Chapter 185: Luck?
To be honest, Ian had never expected to run into Uncle Fujitora Issho here.
This uncle was famously addicted to gambling. Despite being blind, he loved joining in the excitement at gambling tables, often attracting small-time thugs trying to cheat him out of his money.
Spotting him, Ian shifted slightly to make room for him to sit beside him, then said, "Are you sure you want to follow my bet? You know, it's been several rounds of doubles in a row now!"
Some of the nearby gamblers chimed in, "Exactly! The odds are too low!"
"A blind man trying his luck at gambling—how ridiculous!"
The mocking comments kept coming. Fujitora just chuckled without saying a word, but Ian grew annoyed and slammed the table. "Shut up!"
The slap was forceful enough to make the entire table shake. When Ian lifted his hand, a deep palm print was left behind.
Ian's strength, while not on par with those with monstrous power, was still considerable. Seeing this display, the surrounding gamblers were intimidated and fell silent.
With the troublemakers quieted, Ian could continue talking to Fujitora. Even though Ian had explained everything clearly, Fujitora insisted on betting the same as him. He pulled out a few chips and placed them on the table. "Young man, please place a bet on double for me."
"Fine, but don't blame me if you lose!" Ian felt a bit speechless, unable to figure out what Fujitora was up to, but he helped him place the bet on double anyway.
Seeing no more bets, the dealer announced, "Bets are placed! Ready to open!"
With that, the surrounding gamblers got excited, shouting, "Double! Double!" "Single! Single!"
The dealer didn't open the dice cup immediately but deliberately took his time lifting it.
"One, four, three—double!"
At the announcement, several gamblers at the table cheered excitedly. "It really is double! We won!"
These were the ones who had followed Ian's bet on double. They hadn't expected another double to come up. Meanwhile, those who had stubbornly bet on single were dejected and frustrated.
Ian watched as the dealer pushed another pile of chips toward him, feeling quite speechless. He had thought this time it wouldn't be double again, and the casino would finally take back all his chips. But to his complete surprise, it happened again?
"Here, Uncle, your winnings!" Ian handed Fujitora his winnings in one go.
Fujitora looked thrilled. Even though he had only won three thousand berries by following Ian's bet this time, he was extremely excited. "Young man, following your bet was definitely the right call."
Ian looked at Fujitora like this and found it hard to understand his mindset. Was such a small amount really worth getting so happy about?
Ian didn't gamble much, so he didn't grasp the thinking of someone as addicted to gambling as Fujitora. Fujitora didn't care about how much he won; he was simply enjoying the process of gambling.
The dealer started shaking the dice cup again and called for bets. But this time, the gamblers weren't in a hurry, all looking at Ian instead.
After so many consecutive doubles, even the non-superstitious gamblers were starting to get suspicious. Ian's luck seemed incredibly strong, so following his bet should be safe.
Fujitora then said to Ian, "Young man, what are you betting this time? I'll follow you again."
Ian looked at the dealer, then at the chips in front of him. They had grown from twenty-five thousand berries to two hundred thousand berries. What was the casino trying to do? Use him as an example to lure these gamblers in?
If Ian were a real gambler, it would be one thing. But he wasn't. People usually cause trouble in casinos when they lose money, not when they win. He had never heard of someone winning big and then starting a riot.
This left Ian feeling quite exasperated.
So this time, Ian made a bold move and bet on a triple!
In the game of betting on single or double, a "triple" refers to all dice showing red ones. In that case, no matter whether the gamblers bet on single or double, the house takes all. But if someone bets on a triple, the house pays out three to one.
The dice on Ian's table only had three dice, but the chance of a triple was still very small.
At least much smaller than betting on double or single alone.
Ian didn't believe the casino would let him keep winning like this.
Not only did he bet on a triple, but he also stuck to his usual style and pushed all his chips forward.
Two hundred thousand berries on a triple—if he won, he'd get six hundred thousand berries! The surrounding gamblers gasped at Ian's bet.
"Is he crazy?!"
"Exactly! The payout for a triple is high, but the odds are way too low!"
Some who had planned to follow Ian's bet hesitated and no longer dared to match his chips.
Of course, except for Fujitora. He placed his chips on the table and said to Ian, "Young man, I'll follow you again this time!"
Ian turned to look at him and smiled. "You sure have a lot of faith in me!"
Fujitora just smiled back without saying a word. Ian didn't dwell on it and tossed Fujitora's chips in with his own.
The other gamblers placed their bets on single or double, no longer daring to follow Ian.
What they didn't know was that after they finished betting, the dealer quickly scanned the chips on the table and determined that the bets on double were the smallest.
The dealer had been letting Ian win all along to get the other gamblers to follow him, then sweep all their chips away in one go. That way, even if the gamblers lost, they'd blame Ian's bad luck for dragging them down, not suspect the dealer's manipulation.
But even the dealer hadn't expected Ian to stop betting on double this time and go for a triple instead, leaving no one to follow him and scattering the bets.
Still, the dealer decided to end it this round. Opening another double would pretty much clear the table.
As for whether another double would raise suspicion, the dealer wasn't worried. With all the previous rounds setting the stage, another double would only make everyone regret their choices more.
"Bets are placed!" With that, the dealer slowly lifted the dice cup again.
But when he saw the numbers inside, his face changed, and he was shocked inside.
Three red ones?! A... a triple?!
Not just the dealer, but even the gamblers looked on in disbelief at the result.
Ian naturally saw the triple appear. His mind stirred, and he whispered to Fujitora, "Uncle, you did this, didn't you?"
"Heh heh!" Fujitora chuckled without denying it and whispered back, "Young man, you're not really here to gamble, are you?"