108: God of Gamblers enters the arena

"Everyone."

At this moment, a representative from the organizers walked out.

It was a blonde dealer in a tuxedo, followed by two waiters carrying trays.

"Welcome to the 'Whale Game'."

"I'm sure everyone knows the rules."

"No limit, Texas Hold'em only."

"Ante: Ten million dollars."

"Buy-in: One billion dollars."

Hearing this number, the people present didn't even blink.

A billion?

To an ordinary person, it was an astronomical sum.

But for those seated here, it was just a warm-up.

"Furthermore..."

The dealer clapped his hands.

The wall behind him slowly opened, revealing a massive bulletproof glass display case.

Inside the glass case, an exquisite 3D holographic map floated.

It was an island shaped like a crescent moon.

Surrounded by the azure sea, the island had forests, beaches, and even a freshwater lake.

"This is tonight's ultimate prize—'New Moon Island'."

The dealer's voice held a hint of enticement.

"Located in the international waters of the South Pacific, with an area of 30 square kilometers."

"It possesses independent sovereignty registered with the United Nations."

"Whoever wins everyone else's chips will be the... King of this island."

The moment he saw that island,

Jiang Yuan's eyes finally lit up.

30 square kilometers!

And the terrain was perfect; it was practically tailor-made for that 'Future Base'.

"Interesting."

Jiang Yuan leaned back in his chair, his slender fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

"Then let's skip the nonsense."

He casually tossed a black bank card onto the table, making a crisp sound.

"Exchange ten billion in chips for me first."

"Let's see how it goes."

Total silence filled the room.

The hand of the oil prince, who was about to reach for a cigar, froze in mid-air.

The cigarette in the Asian woman's mouth almost fell onto her skirt.

The buy-in was only one billion.

This guy exchanges ten billion right off the bat?

Ten billion dollars worth of chips.

In this underground hall, they piled up into a breathtaking small mountain.

Even the dealer, who was used to big scenes, had fingers that trembled slightly while counting the chips.

The expressions of the other four people at the table finally changed.

Although they had all brought one billion dollars to the table and were considered top high rollers,

in front of Jiang Yuan's ten-billion-dollar 'tower', their chips looked like a child's pocket money.

This was the simplest and most unsolvable tactic in Texas Hold'em—the Big Stack Bully.

As long as Jiang Yuan wanted to, he could go All-in in every round, forcing his opponents to call with their entire net worth.

If he lost, it would just be a scratch.

If the opponent lost, they were out.

"Interesting."

The Wall Street fund mogul pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a sharp glint flashing behind the lenses.

"Deal the cards."

Jiang Yuan unbuttoned his cufflinks and leaned back, looking completely unruffled.

Round one.

Jiang Yuan was dealt the 2 of Clubs and the 7 of Diamonds.

This was universally recognized as a 'trash hand' in Texas Hold'em.

But without even looking, he threw out ten million in chips.

"Raise, fifty million."

Opposite him, the oil prince, Sayid, looked at the pair of Kings in his hand, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Call."

The Flop: King of Hearts, 5 of Spades, 9 of Clubs.

The prince hit top set.

This was an excellent board for him.

He tapped the table: "Check."

He was 'slow playing', trying to lure Jiang Yuan into the trap.

Jiang Yuan seemed to have truly taken the bait, casually pushing out a pile of chips: "Two hundred million."

"Call." Greed was hidden in the prince's eyes.

The Turn: 2 of Diamonds.

Jiang Yuan hit the smallest pair; he was still in a losing position.

But his expression remained unchanged: "Five hundred million."

At this point, Mrs. Lin and the old European man both folded; they could see that the prince had a very strong hand and didn't want to get involved in the war between these two madmen.

The prince didn't hesitate: "Raise another five hundred million, call."

The River: 7 of Diamonds.

The situation reversed instantly!

The 2 and 7 in Jiang Yuan's hand, combined with the 2 and 7 on the board, made two pair.

Though not high, if combined with... "All-in."

The prince didn't hesitate for a second, pushing all his remaining two hundred-plus million in chips forward.

He was certain his three Kings were invincible.

"Showdown."

The prince revealed his hole cards—three Kings—with an air of certain victory.

"Young man, let the first hand teach you a lesson: Texas Hold'em isn't won just by throwing money around."

Jiang Yuan smiled and slowly flipped over his hole cards.

2 and 7, two pair.

"My apologies."

"It seems luck is on my side."

The whole room was stunned.

The prince's eyes widened as he stared at that river card.

He hadn't lost to skill or money; he had lost to that one-in-ten-thousand probability.

The Wall Street mogul's expression turned serious instantly; he was rapidly calculating the expected value of that last hand in his head.

Before the river was dealt, Jiang Yuan's win rate was less than 5%, yet he won.

It wasn't scientific.

But that's gambling... Over the next two hours,

the game entered an extremely bizarre rhythm.

Jiang Yuan didn't win every single hand.

On the contrary, he often lost small hands, throwing away tens of millions at a time, looking like a complete amateur who didn't understand probability.

This caused the old foxes at the table to lower their guard, thinking that the previous hand was just pure 'dumb luck'.

Until a critical hand.

The Wall Street mogul was dealt AA, the best starting hand in Texas Hold'em.

While Jiang Yuan held 5 and 6 suited.

The board showed: 4, 7, J.

The mogul had a pair of Aces, and Jiang Yuan had an open-ended straight draw.

Statistically, the mogul had an extremely high win rate.

"All-in."

After precise calculations, the Wall Street mogul was certain there was no hand in Jiang Yuan's range that could beat him, so he decisively pushed in all his chips.

A full 1.5 billion dollars.

"Call."

Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate for even a second, throwing out his chips.

The mogul sneered, "Young man, the laws of probability don't lie. Calling on this board is a negative expected value in the long run."

He revealed his AA.

Jiang Yuan revealed his 5 and 6.

"Perhaps," Jiang Yuan shrugged. "But I've always failed math."

The dealer dealt the cards.

The Turn: An inconsequential Queen.

The River: An 8.

4, 5, 6, 7, 8—a straight!

The smile on the Wall Street mogul's face froze instantly, his gold-rimmed glasses nearly sliding off.

He stared intently at that 8.

"Much obliged."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, and a waiter came forward to rake the mountain of chips over to him.

By now, only three people remained at the table.

Jiang Yuan, Mrs. Lin, and that old European man who had been playing steadily.

The oil prince had already lost his two-billion-dollar rebuy and left the room in a fit of rage.

The Wall Street mogul, his convictions shattered, also withdrew with a grim expression.