After receiving the money, Dai Hongsheng's face was filled with confidence and ferocity. With an imposing air, he slammed the money onto the table and said
"Come on, you want to challenge me, right? Let's keep going. Dammit, I refuse to believe that shit."
Seeing Dai Hongsheng's completely frenzied state, a flicker of fear clearly appeared on Ma Ben's face.
After all, Dai Hongsheng now had over 7,500 yuan in gambling stakes. Although Ma Ben and Wang An were playing blind, they each had to have 3,000 yuan in stakes to continue the bet.
But most importantly, theoretically speaking, Ma Ben didn't know what hand he was holding. Betting money with his eyes closed like this would make anyone feel insecure.
The reason Ma Ben had been playing blind until now was simply to utilize the rules of Three Card Poker. He had reached a tacit understanding with Wang An to swallow all of Dai Hongsheng's money without shedding a drop of blood.
Yes, that was exactly what Ma Ben was thinking.
As a gambler, once he sat at the table, there was absolutely no room for human sentiment. Stuffing other people's money into his own pocket was a gambler's highest faith.
However, gamblers have one major weakness: the "gambling itch." Every gambler shares a common belief—that good luck will inevitably fall upon them, and that they will be the ultimate winner.
Thus, although fear had appeared on Ma Ben's face, it vanished the moment he looked at the nearly 7,000 yuan in front of him. He still chose not to look at his cards and continued to bet blind.
As for Wang An, he didn't even spare Dai Hongsheng a single glance.
As the saying goes, "Heaven's crimes are forgivable, but self-inflicted ones are fatal." He had originally intended to just eat up the few hundred yuan in Dai Hongsheng's hand and call it a day; he hadn't expected this kid to get so worked up that he'd bet his car.
Impressive, truly impressive. Wang An was already overjoyed inside.
As for things like "lack of heart" or "compassion," those ceased to exist the moment Wang An sat at the gambling table.
Mainly, once you're at the damn table, where is the room for humanity? Everyone except yourself is an enemy, right?
When dealing with enemies, one must be as ruthless as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
The game continued, and the three entered a mechanical cycle of betting.
However, after Wang An and Ma Ben each threw over 2,000 yuan into the pot and Dai Hongsheng threw in another 5,000, Ma Ben was the first one who couldn't hold out and looked at his cards.
Watching this, Wang An felt quite depressed.
But beyond the depression, Wang An was helpless. In Three Card Poker, there's nothing stopping someone from looking at their cards whenever they want; it was just that Wang An's plan had fallen through.
Wang An's primary goal was to harvest Ma Ben's money to avenge Mu Xueli; Dai Hongsheng's appearance was merely a case of him running straight into the line of fire.
But after his brief depression, Wang An immediately became happy, even excited, because Ma Ben actually chose to continue betting!
Wang An had thought that after Ma Ben looked at his cards, he would compare sizes with Dai Hongsheng and then immediately reveal his own hand!
It must be said that anyone who steps onto a gambling table likely experiences a rush of blood to the head, becomes mentally clouded, or even loses the ability to think.
The ancestral wisdom of "knowing when to stop" had likely been returned to the ancestors long ago.
Thus, the situation at the table became one where Wang An continued to bet 4 yuan blind every round, while Ma Ben and Dai Hongsheng each put up 10 yuan.
The two of them completely ignored Wang An's existence, focusing all their attention on each other. With bloodshot eyes, they stared at the other's stack of cash and three poker cards, their faces full of murderous intent and the conviction of victory.
Having played for this long, Wang An had already gauged the skill levels of the people at the table.
Ma Ben knew a bit of cheating, but it wasn't sophisticated. At most, during the deal, he used sleight of hand to give himself an Ace or two cards of the same suit.
Furthermore, he could remember a small portion of the deck; by seeing some of the card backs, he could tell what the card was.
As for more advanced cheating like hiding or swapping cards, not only did Ma Ben not know how, but no one at the table except Wang An knew how.
Mostly, Ma Ben relied on psychological warfare, observing everyone's playing habits, and the ability to read facial expressions.
Because whenever anyone sees a strong hand, there is always a slight fluctuation in expression or an unnatural physical movement.
Combining all these factors did indeed increase Ma Ben's probability of winning.
So, it had to be admitted that at an ordinary table composed of ordinary people, Ma Ben would inevitably be the one winning money.
But this ability was completely insufficient in front of a professional gambler like Wang An.
There was no helping it; it was a total crush in every aspect. How could Ma Ben win?
The most annoying part was that Wang An had played blind from the start and basically stayed blind until the end. Not only did he give the opponents no chance to guess his hand, but he gave the impression that he himself didn't know what he held. It was a battle of confusion against confusion; everyone was baffled.
Until the 7,500 yuan in Dai Hongsheng's hand hit rock bottom again, the joy on Dai Hongsheng's face became almost tangible.
Throwing 20 yuan into the pot, Dai Hongsheng said to Ma Ben with excitement and imposing momentum
"I want to see your cards."
Seeing this, Wang An immediately pretended to be solemn, pursing his lips several times. He used a "trembling hand" to touch his three stacked poker cards before looking over at Dai Hongsheng and Ma Ben.
He had no choice; since it was the final showdown, Wang An had to act as if he were very nervous.
Otherwise, when his QKA Straight Flush appeared, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
After Dai Hongsheng spoke, Ma Ben's eyelids twitched a few times, and his lips trembled incessantly. With shaking hands, he proactively pushed his three cards toward Dai Hongsheng, then clenched his hands together, the tension on his face becoming palpable.
But when Dai Hongsheng picked up Ma Ben's three cards and took a look, he was suddenly struck as if by lightning, freezing in place.
A face that had been flushed with excitement and thrill instantly turned deathly pale, and his expression shifted from full confidence to utter desolation.
In less than a second, Dai Hongsheng's face completed a total 180-degree transformation.