The Years I Was The Gambling God

No one is indifferent to money.

I am no exception.

However, I found myself puzzled by Mei's words and inquired,

"How can I earn it?"

Mei surveyed the casino before pointing to two individuals behind the blackjack table.

"Do you see that dealer in the white shirt and black vest? The person beside her is the dealer's assistant. I know the owner of this establishment. If you are willing, I can introduce you to work here as a dealer's assistant. Your monthly salary at Tianxiang is a modest one thousand, but as a dealer's assistant, you can earn three thousand five hundred a month. With tips from customers winning, your total income will not be less than five thousand dollars each month. If you perform well and gain experience, you could eventually become a dealer yourself, and your income would directly double, crossing the ten thousand mark!"

What Mei referred to as a dealer's assistant involves quickly calculating the winnings and losses of patrons for payouts and collections. This job relies heavily on mental acuity and swift reactions.

For me, it posed no challenge at all.

Yet, I shook my head in refusal.

"Thank you, Mei, but I'm not interested!"

My rejection clearly took Mei by surprise.

Her gaze reflected disbelief.

"Not interested? Do you realize how many people dream of this job? If I hadn't noticed your steadiness and quick reflexes, I wouldn't have suggested it. You actually decline?"

"Yes, I don't want to do it. Compared to this, I prefer my job at the bathhouse!"

"Why?"

Mei pressed further.

"Because at the bathhouse, I can see you every day!"

My response left Mei in a state of bemusement.

Her expression shifted from curiosity to one of viewing a fool.

Of course, I was merely joking.

After spending thirteen years learning the art of cheating, to end up as a dealer's assistant would be absurd.

If Varg were to find out, he would surely break my legs.

In the bathhouse, I could be a lowly servant.

After all, I was entirely unfamiliar with that environment.

But upon entering the casino, this must be my domain.

In the casino, I can only embody one identity.

That of a lord!

Lord Lupan!

Just as Mei appeared exasperated, my phone suddenly rang.

This phone was a second-hand Nokia 3310 that I had purchased from a colleague last month.

Upon answering, I heard Ranulph's voice on the other end.

"Lupan! Meet me at our usual spot, the Huimai Supermarket—hurry up; we're about to start!"

Ranulph is the leader of the men's bathing area.

With his fair complexion and silver tongue, he has earned Mei's favour.

The "usual spot" he referred to is a small supermarket owned by a friend of his.

After work, he often gathers colleagues there to play Three Card Poker.

I, too, frequently join.

After exchanging pleasantries with Mei, I left promptly.

The Huimai Supermarket is a modest establishment situated on a busy street.

When we play, we usually gather in a small room at the back.

By the time I arrived, five or six people were already present.

I recognized them all.

Aside from a few colleagues from the bathhouse, there was also Ulrich, Ranulph's childhood friend, affectionately nicknamed Dark.

Dark is tall and imposing, with a fearsome appearance.

His muscular frame could intimidate anyone.

According to Ranulph, Dark was once a member of the provincial sanda team and had remarkable skills, poised to join the national team.

However, due to some unfortunate incident involving the mistress of a certain leader at the provincial sports bureau, he was expelled in a fit of rage.

Returning to our city, he found himself adrift, lingering aimlessly.

In his free time, he would seek out Ranulph at the bathhouse, often joining us for Three Card Poker.

This time, Ranulph had brought along his girlfriend, Filla.

Filla works as a masseuse at the bathhouse and is rather attractive.

However, she possesses a sharp tongue and a discerning eye, looking down on those of us in lower service roles.

She typically ignores our greetings, adopting a haughty demeanour.

Once everyone had arrived, Ranulph called for the dealer to bring out the cards and commence the game.

This round was modest, with a five-dollar minimum bet and a ten-dollar maximum.

In other words, one could raise up to ten dollars at most.

However, if someone chose to stay in the game with a ten-dollar bet, those who had folded must pay twenty dollars to continue.

While the stakes might sound low, it often led to a pot of one or two thousand dollars by the end of a round.

Keep in mind that the monthly salary of these service workers is only a thousand dollars.

It is common to lose an entire month's wages in a single hand.

In this game, I have never resorted to cheating.

Not out of compassion or reluctance to make a move,

but rather because I can win without it.

I can afford to rent my own apartment instead of living in company dormitories,

thanks to the winnings I have amassed in this game.

In truth, it isn't that I possess incredible luck or exceptional skill;

it's merely that someone here knows the cards, and by coincidence, so do I.

That someone is Ranulph.

Every time he has the dealer bring the cards, they are marked cards, also known as magician's cards.

These cards appear identical to regular ones,

but each has a subtle mark on the back, enabling one to discern its suit and rank.

This method of cheating, which barely qualifies as such, certainly does not escape my notice.

Thus, I need not cheat to win.

To avoid raising suspicion, I sometimes deliberately allow myself to lose a few hands,

ensuring that no one questions me while I earn some pocket money in this game.

As the game commenced, everyone focused intently as usual.

Though Ranulph knows the cards, he has one flaw—his attention is often divided.

After looking at one or two players' hands, he sometimes fails to see others.

After all, regular players tend to keep their cards grouped together;

Ranulph can manage to see only the top card at best.

Adding to his troubles today, despite knowing his own hand, he is oblivious to the other players' cards and has lost several rounds.

Typically, Ranulph emerges victorious, but after losing a few hundred dollars today, he begins to vent his frustrations with foul language.

This round, one of our bathhouse colleagues is the dealer, and he starts to deal.

Fortune smiles upon me as I receive a suited A, J, and 10 of clubs.

Ranulph, however, seems less fortunate, having drawn a suited K, 9, and 7 of spades.

Sitting diagonally across from Ranulph, I am positioned behind Dark, whose imposing presence makes it hard for Ranulph to see my cards.

When the dealer handed me my cards, Ranulph found it impossible to discern them.

Quickly, I placed the club A at the bottom and the club 10 on top.

Thus, should Ranulph catch a glimpse of my club 10, it would be inconsequential.

Upon seeing his suited K, Ranulph began to feign confidence.

"Damn it, I've lost several times today; there's no way I'm losing this one! I'll bet ten dollars…"

He declared, tossing down ten dollars.

Both previous players folded.

My immediate predecessor, having lost money as well, wanting to recover, called the ten dollars.

I am well aware of his hand, which consists of a pair of sevens.

When it came to my turn, I also called the ten dollars.