I began dealing the cards.

A deck of 52 cards—it's no challenge for me. I can deal whichever card I want, whenever I want. Even if you stare without blinking, even if I slow my hands down several times over, you still wouldn’t catch me.

This is child’s play to me—a mere beginner’s trick in the art of card manipulation.

Why do I need to resort to this? I’ve lost quite a lot lately.

This time, Hou Jun and Chen Xiaoxue both stood up, their eyes locked on my hands, determined to ensure they could clearly see every card I dealt.

When dealing to others, I used a standard method. But when it came to myself, I’d use my fingers to cover the markings on the back of the cards. Once my cards hit the table, I quickly covered them with a cigarette box. No matter how hard they stared, they wouldn’t be able to glimpse my hand.

When the cards were all dealt, Hou Jun and Chen Xiaoxue looked visibly tense—not excited, but anxious. Hou Jun’s hand was strong, so strong that he feared others might fold too early.

As the dealer, it was my turn to bet first.

Before I could place my money, Hou Jun suddenly said,

“Chuliu, do you dare to go blind against me again? I don’t believe you can win this round!”

Chen Xiaoxue immediately chimed in,

“If you’re still a man, Chuliu, then keep going blind against my husband! If you win, I’ll find you a girl tomorrow—any girl from the spa, your pick!”

They worked in tandem, using taunts and the promise of a woman to bait me.

“Fine, I’ll play blind,” I said, throwing in ten yuan.

The player after me, Old Black, was next. True to form, he chose not to go blind, opting instead to look at his cards. His method of checking was typical of amateur gamblers—rubbing the cards forcefully before peeling them back bit by bit, as though this ritual might magically improve his hand.

When he finally saw his cards, his breathing grew heavier. His dark face flushed purple with excitement. Old Black’s hand was exceptional. He hadn’t drawn such a good hand since we started playing this game.

Of course, I already knew his hand. Hou Jun and Chen Xiaoxue knew it too. Three Jacks—a triple.

Suppressing his excitement, Old Black quickly matched the bet with twenty yuan. Hou Jun, of course, kept playing blind, tossing in ten yuan.

The others at the table folded after checking their cards. That left just the three of us.

The game continued, round after round. None of us backed down.

In the early 2000s, the rules of "Zhajinhua"had a particular quirk: three players couldn't reveal their cards to settle the game. This meant only two players could compare their hands.

This rule often led to a nasty strategy known as “two ghosts against one.” Two players would team up, continuously raising the stakes regardless of their hands. The third player, no matter how strong their cards, would eventually run out of money and be forced to fold.

I once heard about a gambler who held a triple Aces but got squeezed out by this tactic. With no money left to play, he became so distraught he jumped off a building, clutching his three Aces.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Back at the table, the pot had grown to over a thousand yuan. Since Old Black had already seen his cards, he matched each bet with twenty yuan. But now, his pile of cash was down to just over a hundred.

Old Black glanced at Hou Jun and tried to persuade him,

“Hou Jun, why don’t you let me handle this guy? My cards are huge…”

He even gave Hou Jun a subtle wink, hinting at his strong hand.

But Hou Jun refused outright.

“Why should I back down? I’m going all the way with him! If you’re out of money, I can lend you some!”

That’s the kind of bastard Hou Jun was. He always claimed Old Black was his best friend, but now, knowing his hand was stronger than Old Black’s, he still wanted to lend him money to keep playing. Hou Jun would screw over anyone, friend or foe.

He immediately counted out 800 yuan and tossed it to Old Black, even though he himself had just over 1,000 yuan left on the table.

As for me, thanks to my earlier wins, I still had about 1,500 yuan.

The three of us continued betting. After several more rounds, Old Black’s 800 yuan had dwindled to just a few dozen. Gripping his cards tightly, he suggested,

“How about we stop here? Let’s reveal our cards and see who’s got the biggest hand!”

I didn’t respond. I already knew Hou Jun wouldn’t agree.

As expected, Hou Jun shot back,

“No way. If you’re out of money, borrow some! If you can’t, then fold!”

Hou Jun’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Old Black, furious, slammed his cards down on the table.

“Damn it, I’ve got three Jacks! You think I’ll fold?”

Nobody expected Old Black’s temper to flare like that, nor for him to reveal his hand.

The table erupted in astonished gasps.

Three of a kind, especially Jacks, was a rare and powerful hand in Zhajinhua. Only Queens, Kings, or Aces could beat it.

Still fuming, Old Black turned to Hou Jun.

“Lend me money, and I’ll take him on!”

But Hou Jun was clearly displeased with Old Black’s outburst. He scowled and replied coldly,

“No. I’ve got just enough to keep playing. I’m going all the way with him myself!”

Old Black was livid, but there was nothing he could do. Out of money, he muttered bitterly,

“Fine! You two keep going! I’ll sit back and see whose hand could possibly beat mine!”

Now it was just Hou Jun and me.

Afraid I might check my cards and fold, Hou Jun quickly suggested,

“Chuliu, let’s stop with these small bets. It’s a waste of time. Let’s go all in—winner takes all. What do you say?”

I smirked inwardly but kept my expression neutral. Lighting a cigarette, I glanced at the few hundred yuan Hou Jun had left.

“All in? Fine by me. But you need to go all in with every cent you have. Are you sure?”

My calm tone seemed to provoke Hou Jun.

“Stop asking if I’m sure! I’ve got more money than you anyway. You bet, I’ll match it, no matter how much!”

“Whatever I bet, you’ll match?”

“Exactly!”

This was what I had been waiting for.

Slowly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wad of hundred-yuan bills—a neat stack wrapped in paper. It was wedding gift money Mei Jie had given me after an afternoon mahjong game.

“One thousand. I’m all in.”

The table fell silent. Everyone stared at the pile of cash in disbelief.

For us, a thousand yuan was a fortune. Hou Jun, the highest earner among us, only made 1,500 yuan a month.

Hou Jun’s eyes flickered between my money and his cards. There was surprise in his gaze, but greed dominated.

“Boss!” he called toward the door.

The shop owner walked in, and Hou Jun asked,

“How much cash do you have? I’ll borrow it all and pay you back after the game!”

The boss grimaced awkwardly.

“I spent most of it on stock this morning. I’ve got 800 left…”

Eight hundred wasn’t nearly enough.

Hou Jun frowned, then turned to the others at the table.

“What about you guys? How much do you have? Lend it to me!”

Even pooling their money, it came to less than 2,000 yuan.

Desperate, Hou Jun looked at Chen Xiaoxue.

“What about you? How much do you have?”

At the mention of money, Chen Xiaoxue’s irritation flared.

“I’ve only got 300 left! I already gave you the rest. What else do you want? Want me to bet myself?”

She shot him a sharp glare.

Hou Jun, frustrated, looked back at me.

“Chuliu, give me some time. I’ll go borrow more and come back!”

I didn’t refuse but added a condition.

“Fine, but from now, the clock starts. If you’re not back in an hour, you fold and lose.”

Hou Jun hesitated. Finding 10,000 yuan in an hour among his working-class friends would be nearly impossible.

But his gaze kept returning to the pile of cash on the table. The greed in his eyes burned brighter.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Chen Xiaoxue again.