18: Poker Game

In the alleyway, old men and women gathered around to watch them play cards.

They were all residents of this neighborhood, very familiar with each other as they saw one another every day.

An old man held the cards in his hand, frowning as he studied how to play them.

Standing behind him, Duan Yimin looked at the hand and also pondered how he would play if it were him.

Another old man couldn't help but speak up, "Play this one, play this one first!"

"Bullshit, don't listen to him, play this!"

"You definitely have to play the pair of threes first! These are the lowest cards; how can you not play them?"

"No, no, he doesn't have any more pairs after that. If he plays the pair of threes first, how will he follow up? Wouldn't that just give the initiative to someone else?"

Grom was caught in the middle. "Uncle, if you do this, everyone will know what cards I have."

The old man stepped back a bit awkwardly.

Seeing his chance, Grom stuffed the cards into his hand. "Why don't you play a round for me? I happen to need the restroom."

The old man's face immediately lit up with a smile. "That sounds great! I'll play a round for you!"

Grom slipped away and exchanged a look with Chen Chen.

This round was in the bag!

Before they could even speak after stepping out, an auntie pulled them aside. "Where did you buy this thing you're playing?"

"It's called something like 'paper cards', right?"

Chen Chen smiled. "It's called Poker. It's a newly released card game that you can play with friends and family."

"Are you planning to buy some?"

"I happen to have some here. One deck of poker cards is 19 yuan."

The auntie's name was Zuo Fangchun. Usually, she didn't like playing on her phone much and was quite bored.

She would only occasionally come downstairs for a walk and chat with a few friends.

Seeing how simple the game appeared, she couldn't help but ask.

Besides, the price was very cheap—only 19 yuan.

"How long do these cards last?"

Grom: "Poker cards are waterproof. As long as you don't lose or damage them, they can basically last for several years."

Hearing this, Zuo Fangchun was tempted. "Sell me a deck, then."

"Wait, I'll buy two decks."

She felt it was better to buy two; if one got lost, she'd have a replacement.

Plus, she could give the extra one as a gift.

"Coming right up!" Chen Chen ran to the table with a grin and took out two decks from the box of cards he had bought.

After handing them to the auntie, she transferred the money to him.

Another sharp-eyed old man saw this and reached out. "Give me two decks as well."

Chen Chen was overjoyed, thinking that Ye Bai's method was indeed effective.

In fact, Ye Bai had simply recalled his past life, where he could always see old men and women gathered to play cards, chess, or Mahjong.

For them, the allure of mobile phones wasn't that strong.

Most games and entertainment activities on the market fundamentally rarely considered this demographic.

Only with games like Honor of Kings, which everyone knew about, was there a small portion of elderly people playing, but the numbers were still very low.

Because the hand speed of the elderly couldn't keep up, and their eyes weren't as sharp anymore.

Furthermore, the entertainment industry in this world was underdeveloped, and this generation of elderly people hadn't played games when they were young.

As a result, many people died from untreated emotional illness.

They also tried hard to save themselves, which meant they could only gather frequently.

As for games... to them, the games on the market were simply terrible.

And places like amusement parks weren't friendly to them either.

Ye Bai had never considered this demographic before either, until he once saw that happy eliminate had a monthly revenue of 190 million.

Only then did he start to wonder who exactly was playing this game.

Until one time while taking the bus, he saw an auntie playing Candy Crush on her phone.

After returning, he checked the target audience for happy eliminate and found that users over the age of 45 accounted for 38 percent.

This was a very high figure.

Moreover, their paid top-ups and playtime in happy eliminate were much higher than those of young people.

In his original world, middle-aged and elderly people could play chess, cards, or Mahjong.

But in this world, there was no chess, no Mahjong, and no Fight the Landlord.

Their entertainment was almost a blank slate.

And the games being released now were almost all designed for young people; everyone seemed to have forgotten about the middle-aged and elderly.

Although young people also loved playing poker, it would be too difficult to use them as a breakthrough point.

Currently, the market was dominated by games for young people with more entertainment options, making it hard for them to consider trying poker.

This was why Ye Bai had them target the elderly for their sales.

His plan was to start by penetrating the elderly market and then gradually expand.

In the evening, the three of them returned to their dormitory carrying empty cardboard boxes.

Ye Bai listened to them talk while eating the dinner they had brought back.

"I'm telling you, your method was so effective! We sold out completely!" Chen Chen was overjoyed.

To them, this meant that poker was fun and marketable.

They didn't have to worry about being stuck with unsold stock.

"Basically all those uncles and aunties bought some. Hey, after buying, they just set up tables on the spot and started playing. By the time we left, almost that whole street was Playing cards, hahaha!"

"Yeah," Grom was also very happy, "I think they really are quite interested in poker."

"Let's find another alley like that tomorrow!"

Ye Bai: "How many decks did you sell today?"

Chen Chen thought for a moment. "One box has a hundred decks, and we sold them all."

Because of the blow they received in the afternoon, they hadn't taken many cards with them when they went out.

Ye Bai smiled. "In that case, go here tomorrow."

He opened a map on his phone and pointed to a bar.

Chen Chen and Grom were stunned. "Are we not selling to the middle-aged and elderly anymore?"

Ye Bai chuckled. "It's too slow. Let it ferment with them for a while first."

"Tomorrow, one of you go to a bar, and the other go to a Senior Activity Center."

Chen Chen looked thoughtful. "You mean selling to bars so the customers can play games?"

"But Fight the Landlord doesn't seem very suitable for a bar, so are we playing... Golden Flower?"

Ye Bai: "That works too, but I'm going to teach you a new game."

"Liars Tavern."

To be honest, Ye Bai only learned about the gameplay of Liars Tavern because Honor of Kings released the 'Thousand Machine Cards'.

This gameplay only requires four types of cards, and Ye Bai really liked it back then.

This gameplay not only tests one's courage but is also very exciting.

It's suitable for playing in bars.

Of course, there are many other ways to play poker in bars. Ye Bai decided to teach them a few more so it would be easier to promote at the bars.

Since they were starting a business, they had to be thick-skinned about it.

Ye Bai taught them how to play Liars Tavern, and before long, the three of them were hooked.

"This is so exciting," Pei Ji said. "At first, I thought these cards looked so ordinary, but I didn't expect there to be so many ways to play."

"Come on, one more round."

Ye Bai smiled.

You have to realize that poker is truly a household name; who could say they've never touched a card?

And with billions of people playing poker for so long, someone is bound to come up with new ideas.