Wang An's purpose in doing this was to create a mental habit for everyone: regardless of whether he held a strong hand or not, the game would absolutely not end hastily after everyone had put in only one or two rounds of betting.
Regardless of who won or lost in the end, the winner would certainly win a decent amount, and the loser would have to lose a decent amount.
Only by doing this could Wang An, when using sleight of hand to deal himself a powerhouse hand, ensure that the people at the table would enthusiastically call the bets while he kept his cards face-down.
Primarily, only when the players were tossing in money to call could Wang An hold a winning hand while remaining "blind," waiting to reap a massive harvest at the very end.
However, what Wang An didn't expect was that after he bet 2 yuan blind, and the player to his left and the one after that folded as expected, Ma Ben actually followed suit and bet 2 yuan blind as well.
Based on Ma Ben's previous behavior, he usually waited for someone to look at their cards and bet before deciding whether to call. This time, his behavior was indeed somewhat abnormal.
But Wang An didn't care; he was determined to stay blind until the end.
It was then the turn of Ma Ben's neighbor—the kid who only had about 500 yuan left. Holding a King-high flush, it was naturally impossible for him to fold, so he immediately tossed 5 yuan into the pot.
The player next to him, Li Er-tie, who held a rainbow straight of 7, 8, and 9, hesitated for a moment before calling with another 5 yuan.
Wang An remained impassive. While tossing 2 yuan into the pot, he said expressionlessly
"Blind 2."
Ma Ben looked at Wang An, squinting at the three cards already stacked in front of him. Still without looking at his own hand, he pulled out 2 yuan, threw it into the pot, and said
"Following blind 2."
As soon as Ma Ben finished speaking, it was immediately the turn of the kid with the King-high flush. This kid likely felt that although he had lost with a King-high flush before, he was a guaranteed winner this time, so he immediately called with 5 yuan.
Then came Li Er-tie, but by now, Li Er-tie was completely conflicted. He hesitated for several seconds before throwing 5 yuan into the pot.
It was unavoidable; he couldn't help but be conflicted because in Zha Jin Hua, a rainbow straight was already considered a significant hand.
But while it was significant, in the absence of a "Leopard" (three of a kind), both a straight flush and a flush were higher than a rainbow straight.
To put it simply, when there are too many callers, a rainbow straight is the most agonizing hand to hold.
It was a classic case of "too high to fold, too low to push; too weak to fight the strong, yet too scared to run from the weak."
Unfortunately, the current situation was: two had folded, two were betting blind, and two had already looked at their cards.
To a normal person, the two betting blind—Wang An and Ma Ben—didn't need to be considered. As the saying goes, "The one with eyes open is never afraid of the one who is blind."
Saying a 7-8-9 could win was true—there was a chance—but to fold immediately just because it might lose would be unbearable for anyone holding such a hand.
In reality, what Li Er-tie didn't know was that Wang An was doing this on purpose. Based on Li Er-tie's performance since the start of the game, he would definitely fold after calling a few more rounds.
The game continued. After Li Er-tie called 5 yuan, Wang An continued to bet 2 blind, and Ma Ben did the same. The man with only 500 yuan continued to confidently put in 5 yuan. Only Li Er-tie became more conflicted every time it was his turn to speak.
Finally, after seven or eight consecutive rounds, Li Er-tie, holding his 7-8-9 rainbow straight, could no longer take it. He spent 10 yuan to look at the cards of the only player who had revealed their hand, and then folded.
There was no other way. According to the rules of Zha Jin Hua, when two or more players are betting blind, even if you pay to see cards, you can only see the cards of those who have already revealed them; you cannot see the cards of those betting blind.
After folding, Li Er-tie's face was full of annoyance. He was likely regretting why he hadn't paid to see the cards sooner, resulting in him throwing away seventy or eighty yuan for nothing.
But his annoyance was useless, as everyone who wanted to win money wanted others to call as many bets as possible—the more, the better.
Now, only Wang An, Ma Ben, and the man with the King-high flush remained at the table.
Only then did Wang An pretend to be conflicted for a long while. He looked at Ma Ben, then at the man with the King-high flush, tossed 5 yuan into the pot, took back 1 yuan, and said
"Blind 4."
That's right. Not only did Wang An not look at his cards, but he actually raised the price.
Wang An's move caused Ma Ben's expression to shift. He looked at the man with the King-high flush with a complex gaze and followed with a blind 4.
The man with the King-high flush naturally called with 10 yuan.
He was likely still immersed in the joy of nearly winning, unaware that he had already become someone else's prey—a target to be hunted.
Yes, a target.
And the kind that would be dragged to death silently, without even making a splash.
Reality was that cruel.
The reason for this was that he was calling after seeing his cards.
Once Wang An and Ma Ben each bet 4 yuan blind, he had to put in 10 yuan. What he hadn't realized was that if Wang An and Ma Ben continued to bet blind without looking, his money would soon run dry.
The most infuriating part was that because Wang An and Ma Ben never looked at their cards, he couldn't pay to see their hands either.
Therefore, when he ran out of money, he would be forced to fold.
At that point, it wouldn't matter if he only had a King-high flush or even the invincible "Leopard A"; the result would still be that he was dragged to death. There was no second outcome.
Of course, unless someone immediately gave him money so he could persist until Wang An or Ma Ben ran out of money to call or look, only then could he pay to see a hand, compare sizes with one of them, and then duel the final person.
But one must realize that Wang An and Ma Ben were betting blind, meaning each call only cost them 4 yuan, whereas he was calling with open cards, costing him 10 yuan every time.
In other words, anyone supporting him with money would need two and a half times the financial strength of Wang An or Ma Ben.
And even with such support, he would have to guarantee that his hand was the absolute strongest to ensure a win.
Otherwise, not only would all his money vanish, but he would end up in massive debt. In local terms, he would "be left with a famine in both eyes and his backside."
The game continued, and the three of them continued to call mechanically: Wang An and Ma Ben each calling 4 yuan, and the man with the King-high flush calling 10 yuan.