138 episodes. Who the hell did this trick?
“Hey, Tony!”
Tony Hong turned his head at the words he called.
“Chairman Rishitan, I’m sorry.”
“Do you know that I gave you 100 million dollars just to get out of the round of 16? Besides, you lose half and give up the game right away!?”
“I’m sorry. I had no choice but to stop because I thought I would lose the rest if I continued.”
“Because you’re so passive, you’re being dragged around! If you had accumulated 100 million dollars from the beginning, you could have taken the initiative!”
Tony Hong sighed inwardly.
Although he had a small stack, he went out aggressively enough by betting preflop.
Nevertheless, it was purely a difference in skill that took the initiative and lost the game.
It’s a skill that can’t be done with a stack difference.
“I have nothing to tell you. It’s all because of my inadequacy.”
It was difficult for Rishitan to shout more at Tony Hong, who lowered his head.
Choosing and funding him as a player was solely his own decision.
“Ask me one thing.”
“Say it.”
“That bastard, what the hell is that skill or luck? I’ve tried it myself, so there’s no such thing as a rough feeling.”
“……”
That part was very confusing to me.
It’s too good to be lucky, but to call it luck, my judgment was unbelievable.
“What are you thinking about!? You don’t mean that you don’t even understand the other person, are you?”
To Rishitan’s annoyed expression on his face, Tony Hong responded as if he had no choice.
“I think it’s luck. All-in-betting preflop can’t be explained without luck, and the same goes for the last rubber card, Nine Full House. It’s the opponent’s skill that takes the flow.”
“What are you saying vaguely! Luck is luck and skill is skill.”
“If you choose to cut it out like that, you are lucky.”
“But, it’s impossible without luck. Okay, so stop and go.”
“……then.”
Tony Hong bowed his back and left the hall at a quick pace.
Rishitan was relieved to say that he lost to luck.
His theory was that gambling, as well as business, could not be beaten by the most fortunate.
‘If I ever meet a guy like that… Damn it.’
The moment Rishitan grumbled his teeth, someone approached him.
“Our president, you can break all your teeth. That’s why I recommend a good gambler, so it’s not like I was a native or a native for nothing.”
“What, when did you come? He said he might not be able to come.”
He was a Singaporean financial tycoon, Zhao Chan.
“Suddenly I had to go to Shanghai, so I stopped by on the way, haha.”
“Did you just watch the game?”
“Of course, from start to finish.”
“Can you mention a gambler who’s okay with that? Who can beat a guy so lucky?”
“That’s because we had a useless fight in preflop. Small stacks battled big stacks preflop, so there’s no way we can win.”
“Only the table top was a small stack, and the amount I allowed was 100 million dollars.”
“Before the buy-in, the money was futile.”
“Wow, what are you going to do by saying something like this. It’s all over.”
“but.”
Zhaochan looked around the casino with a grin.
Then there was a person who caught his eye.
“Huh? That friend is here too.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Ah, the gambler I was going to introduce. He has talent, so it seems that anyone called him.”
“Who is he?”
“See the middle-aged man over there talking?”
“Hmm, is that person that talented?”
“As a lobbyist, there are no gambles that I can’t do. Let’s go over there and say hello. Next time if something like this happens again, I can invite him. The person next to me is also an acquaintance, so I’ll introduce him.”
Zhaochan led Rishitan to where they were.
“It’s been a while, both of you.”
Komilov, Minister of Energy and Resources of Uzbekistan, was pleased with his words.
“Isn’t this Chairman Zhao-chan? It’s been a while.”
“how are you?”
“Haha, thanks to you, I’m doing well. Thank you very much for the last investment. Your Excellency was pleased.”
“No, I just did what an entrepreneur could do for the sake of friendship between the two countries.”
Zhaochan turned his head and greeted the middle-aged man.
“Mr. Son, you were here too. When did you come back from Africa?”
“I came at the end of last year. Why don’t you spend the New Year with your family?”
“Isn’t your hometown Africa?”
“Hahaha, you’re still the president.”
“Who is this friend here?”
“Ah, greetings. You are the chairman of Singapore’s Zao Financial Group.”
Jang Min-soo straightened up her outfit and introduced herself.
“My name is Min-soo Jang.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jang. What is your relationship with Mr. Son?”
Son Young-seok answered in a small voice instead.
“It’s the VIP’s nephew.”
“Oh, that’s right. Come to think of it, they have the same family name.”
“I wish you all the best in the future.”
“Anyway, that’s what I’m talking about. Haha.”
Oh-chan Zhao also introduced Chairman Rishitan, who was next to him.
When I explained about it, Komilov offered consolation with a sad expression.
“It’s very unfortunate. I guess it’s because a player like that was caught as an opponent.”
“So it’s not a gamble. It’s just bad luck.”
In answer to that question, Zhao-chan asked Son Young-seok.
As if Rishitan wanted to listen.
“Does Mr. Son think so too?”
“Hmm, I was unlucky, but I didn’t handle it well.”
“It didn’t work too well? How?”
“Do you know which gamblers are the most difficult to deal with?”
Son Young-seok asked Li Si-tan, not Zao-chan.
He acted that way because he knew Zhao-chan’s intentions.
“They’re not good people.”
“If you’re good at it, would it be a famous gambler or a winner of a world championship?”
“I will.”
“No. Rather, I’m against it.”
“……?”
“Gamble is like a sport. The opponent the champion fears the most is the newcomer, not the first or second ranked player. Because there is no information. Conversely, a rookie can analyze the champion freely.”
Rishitan nodded his head involuntarily.
To his sympathy, Son Young-seok added an additional explanation.
“I know Tony Hong. He’s a good gambler, he can read the flow, and he has the guts to place bets at important moments. But, as the previous game proves, if you take the initiative, you fall easily. It’s a bad habit, too. Analyzing it, the game was almost over from the moment your opponent took the preflop lead.”
At Son Young-seok’s words, Zhao-chan asked with a happy expression.
“Mr. Son, how would it be if it were you?”
“Haha, don’t you know. I don’t go to private competitions like this one. Of course, my style has never been exposed.”
“You mean you can win?”
“You can win, but there’s a saying in strategy that it’s best to win without fighting.”
“Win without fighting?”
“If I were Tony Hong, I would have won without fighting.”
“How?”
“Hahaha, that’s a trade secret.”
Rishitan asked at his words.
“In the quarterfinals, that guy’s opponent is Mr. Son no.”
“If we both win the quarterfinals and go up, it will be.”
“Then, whether you fight or not, please stop him from advancing to the finals. Then I will reward you without fail. I can’t hurt my pride like this.”
“Well… I don’t do this kind of lobbying.”
When Son Young-seok stepped out with a trembling expression, Komilov stepped out.
“James, please do him a favor. Then I will positively review the development of Chim-Kaltasai that I mentioned earlier.”
“Really?”
“I owe a great debt to my Chairman Zhao-Chan, so I would like to take this opportunity to repay even the interest.”
At that, Chairman Zhao-chan nodded his head as if thanking him.
“Okay. Then I’ll take action right away.”
Son Young-seok looked at Edward Jin’s back with a side glare.
***
Tournament quarterfinals.
I heard that the opponent is the son of a Filipino casino tycoon.
However, his skills fell short of the Tony PR he faced in the round of 16.
Maybe it’s because his ability to read the opponent’s hand is inferior compared to him, a professional gambler?
Because the opponent’s skills and the hand that came out were not very interesting, there was no dramatic scene like the round of 16.
“Chief, congratulations.”
Lucy smiled broadly at me, who came back after making it to the quarterfinals.
Liaoshin greeted them with soulless applause as if it was a natural result.
“Isn’t that a bit too long against a kid? In the round of 16, he stepped on it very slowly.”
“So.”
“……?”
“What if I go out too hard and get checked in?”
“I don’t know what kind of death a yangban who can hit a home run with even checks and checks is dead.”
“Tony Hong said that. They are the children of a family who have everything, and they are proud yangbans, so even if they win, there will be nothing to lose face.”
“That’s not wrong.”
With Liaoshin shaking his head behind him, he asked Lucy.
“Have you not contacted me yet?”
“Yeah, it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer.”
“Hmm, let’s wait until tomorrow. I want to find out Lana’s whereabouts as soon as possible…”
“It’ll be fine. They want David to win. We won’t touch her until then.”
“How about David?”
“It was confirmed 30 minutes ago that we made it to the quarterfinals.”
I looked at the billboard showing the match.
There were the names of the last four players marked there.
‘You’ll end up with Vice Minister Son Young-seok…’
I wanted to avoid it as much as possible, but as I kept winning, I ran into it.
Does the other person know about me?
No, most likely you don’t know.
Unlike Kang Jun-ho, he doesn’t know my face, and I used the name Edward Jin for this tournament, so even if I heard my real name, Jin Yu-seong, I wouldn’t be able to connect it anywhere.
‘Since the opponent doesn’t know me, I can play the game and move on.’
If I knew I was missing out on the president’s slush fund, I would attack with poison.
Unlike Choi Soo-hyeok, the chief of staff, he was told that most of his activities were done in the dark and he was a dangerous person who did not hesitate to do illegal things.
“Let’s go back to the hotel for now. I need to rest when I can so I can prepare for the quarterfinals and move right away when I get a call.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was then that I left the casino and passed in front of the Lisboa Hotel.
“Are you Jin Yu-seong?”
Three men in plain clothes approached me.
“Who are you?”
“This is Lieutenant General Ryu Zhenyu of the Judicial Police Department. Please accompany me to the stand.”
“What do the police have to do with me?”
“There was an investigation request from Interpol. You will find out more about it in the book.”
“Yes? Interpol?”
What else is this?
“Wait a minute. How can we trust and follow whether you belong to the Judicial Police Department and whether Interpol’s request for an investigation is true? If you want to reveal your identity, do it right.”
Lucy stepped forward and threatened them.
At her firm response, a man named Liu Jianyu sighed and took out a police badge and a piece of paper.
“A letter of request was received from the Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong to Interpol, and I came here at Interpol’s request for cooperation. Here is a letter of request and a letter of cooperation, so please do not resist and follow.”
Why is the consulate here?
“What’s your crime?”
“This is a violation of the Habitual Gambling and Foreign Exchange Control Act.”
“On what grounds do you think I committed such an illegality?”
“We moved only at the request of your nationality, Korea. A representative from the consulate will also appear, so let’s go first.”
“How long will it take to investigate?”
“It will take at least three days, assuming you are innocent.”
“No, what kind of investigation takes three days?”
In three days, the quarterfinals and semi-finals will be over, and you will not be able to wander around the base to find Lana.
‘Who the hell did this trick!?’