Chapter 26: Screening Mechanism

“Infighting?” Li Renshu felt a slight sense of surprise.

Yang Yuting nodded. “That’s right. After we left the chip exchange area, we started discussing our strategy.

“But soon, Brother Wang and Uncle Ding started arguing.

“Because Brother Wang didn't agree with our plan; he didn't want to gamble against people from other communities and only wanted to go back to continue studying the chip exchange machine.

“Of course, I don't think this is a matter of right or wrong; both of them had their reasons.

“Uncle Ding’s opposition was mainly because he felt the automatic exchange machine offered no chance of winning and was very dangerous.

“Most importantly, if Brother Wang didn't come, we would be three against four against Community No. 1 on the multi-player tables, meaning the three of us would bear extra risk.

“It would be fine if the other side didn't change their minds, but once they did, being one person short would leave us in a very passive position.”

Jiang He felt her ears redden slightly as she listened.

She had thought her strategy was genius and perfect, but now it seemed it was just a strategy anyone could have thought of.

Moreover, she had tripped over every possible pitfall.

Of course, based on everyone's descriptions, the skill levels of players from different communities varied, as did their attitudes.

Some players from certain communities were very friendly, allowing for smooth cooperation, while others showed obvious malice.

Jiang He was also quite unlucky, encountering an opponent like Lu Xinyi right from the start.

Fu Chen looked at Wang Yongxin with curiosity. “Brother Wang, why were you so determined to gamble with the chip exchange machine?

“Did you discover some clue in advance?”

Wang Yongxin shrugged. “Not really. If I had discovered something early on, wouldn't I have told the others already?

“I just had a gut feeling that there must be some kind of loophole or special shortcut in this game. It's impossible for everyone to play around for so long and only earn twenty or thirty thousand in chips.

“But finding the specific loophole actually took a lot of time.”

After a discussion, everyone fully understood the situation of Wang Yongxin's group.

Clearly, the reason Wang Yongxin was able to obtain as many as 200,000 in chips was precisely because he did not participate in Xu Tong and the others' plan.

He had been playing in the chip exchange area until the end of the game and had not shared this secret with the other three.

“So, how exactly do you win 200,000 chips from the exchange machine?” Cai Zhiyuan still couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

Wang Yongxin took a silent sip of coffee. “It's simple. The chip exchange machine never folds.”

Cai Zhiyuan was stunned. “Huh?”

Immediately after, he felt somewhat speechless and a bit frustrated.

If he, or anyone slightly smarter, had known that simple sentence, the outcome of the game would have been vastly different.

Cai Zhiyuan instantly understood why Wang Yongxin was able to fleece 200,000 chips from the exchange machine.

Some others were slow to catch on: “It never folds... and then?”

Cai Zhiyuan sighed. “Don't you get it? Folding is actually a self-protection mechanism.

“When you have a weak hand, you can protect yourself by folding, losing only the ante.

“If you can't fold, the opponent can raise infinitely and clean out all your chips.

“Conversely, if we can fold but the chip exchange machine cannot, then when we hold a big hand, we can raise decisively to maximize our gains.”

Fu Chen pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao. “Lawyer Lin, did you also discover this?”

Lin Sizhi nodded. “Yes, I discovered it by chance.”

Qin Yao added, “Our group's situation was much more complicated; we almost walked away with only 8,000 chips.

“It was thanks to Lawyer Lin discovering the secret of the automatic exchange machine early and telling us immediately, otherwise the three of us would have been finished.”

Su Xiucen also hurried to praise him, “Xiao Lin is such a good boy! He was a huge help.”

Fu Chen was taken aback. “Why only 8,000 chips?”

Jiang He remained silent for a moment before saying, “Because we were set up by Community No. 3 in the same round of the game.”

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to them, and Qin Yao briefly introduced the cause and effect of the incident.

Of course, she wasn't very clear on the specific technical details behind the maneuvers she and Lin Sizhi performed at the gambling table; at the time, she was simply coordinating based on Lin Sizhi's eyes and hints.

Therefore, she only touched upon that part in a few simple words.

Xu Tong's eyes widened in shock. “Lawyer Lin, you are amazing!

“Not only did you find the loophole in the chip exchange machine at the fastest speed, but you also turned around and won all the chips from Community No. 3, avenging those of us who were cheated.

“Just listening to it feels like a brain teaser. How did you think of it?”

Everyone looked over, and the feeling of being the center of attention made Lin Sizhi somewhat uncomfortable.

He shrugged and said candidly, “It's nothing; Qin Yao is exaggerating.

“Discovering the loophole in the chip exchange machine was actually quite coincidental.

“It was because in the first round, I happened to get a strong flush hand. I then tested it by continuously raising, and to my surprise, the chip exchange machine never folded.

“When I finally chose to reveal my cards with a bit of trepidation, I discovered it was actually just a junk hand.

“That's how I was able to realize the loophole so quickly.

“You could say it was a low-probability event in itself. If I had lost with a junk hand in the first round, I might not have thought much of it.

“As for the gamble against Community No. 3, there was even less technical skill involved. The only reason I dared to gamble with them was one thing: my and Qin Yao's chip pool completely crushed their four people.

“I remember reading a news story once: a very famous professional poker player was known for bluffing with small hands and won a lot of money.

“But once, he lost everything because he was gambling against a super-wealthy person.

“This tycoon didn't have any special skills; he just had a lot of money. Every time his hand was decent, he would definitely see what the professional's hand was.

“As a result, the professional's spirit was broken. Once his prideful bluffing stopped working, he became timid and lost even more as he played.

“That news might not be true, but it reveals a simple truth: no matter how strategic a gamble seems, it is ultimately gambling. When chips are equal, it's a game of psychology and skill, but when chips are abundant enough, it returns entirely to probability.

“I accidentally discovered the secret of the chip exchange machine and obtained an excessive amount of chips; that was the confidence that allowed me to gamble against Community No. 3.”

Qin Yao asked curiously, “But what if you hadn't gotten a big hand in the seventh round?”

Lin Sizhi countered, “Then why don't you ask what would have happened if I had gotten a big hand in the first six rounds?

“Big hands have their way of winning, and small hands have theirs. As long as the chip pool is deep enough, probability will eventually side with you.

“Regardless of whether I had big or small hands in the first six rounds, I would have bet at least 4,000. That was because I wanted to quickly deplete the chips of the other two members of Community No. 3, excluding Lu Xinyi and Lyu Mingxuan, to create a two-on-two situation.

“Even if I had to lose thirty or forty thousand chips because of it, it was acceptable to me.

“A real opportunity only needs to be seized once.

“Of course, if I were truly that unlucky and all ten rounds were complete junk hands, then I would just lose. Things at the gambling table are never 100%; one should have that realization before sitting down.”

Everyone nodded, and the doubts in their minds were dispelled.

Originally, looking only at the results of the game, it was inevitable to feel that Lin Sizhi was "too intelligent, bordering on supernatural."

But hearing this explanation, it felt within the realm of understanding.

After the admiration and praise, the group fell into a brief silence.

Clearly, most people had not expected that such a seemingly simple game would produce three completely different gaming ecosystems among the three groups.

The final results were also vastly different.

Fu Chen clapped lightly. “Alright, the situations of the three groups are mostly clear. I think we should temporarily set aside those details and start with the big picture to analyze this game.

“The results of this game were indeed unexpected in certain aspects.”

Cai Zhiyuan had been lost in thought, but now he seemed to have figured something out. He spoke up, “I think I understand.

“It is obvious that this game is different from 'Redemption Roulette' and all the Judgment games we were able to find previously.

“Many people, including myself, chose the wrong path at the beginning precisely because we subconsciously applied the problem-solving logic of 'Redemption Roulette.'”

Xu Tong was still a bit slow to catch on. “Different problem-solving logic? How so?”

Cai Zhiyuan looked at Wang Yongxin. “Brother Wang, you earned the most chips this time. You tell them.

“I think your understanding should be deeper than mine.”

Wang Yongxin looked at everyone, then nodded with a hint of pride. “Alright, I'll briefly share my view.

“First, we have to figure out what this game, 'Blood Poker,' is actually for.

“Everyone has analyzed 'Redemption Roulette'; its purpose is 'Judgment.' That is, for a guilty person, it checks whether they have sincerely repented and changed. If they change, they live; if they remain obstinate, they die miserably.

“So, when encountering a game of a 'Judgment' nature, our first thought should be how to protect ourselves, how to overcome human weaknesses, and how to find the safest way to escape.

“But 'Blood Poker' is completely different.

“At first glance, it looks scary, but it is not a 'Judgment' game.

“In fact, there was a hint about this before we entered the game.

“Does everyone remember?”

Everyone looked bewildered, until Cao Haichuan spoke up timely, “I remember. At that time, the large screen said: The goal of the game is 'to complete the first allocation of visa time.'”