"Raise!"
Another round passed, and no one backed down. Everyone chose to call.
After this round, the pot for this game had already exceeded thirty chips. This was no small sum for anyone, and the four players present all grew tense.
At the same time, the dealer revealed the fourth card—the 2 of Spades.
The community cards were now A, 10, 4, 2.
These cards made everyone frown, but Chi Hanxiao didn't seem concerned. Her hand was already made, and three 10s was strong enough.
For anyone to beat her in the current game, they would need to hold a pair of Aces to form three Aces, or a 3 and a 5 to form a straight. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have a stronger hand than hers.
Elise didn't believe anyone would have such good luck—or rather, she didn't believe she would be so unlucky. So she decisively made her move.
"All in."
At this moment, Elise no longer hesitated and chose to go all in.
Elise's all-in put immense pressure on the other two players, the man and woman. They frowned, resting their chins on their hands, their eyes locked onto the cards as they tried to deduce Elise's hole cards.
A pair of 4s? A pair of 10s or a pair of Aces?
Or a pair of 2s? Or a 3 and a 5?
Texas Hold'em was essentially a mathematical problem, a probability puzzle, but it also involved a great deal of psychological warfare.
Elise had dared to go all in without hesitation, which proved her hand must be strong. As for bluffing, no one believed that Elise would dare to bluff in a high-stakes event like the Golden Gamble.
They continuously calculated what Elise's hand might be while also estimating their own chances of winning.
No matter what cards Elise held, as long as a King or Jack was revealed at the end, they could complete their straights.
However, they would have to take an enormous risk. They were considering whether it was worth going all in for such a low probability.
Although they had already committed many chips, folding would mean accepting a loss. But knowing that Elise likely held a strong hand, going all in to gamble was clearly not a wise choice.
"As long as there's life, there's hope."
Ultimately, after much deliberation, the man and woman successively shook their heads and chose to fold, discarding their cards.
There was no need to fight Elise to the death over this hand.
This left only Jacob and Elise at the poker table. Looking at Elise's all-in, Jacob secretly sighed.
If this woman was determined to throw away her chips, he couldn't be blamed.
His original intention had been to deal with Fukuyama and the other two, but he hadn't expected to end up facing Elise directly.
"All in."
Knowing that he was guaranteed to win, Jacob naturally wouldn't back down. He also chose to go all in without hesitation.
Their dual all-ins caused quite a stir, especially for Helen standing behind Jacob. When she saw Jacob go all in, her vision went dark and she nearly fainted, but she could only watch from the sidelines, unable to do anything.
The only thing she could do was clasp her hands together and pray continuously that Jacob must have a strong hand!
Seeing both sides go all in, the dealer dealt the final card—the 8 of Spades that Jacob had foreseen.
"Showdown."
At this point, both sides had gone all in, so they proceeded directly to the showdown phase.
The surrounding crowd also grew restless. This was the first time such a high-stakes game had been seen since the Golden Gamble began.
Everyone held their breath, anticipating the reveal of the hole cards.
Elise stared intently at Jacob, then was the first to reveal her hole cards.
Two 10s, which combined with the 10 in the community cards to form three 10s.
"Three 10s. What about you?" Elise was confident in her hand. She looked at Jacob. "To beat me, you'd need a pair of Aces or a 3 and a 5. I don't believe you could possibly have those cards."
Meeting Elise's gaze, Jacob appeared completely calm. When the outcome of a gamble was known in advance, the thrill of gambling vanished entirely.
"Just slightly bigger than yours." Jacob flipped over his hole cards without expression—they were indeed a 3 and a 5. "A straight."
"Whoa!"
Gasps of surprise erupted from the spectators. Although the straight in Jacob's hand was the smallest possible straight, it was already strong enough to beat Elise's three of a kind.
"Player Six wins." The dealer's voice announced, and simultaneously, he pushed all the chips on the table toward Jacob.
Jacob calmly collected the large pile of chips and Gimmighoul coins, his expression serene.
Compared to Jacob's composure, Helen standing behind him was extremely excited at this moment. Looking at the massive pile of chips and Gimmighoul coins on the table, her eyes sparkled with undisguised greed.
This was all money!
She wished she could simply pounce on them and take all those chips away.
Elise, sitting across from him, let her face darken. She suddenly stood up, placing her hands on the table, her chest heaving violently. After losing all her chips and Gimmighoul coins, she could only leave the game according to the rules.
After taking a deep breath, Elise turned and stormed out through the crowd.
Watching this scene unfold, Jacob shook his head. Elise was truly inexperienced, but was she really Eleanor's sister?
He would ask when he returned.
After Elise's departure, only four players remained at the poker table.
"Are you all continuing?" Jacob smiled as he looked at the other three and asked.
"Of course we're continuing." The man and woman replied without hesitation. They were eyeing the large pile of chips in Jacob's possession and naturally had no intention of leaving.
"This old man will naturally keep you company." Fukuyama also wouldn't back down. His gaze turned to the massive pile of chips in front of Jacob, and a smile formed beneath his ghost mask.
These chips were already as good as his, in his mind.
Seeing this, the dealer also prepared to shuffle the cards and begin a new round.
However, just then, Jacob's voice suddenly rang out. "Wait a moment."
"I request a new shuffle. I suspect someone here is cheating. I hope that when you shuffle, you'll use a cover to prevent others from seeing." Jacob's voice was clear and deliberate.
"No problem." The dealer naturally had no reason to refuse Jacob's reasonable request.
Jacob's suggestion made the man and woman frown slightly, and also caused Fukuyama's expression to shift subtly.
How did he know?
Fukuyama suppressed his inner shock and stared coldly at Jacob. It was obvious that Jacob's suggestion was intentionally directed at him.
With his photographic memory, once his vision was obscured, he would be no different from an ordinary player.
At this moment, Fukuyama's heart was greatly shaken, though his face remained expressionless.
The other man and woman also turned their gazes toward Fukuyama. Jacob must have noticed something suspicious, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a suggestion. As for who was cheating, it was obvious that Fukuyama—who had won the most—was the prime suspect.
Just then, a staff member retrieved two horizontal boards and placed them on the table, blocking everyone's view during the shuffle.
"Deal the cards."
The dealer began to deal the cards, making everyone tense.
The real Golden Gamble was just beginning.