lower level; their movements looked much more professional, and they no longer used a machine to deal cards, but dealt by hand.
Perhaps because three newcomers had joined this gambling game, which was equivalent to a fresh start, the dealer added some performative actions while shuffling the cards.
Thus, the young man in uniform, wearing a pair of matte black gloves, deftly inserted his fingertips into the deck, shuffling skillfully. His card-cutting movements were as smooth as flowing water, and the crisp sound of the card pages rubbing against each other instantly drowned out the faint breathing in the hall, making his shuffling look more spectacular and rhythmic.
However, no one present had the spare mind to appreciate this.
Xiao He rested his chin on his hand, quietly watching the other's performance, but his mind had already started planning.
His original targets were only Bao Wenqi and Dong Huai.
But he hadn't expected there to be another expert at the card table—
Xiao He's gaze swept unobtrusively toward the foreigner on the other side.
The outcome of a gambling game is always ever-changing. He dared to sit at the gambling table, relying on his Magic Hand and hypnosis, while this person relied on his own superb gambling skills.
Wanting to ensure he won the game while also breaking the mentality of those two young masters was not an easy thing.
Soon, the flashy shuffling finally finished, and the dealer skillfully dealt hole cards to everyone.
There were seven players in total, each receiving two hole cards.
It was only at this moment that Xiao He noticed the young woman beside He Ziye was also participating in this game.
Seeming to notice Xiao He's gaze, He Ziye also glanced at the woman beside him, then chuckled and explained to Xiao He: "She's just playing along with me; I'm covering her chips, so Mr. Xiao need not mind."
Xiao He scanned them indifferently, confirmed that the other party wasn't lying, and then refocused his attention on the cards in front of him.
To put it simply, the rules of Texas Hold'em are that at the start, everyone is dealt two hole cards, then five community cards are dealt on the table one by one. Each person can freely combine their own two hole cards with the five community cards on the table to form the best five-card hand, and the one with the higher hand wins.
This is a type of game that appears quite often in most gambling movies on the market, because the game itself relies on a flexible mind and a strong heart; what players are playing is more of a psychological game, which is also the reason why Xiao He chose it.
Therefore, it is more spectacular and more dramatic. Compared to baccarat, which is currently popular in casinos, it is undoubtedly a more controllable and more advanced gambling game.
However, in the very early classic Hong Kong films, the gambling game usually played was Stud Poker, because most of the cards in Stud Poker are in one's own hand. Whether it's psychological maneuvering or miraculous cheating techniques like in the movies, such game rules are undoubtedly more capable of whetting people's appetites.
Unfortunately, in reality, cheaters these days still can't withstand high-definition camera reviews—
Xiao He gently touched the edge of the cards with his fingertips, calmly scanned his hole cards, and then looked at the others at the table nonchalantly.
It wasn't that he didn't know any gambling techniques at all. Actually, Xiao He had even learned some cheating techniques—those were some small tricks he learned from a magician when he was on the Spring Festival Gala. Xiao He had originally planned to use them when filming in the future, but he never expected that he wouldn't get any casino-related roles, but instead ended up experiencing it firsthand, gambling with real money...
After the cards were in hand, the expressions of the players at the table varied.
Some showed joy, holding the winning ticket; some looked indifferent, revealing nothing; and most of them looked relaxed and composed, without showing a hint of emotion on their faces.
Xiao He knew that for many people, this first round was just an initial probe to test the gaming habits of the people present.
At this time, most people wouldn't be too reckless and would choose a more conservative style of play.
Soon, the first round of hole card betting began.
Dong Huai immediately made an aggressive bet, pushing out a large amount of chips, with a somewhat smug smile on his face: "Apologies, everyone, I haven't played in a long time, let me test my luck first."
"Wow, are you playing this big right from the start?"
Bao Wenqi naturally joked with a smile, then decisively chose to call.
Although He Ziye was a generation younger than these two, they had grown up playing together, so he spoke very directly. While calling, he complained: "Luckily I already secured a winning start just now, otherwise I would definitely battle you to the end in this round."
The young woman beside He Ziye hesitated for a moment, then also chose to call.
Only Zheng Ji, who had been taciturn from the beginning, and that foreigner who was said to have superb gambling skills, chose to fold directly.
Xiao He glanced at these people, made a judgment in his heart, chose to make a small call, and went with the flow to test the waters.
The first round of betting ended.
The dealer revealed the first three community cards: 3 of Hearts, 6 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds.
This time, they were all mixed suits and scattered cards.
That is, there were no formed straights or flushes, nor any high-value cards; the overall hand strength was weak.
Xiao He reviewed his 10 of Spades and Ace of Clubs in his mind, knowing that he had almost no possibility of a comeback later.
However, he didn't show it on his face and still called steadily in the next round.
Instead, Dong Huai continued to aggressively raise, quickly raising the pot for this gambling game.
Thus, by the third round, Xiao He knew it was time for him to withdraw.
"Sorry, you guys are playing too fiercely. Playing this big from the start, I, a newcomer, really can't handle it."
Xiao He casually threw down his cards, leaned back in his seat with some helplessness, and said with his hands spread.
"Hahaha, is Mr. Xiao actually a novice?"
He Ziye looked at Xiao He with some surprise, then laughed, though it was unclear what he was laughing at.
Instead, that foreigner and Zheng Ji took an extra look at Xiao He.