A group of people sat around the coffee table, still playing the card game Golden Flower.

Including Han Lie, Dan Zihao, and Zhou Ci, a total of eight people were playing.

They took turns shuffling the cards clockwise. The winner of the last round cut the deck. The maximum blind bet was 5,000, and calling after seeing your cards cost 10,000.

Wang Xiaotian gave Han Lie 200,000 in chips. Han Lie casually responded, "I'll settle it with you later." Wang Xiaotian hurriedly professed, "No hurry, no hurry, anytime is fine!"

Since today's game was considered a grudge match, the stakes were higher than usual, so everyone was generally more cautious.

In the first round, everyone looked at their cards, but Han Lie, who was usually the most cautious, made a blind bet of 5,000.

The group was collectively dumbfounded.

What's going on?

Is he starting to deviate from the norm again?

His single blind bet cleared the table, with only the stubborn Liu Yingjun calling for two rounds.

Then, when Han Lie finally looked at his cards, he raised the bet by 10,000, scaring Liu Yingjun into folding.

Just like that, he won 24,000 with a single hand that was actually just Ace-high.

By the fifth round, Han Lie again made two blind bets against Zhou Ci, ultimately losing a little over 30,000.

But that wasn't a big deal, as it was Han Lie's turn to shuffle for the next round.

As he collected the cards, "Gambling King" Lie secretly palmed three cards.

The Ace of Spades, the King of Clubs, and the King of Spades.

In the short time he had, these were the best cards he could find.

What exactly are gambling skills? In reality, they consist of various techniques similar to magic tricks, like concealing and switching cards—formally known as "cheating," colloquially as "deception."

Remembering cards, calculating odds, and psychological warfare are important components of gambling skills, but sleight of hand is the core.

With gambling skills just over Level 4, he couldn't pull off anything major, but hiding three cards right under the noses of amateur players was child's play.

Zhou Ci, as the previous winner, carefully cut the deck.

When it was Han Lie's turn to deal, he suddenly looked up and stared at Zhou Ci. "I really don't want to waste any more time on small fry like you. How about we both play blind, one round to decide the winner? Do you dare?"

Zhou Ci's face flushed red with anger. "Bring it on! Whoever chickens out is a damn coward!"

All eight players' cards were dealt. Fang Tongzhi was first to act; he didn't look at his cards and cheerfully tossed a 5,000 chip into the pot.

"I'll sponsor this hand for you two. Win or lose, it's all up to luck."

Following his lead, everyone else also made a blind bet, and the pot quickly grew to 44,000.

In the second round of betting, Fang Tongzhi looked at his cards and casually folded.

"You guys continue. My sponsorship ends here."

Liu Yingjun, still not looking at his cards, excitedly stirred the pot. "How can I miss out on something this interesting? I'm still in!"

Thus, after three rounds of betting, only Ma Ke, Liu Yingjun, Zhou Ci, Dan Zihao, and Han Lie remained.

Ma Ke looked at his cards, grinned, and threw in another 10,000.

"Hey, my luck's not bad. Good enough to call for two more rounds."

Zhou Ci couldn't take the pressure any longer and also looked at his cards.

Then, a flash of ecstasy, quickly followed by a hint of regret, flickered in his eyes.

The expression was subtle, undetectable to anyone but a master of psychology and micro-expressions. But, as it happened, Han Lie was such an expert.

My, my, looks like he has a strong hand, doesn't he?

After Zhou Ci looked at his cards and called the bet, Liu Yingjun and Dan Zihao couldn't hold on any longer.

They both looked at their cards, then folded, having contributed to the pot for nothing.

Han Lie, however, was in no rush at all. He continued to bet blind for two more rounds before leisurely looking at his cards.

Luckily for him, he had a fairly good 10-Q-K.

Combined with the three cards he had hidden, the best possible hand he could make was three Kings, followed by an Ace-King-10 flush, and then a Queen-King-Ace straight.

Han Lie didn't rush to make his move; instead, he continued to bet for two more rounds.

Finally unable to bear it, Ma Ke folded his hand, and he didn't seem to struggle much with the decision.

Good, probably a top pair.

Unlikely a small straight. With everyone betting blind, a small straight could have competed against Zhou Ci or me, risking only an additional 20,000.

Ma Ke wasn't a tight player; if he had a small straight from a blind bet, he wouldn't have folded so decisively.

If it was a top pair, then it could only be Aces, since pairs of Kings and Queens were no longer available.

Therefore, I can deduce that there are basically no Aces or Kings left in play.

The likelihood of Zhou Ci having a top straight is slim. He probably has a flush, but it definitely can't be an Ace-King flush.

Thus, when Han Lie looked at his cards again, he directly switched his hand to an Ace-King-10 flush.

Three Kings would have been too overkill and completely unnecessary.

Han Lie would rather misjudge and lose this round than immediately reveal three Kings, which might scare off Zhou Ci and Dan Zihao.

He calmly called for two more rounds. Zhou Ci finally couldn't take it anymore and furiously threw down a 20,000 chip. "Showdown!"

There we go, it's in the bag! Han Lie thought.

Han Lie spread his cards on the table. Watching Zhou Ci's face turn ashen with rage, he cheerfully started to collect his chips.

"I gave you a chance, but sadly, you weren't up to par..."

I'm not just going to win his money; I'm going to crush his spirit too!

Zhou Ci was indeed hit where it hurt. He managed to spit out one word through gritted teeth, "Again!"

Play a hundred more times, you'd still lose... Han Lie mused.

Han Lie, smiling, tormented the pair. He expertly folded whenever they had strong hands, limiting his losses to twenty or thirty thousand at most, while winning one or two hundred thousand when he had a good hand.

In less than an hour, he had raked in over a million.

Zhou Ci and Dan Zihao together lost over eight hundred thousand, while the other five players contributed over three hundred thousand. Han Lie had cleaned them all out.

Han Lie asked, "So, what's it going to be? Still want to play?"

Zhou Ci had lost all his chips and bought in again, only to lose them all within twenty minutes.

Zhou Ci was starting to lose his nerve, but Dan Zihao remained recklessly persistent, slamming a car key on the table through clenched teeth.

"My dad just bought me this top-of-the-line RS7. It has less than 5,000 kilometers on it. Let's say it's worth a million. Do you dare to take it as a bet?!"

Han Lie showed no courtesy, scoffing, "A million? I wouldn't drive it even if you gave it to me for free. I can't stand the smell in your car!"

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