Chapter 1543: A Gamble Gone Wrong/ Problematic Deck of Cards

Yang Ming waved his hand casually. Klass nodded his head in approval as well when he saw Yang Ming had no objections.

The dealer gathered the playing cards on the table and started shuffling. Yang Ming found it a little funny that Klass was watching the dealer’s movements without even blinking. This guy must have deft hands and a keen vision. He’s pretty suitable to be a thief!

“Ahh— Ahh— Ahh choo—” Yang Ming felt tingly and suddenly sneezed loudly. Klass was startled and leaned backward as he covered his mouth. However, due to this, he lost track of the dealer’s movements.

Of course, it was impossible to remember the position of all the cards. Klass could only remember the top few cards. In a game like Blackjack, the only usable cards were the ones on top. The ones at the bottom were completely useless.

Klass frowned. He didn’t know if Yang Ming did it intentionally. However, if he did do it intentionally, wouldn’t that prevent him from remembering the order of the cards as well? Or could it be that he never was able to memorize them, so he intentionally caused chaos to prevent Klass from memorizing them?

Regardless, since Klass could no longer remember it, Yang Ming wouldn’t be able to remember it as well. So, Klass was only a little dissatisfied in his heart and wasn’t too worried.

It’s just that he was originally confident of having an eighty percent chance to win, yet now it had become only fifty percent. This inevitably made Klass feel a little unlucky.

Of course, there was no way he could ask the dealer to reshuffle a new deck of cards. That would be too fake.

The dealer finished shuffling the cards and asked K’ass to cut the deck. It no longer mattered how Klass cut it since he could no longer remember the order, so he just cut it simply. However, with a slight shake of his hand, two cards slipped into his sleeves.

Klass’s movements were extremely discrete and at the speed of light. People who were next to him wouldn’t be able to notice it. Even a camera wouldn’t be able to record and capture his movements.

However, Yang Ming had always felt that Klass was not an upright person. How could he not be wary of him pulling little tricks? But Yang Ming sat there seemingly indifferent, and his eyes were not staring directly at Klass’s hands. However, would Yang Ming have to look directly if he really wanted to keep an eye on someone?

Yang Ming had long used his special ability to lock onto Klass. It was still possible for others to overlook it, but it was utterly ridiculous if he wanted to hide his actions from Yang Ming’s x-ray vision.

Yang Ming had been watching Klass’s movements in detail. All of his actions were like slow motion in Yang Ming’s eyes. When Yang Ming saw Klass hide two cards into his sleeves, he somewhat scoffed and pouted his lips. Isn’t this guy pretty bold? He hid not one, but two cards? Does he think I am blind?

He looked at the two cards in Klass’s sleeves. One of them was an Ace of Spades, and the other was a Five of Diamonds. One was a big card, and one was a medium card. Although Klass selected them by chance, his luck was indeed pretty great. These two cards were extremely suitable for cheating. Regardless of what the cards in his hands were, he would have the possibility to change it to be a bigger set.

However, his good luck up this point had now ended since he had run into Yang Ming.

Yang Ming smiled faintly. I’ll let you be happy for now. You will cry in a while. When the dealer asked Yang Ming to cut the deck, Yang Ming shook his head to indicate that it wasn’t necessary.

The dealer nodded and asked to whom he should deal the card first.

“Mr. Klass is the host, so start with him,” Yang Ming politely gestured.

Klass nodded and said nothing. It didn’t matter to whom the cards were dealt first. It was impossible for a two-person blackjack to have a banker and players like regular multiplayer blackjack. For the sake of fairness, both he and Yang Ming were players. The dealer could be the banker.

Klass couldn’t remember the order of the cards anyway. However, he had already stolen two cards, so he still was confident in winning.

The dealer gave Klass and Yang Ming two cards each, an up card and a hole card.

Klass’s hole card was the Three of Clubs, and his up card was a Four of Hearts. This was a smaller set of cards. It was more advantageous.

Yang Ming, on the other hand, had an Eight of Hearts as his hole card, and his up card was a Seven of Spades. Cards like these were a little tough. Fifteen points, a breaking hand. If he asked for another card, he might bust. If he did not, his points would be easily exceeded by others.

Klass took a look at his hole card and a smirk showed at the corner of his lips. While he was looking at this card, he snuck a peek at both the stolen cards in his sleeve. Then, his smile widened.

After hiding the cards, Klass put the hole card back on the table and said to the dealer, “Hit.”

The dealer nodded and dealt Klass a card. It was a Six of Clubs.

Klass’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect that he would be so lucky! His opened cards were now a Four of Hearts and a Six of Clubs. In his hand, he still had an Ace of Spades. With this, he would have twenty-one points just by exchanging his Three of Clubs hole card with the Ace of Spades in his sleeves! This was a certain killing!

As long as Yang Ming’s two cards didn’t form a direct Blackjack, he would win this round. Of course, Yang Ming’s up card was a Seven of Clubs. It was impossible for him to get a direct Blackjack.

Klass pretended to frown. He picked up the hole card again, and then rubbed it and put it back to its original place. He had already completed the swap at this moment.

“Stand.” Klass stopped.

Yang Ming was intrigued. You’re playing so seriously even when you’re cheating? Yang Ming shrugged and said, “Stand.”

Yang Ming had seen that the next card was a Nine of Clubs. He would have busted if he asked for another card. Then, even if he were to expose Klass, it would be somewhat inappropriate if his cards were a bust.

Ha! Klass was euphoric when he heard Yang Ming say stand. Wouldn’t that mean that he had definitely won? If Yang Ming had asked for another card, they might have drawn if Yang Ming also accumulated twenty-one points with the extra card. However, Yang Ming had actually stood. Could it be that Yang Ming thought that Krass’s cards had already busted?

“Both sides show hands,” said the dealer.

Klass smiled faintly when he heard the dealer’s words. He reached out his hand to reveal his hole card. It was the Ace of Spades he had swapped in. With the two up cards on his table— Four of Hearts and Six of Clubs, it formed twenty-one points.

“My apologies, you let me win.” Klass shrugged. It was impossible for Yang Ming’s cards to exceed his. Yang Ming would definitely lose regardless of what his hole card was.

Klass didn’t expect it to go so smoothly today. The winner was decided with just one game. He initially thought that he had to go through a fierce battle! It seemed that Yang Ming was not all that. He was nowhere near as great as the rumors made him sound. Boss was too nervous!

Klass thought that Yang Ming’s life was about to be his. So, he laughed happily and proudly. He could almost see his boss patting his shoulders in satisfaction, and offering him a promotion.

“My apologies, I lost focus.” Yang Ming shrugged.

“Oh, that’s okay.” Although Klass said this, he thought in his heart, Do you think that you can use losing focus as an excuse? Do you think that you can just pretend that nothing happened because you lost focus? Klass found it a little funny.

“There’s something I forgot to say. I’ll say it now.” Yang Ming smiled and pointed at the deck in the dealer’s hands, “There’s a problem with this deck.”

“There’s a problem?” The dealer was stunned. Klass was also stunned. They didn’t know what Yang Ming was implying.

Klass thought, Could it be that Yang Ming is refusing to acknowledge his defeat?

“What do you mean by this? What problems can this deck have?” said Klass with a grimace.

“If I say that there’s a problem, there’s naturally a problem.” Yang Ming laughed.

“Mr. Yang, could it be that you are deliberately looking for excuses because you are dissatisfied with the outcome of this game?” Klass was a little displeased. It wasn’t easy for him to win, so what was Yang Ming trying to imply with these words? “Alright. Since you say that there’s a problem with this deck, tell me, what’s the problem?”

“There are no Five of Diamonds and Three of Clubs within these cards. So, the result of this gamble is invalid,” said Yang Ming as he pointed at the remaining cards in the dealer’s hands.

Chapter 1862: Problematic Deck of Cards

“You— You’re saying nonsense!” Klass’s face changed abruptly and his heart skipped a beat! How is this possible? How could Yang Ming possibly know what the deck is missing? However, Yang Ming’s words were true. These two cards were currently hidden in Krlass’s sleeves!

However, even if Yang Ming is telling the truth, he couldn’t have possibly known this! When Klass was stealing the cards, it was impossible for Yang Ming to know what the cards were even if Yang Ming noticed that he stole them. Plus, the Three of Clubs was originally his hole card that he had exchanged with a stolen card later on. That made it even more impossible for Yang Ming to know!

Klass had not stolen the cards when they first checked the deck, so Yang Ming had also seen an unproblematic deck of cards. So, how did Yang Ming know that these two cards were missing?

“Nonsense?” Yang Ming smiled indifferently. “We’ll know if it’s nonsense or not when everyone sees the cards after we open them.”

The dealer did not have keen eyesight. He naturally was not able to see the scene where Klass stole the cards. So, he was extremely puzzled at this moment. What exactly was Yang Ming talking about? He checked the cards one by one earlier. There were no missing cards!

“Hmph! You’re refusing to acknowledge your defeat, aren’t you?” There was no doubt that Klass didn’t want Yang Ming to check the cards. Wouldn’t he be exposed if this happened? Even if he wasn’t exposed, the game would be void!

According to regulations, if there is a lack of cards or other problems with the playing cards, the result of the game is void. These were similar to the rules in the International King of Gamblers Competition.

This allowed those who cheated to be punished. However, even so, no one would accuse someone of cheating when there was absolutely no evidence. This was because everyone cheated at the King of Gamblers’ level. It would be nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black [1].

“Wouldn’t you know if it’s a matter of accountability by checking the remaining cards?” Yang Ming said calmly.

“Alright, since this gentleman is holding suspicious, let’s check the cards.” The dealer didn’t know that Klass had stolen the cards. He thought that Yang Ming’s words indicated that he was the one who cheated, and was a little upset. This was why he also agreed to check the cards. It would do him justice.

“This…” Klass didn’t expect the dealer to agree just like that. His expression turned dull immediately, and he frowned deeply. If they checked the cards, the results Yang Ming claimed would definitely show.

However, the dealer had already spread out the cards onto the table before Klass could say anything. “Sir, please check carefully!”

The dealer’s tone was not too friendly. He naturally wanted to prove his innocence and Yang Ming’s unreasonableness.

“Hehe, okay. Let’s all look for them together. Let’s see if the Five of Diamonds and the Three of Clubs are here,” said Yang Ming with a smile.

The dealer was still alright at first, but he sneered in his heart after hearing Yang Ming’s words. Doesn’t it just take one look to know if they are there? However, his expression turned dull after that. Besides the five cards that had been dealt out before, there were indeed no Five of Diamonds and Three of Clubs amongst the cards!

In other words, Yang Ming was right. There were two cards missing from this deck! However, the dealer had already checked the cards before this. He did not notice any shortage. Where did the two cards go?

The dealer’s first thought was that either Yang Ming or Klass had cheated! However, since Yang Ming could clearly state which two cards were missing, it seemed that he knew which two cards were stolen. If Klass was the one who cheated, Yang Ming would at most know that the deck had two cards missing, and would not be able to identify the suit of the cards clearly!

With this judgment, Yang Ming was definitely the one who cheated! He saw that he was about to lose, and hence said this deliberately to cancel this game. Yet, he put the blame on the dealer!

After all, missing cards were definitely the dealer’s responsibility! The dealer was a little angry when he thought of this. He followed up by saying coldly, “Sir, how do you just know what’s missing from this deck? Could you be the cheater? You should know that our casino does not welcome cheaters!”

“Is it? I cheated?” Yang Ming smiled calmly, “From the beginning till the end, I haven’t touched the cards. Oh, right. I haven’t even touched the hole card on the table. They were all dealt by you. Are you sure that I cheated?”

“This—” The dealer thought carefully. Indeed, Yang Ming’s hands were laid flat on the table from the beginning until the end. His hands were clasped, and he didn’t even touch the cards. He didn’t even touch his own cards. How did he cheat? Could he have some superpower? That’s too ridiculous, isn’t it?

“So, those who touched the cards, you know if you cheated.” Yang Ming sneered, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Klass?”

“It’s not me—” The dealer also knew at this moment that it was impossible that Yang Ming had cheated. Then, the cheater was definitely Klass. However, he had already taken his shot at Yang Ming. He used evidence to say that Yang Ming was the cheater and reduced the suspicion on Klass. It would be somewhat unreasonable if he were to say that Klass was the cheater at this point. It would only make him seem like a headless chicken.

“Take him out!” Although Smith wasn’t sure what was going on, it was obvious that the dealer was more suspicious. He also wasn’t sure if the dealer had cheated deliberately in order to help Yang Ming, so he was extremely angry!

“Mr. Smith, it’s not me. I didn’t cheat…” The dealer was startled. He estimated that if he were to be sent out this time, not only would he lose his job, he would also be punished. He was immediately drenched in cold sweat!

He was somewhat frustrated at the person who cheated, and was somewhat remorseful for stating with certainty that Yang Ming was the cheater out of anxiety. After being refuted by Yang Ming, he could no longer pin the blame on another person.

“Don’t be so anxious! Wouldn’t we know who the cheater is just by searching the bodies of everyone here?” Yang Ming pointed to the dealer and said, “I don’t think he’s the cheater. If you don’t believe me, just find someone to search him.”

“Hmph! No need!” Klass saw that Yang Ming clearly wanted to make things more complicated, and it would be a disadvantage for him. He could only swallow his anger, “Who knows, this deck of cards may have already been problematic. This game is obsolete. Let’s play again!”

“Carry on then.” Smith no longer persisted as even Klass had said so. He said to the dealer, “Be more careful next time! How could you be so careless? You didn’t even know that there were cards missing?”

The dealer really wanted to cry. However, he was relieved that he was able to escape.

“Okay, I’ll go get another deck of cards!” said the dealer as he cleared the cards on the table. He then put them directly in the shredder at the side of the room, destroying them.

Klass thought that he could use the cards currently hidden in his sleeves again in the next game. This time, all he had to do was be a little more careful when checking the cards initially. He could declare for everyone to see that there were no missing cards in this deck. He thought that after Yang Ming had confirmed it, he wouldn’t be able to say that there’s a problem with the deck!

There was no doubt that Klass was good with his calculations. However, it wasn’t certain that things would go his way.

“I think it’s better to use another company’s cards. This company’s cards don’t seem that good. This deck was short of two cards. Who knows if the next deck would have an extra two? For example, an extra Five of Diamonds or Three of Clubs? That wouldn’t be too good. Isn’t that right, Mr. Klass?” said Yang Ming as he saw the dealer take out a deck that was identical to the previous one.

“This… How is that possible?” Of course, Klass did not think that Yang Ming was talking casually. He must have seen through his intentions. Klass was annoyed for a while. However, he had no choice but to say, “Change it then. The manufacturer of these playing cards really is not that good!”

The dealer was also afraid that there would be a problem. He nodded his head and changed to another company’s cards. Each company patterned their playing cards differently. So, the two cards that Klass had hidden earlier would have no use at all. This made Klass a little depressed.

Zhang Bing had almost lost his heart. From the conversation between Yang Ming and Klass, he already knew that Yang Ming was gambling with Klass for him and his father’s sake. He was extremely moved, and deeply worried!

He was afraid that Yang Ming would lose! Then, wouldn’t he have burdened Yang Ming?

Zhang Jiefang was also blaming himself deeply. He had no face left as an elder. He could only lower his head and remain silent. However, the nervousness in his heart was no less than Zhang Bing’s.