Li Dapao's expression remained unchanged as he watched the growing pot, but his heart was filled with immense joy. "I've made a killing this time!"
Suppressing his excitement, he raised the bet by another thousand, bringing the total to two thousand! This was because each bet was at least double the previous one.
The second player hesitated. If there were only two players, he could call two thousand and reveal his cards. But with so many players, he had to match the previous bet and then decide whether to see the cards. His hand was already quite good, a spade flush from Q to A. This was the second-highest hand, just below a set of three identical cards.
"Boss Li, I'll call two thousand and see your cards," the second player said, taking a deep breath.
"Alright," Li Dapao nodded. It was a casino rule that players could inspect each other's hands.
Upon seeing Li Dapao's hand, the second player secretly congratulated himself on his decision. "Three Ks! My goodness, Li Dapao's luck is incredible! It's a good thing I didn't push my luck, or I would have been finished!"
Li Dapao also saw the second player's cards and was delighted. "My biggest fear is three Aces. Now that there's an Ace among Lao He's cards, the probability of me encountering three Aces is extremely small. With my luck today, it's impossible for me to get the highest hand, three of a kind!"
The subsequent players continued to bet.
However, by the fifth player, he stopped. He saw that the second player had lost after seeing the cards. He glanced at his own hand: three 2s. The lowest possible set of three identical cards. Usually, a set of three could win against most hands, but this time, it seemed there would be more than one. It would be a waste to fold, so with a gritted jaw, he bet two thousand to see Li Dapao's cards. Upon seeing Li Dapao's hand, his reaction was the same as Li Dapao's. He was fortunate to have stopped in time.
Another round passed. This time, the sixth player stopped. His hand was also strong, three 8s, indeed a set of three. Only six hands were better than his. He couldn't believe his set of three would be the smallest. But after two consecutive players lost after checking Li Dapao's cards, he felt uneasy. He then bet two thousand to match Li Dapao, mainly because Li Dapao's luck today was outrageous, and he feared encountering a higher set of three, leading to a terrible loss.
The result was as expected. He also lost.
However, the initial bettor Li Dapao, and players three, four, seven, and eight, did not surrender. This was because all five of them believed their hands were very strong. By this point, the pot had exceeded a hundred thousand chips, and each player had bet at least ten thousand. From now on, each bet would be no less than ten thousand.
At this moment, the remaining five players all realized something; they likely all held strong sets of three.
"I'll bet ten thousand and see your cards," the third player said to Li Dapao with a pale face.
"Alright!" Li Dapao nodded. He couldn't refuse.
The result was no surprise. The fourth player lost. His hand was three Jacks, the fourth-best hand. The sixth player also called ten thousand to compare with Li Dapao, and lost. His hand was three 10s, the fifth-best hand.
By now, the prize pool was approaching two hundred thousand chips, with only three players remaining. The fourth player, the eighth player, and the initial bettor, Li Dapao.
"It's all mine, all mine!" Li Dapao was ecstatic. How could his hand possibly lose? It was the second-best hand, and he had seen an Ace among his downstream player's cards. He didn't believe his remaining two opponents would coincidentally both have three Aces. With his luck tonight, he would win everyone's money!
The eighth player felt a little nervous. His hole cards were three Queens, the third-best hand. If it were any other time, he wouldn't be worried. But with the way the cards were dealt, it was clear everyone had good hands. He didn't have the best hand. If he encountered the two highest sets of three, wouldn't he be crushed? That would be too tragic! He gritted his teeth and bet ten thousand, comparing his cards with Li Dapao's. He truly had no confidence.
The result proved he was both unfortunate and lucky. Unfortunate because he lost over twenty thousand chips in this round, but lucky because he stopped himself in time, otherwise, he would have lost as much as he bet.
"Twenty thousand." Li Dapao lit a cigarette and calmly looked at the fourth player across from him. "Tian Lao Qi, my hand is very strong. If you don't want to lose, you can just fold your cards! Otherwise, no matter how much you bet, you'll lose that much!"
"Hmph, my hand is the highest set of three, how could I lose to you? I bet forty thousand!" Tian Lao Qi gritted his teeth.
"Heh, I was a little worried you had the highest set of three, but if you had it, would you tell me?" Li Dapao mocked. "I'm telling you, you're finished. Don't say I didn't warn you, or you'll suffer a great loss!"
*Whoosh!*
"I have over eighty thousand chips, all in!" Li Dapao took a puff of his cigarette, smugly.
"I have more chips than you, but I'm all in! I won't ask you to make up the difference, let's reveal!" Tian Lao Qi grinned and pushed all his hundred thousand chips forward. In reality, he only needed to match Li Dapao's bet, but he didn't. Because his hand was three Aces, the highest possible hand.
Hearing Tian Lao Qi's confident words, Li Dapao's expression suddenly changed, but he quickly composed himself and sneered, "I have three Kings. I don't believe your hand can be better than mine! Because I compared cards with Boss Han and saw he had an Ace!"
*Smack!*
In the next moment, his three hole cards were slammed onto the table: three Kings.
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe it, because I have three Aces!" Tian Lao Qi sneered and flipped over his hole cards.
"No, impossible!" Li Dapao's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're cheating, you're cheating!"
"This is all mine, all mine!" In the next instant, he began raking the chips on the table towards himself.
"Li Dapao, are you looking for trouble? You have to admit defeat when you lose!" Tian Lao Qi sneered. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Get lost! You definitely cheated!" Li Dapao roared, his eyes red, and lunged towards Tian Lao Qi.
"Dare to cause trouble? Where are the casino staff?" Tian Lao Qi's expression changed, and he shouted.
At this moment, Li Dapao reached Tian Lao Qi and kicked him. Tian Lao Qi had never suffered such an indignity. Naturally, he wouldn't let it slide and threw a punch. At this moment, casino staff arrived and pulled Li Dapao away. Because Li Dapao was causing a disturbance, no matter how strong he was, he was just one person. As the fight was getting intense, Li Dapao suddenly dropped his legs and went completely limp.
"You're amazing! Why aren't you resisting now? Are you pretending to be dead here?" Tian Lao Qi, filled with anger, punched the unresponsive Li Dapao, hitting his nose.
*Pfft.* Blood flowed from his nose. But Li Dapao remained motionless. Tian Lao Qi kicked him again, but he still didn't move.
"Li Dapao isn't moving, he's not dead, is he?" a bystander couldn't help but say.
As soon as this was said, everyone's faces changed, especially Tian Lao Qi and the casino staff. If he were dead, the casino would be in serious trouble. Someone tentatively probed Li Dapao's nostril and said with fear, "Li Dapao is dead."
"What? Dead? How is that possible?" Tian Lao Qi and the others were shocked as if struck by electricity.