The pinnacle of magic

"Honey, are you done changing?"

The magician's voice came from outside the door.Shi Rui glanced at the person in the glasses.He was suddenly a little curious about where the magician found this relatively serious professional attire.

"I borrowed the clothes from Kate." As if seeing through Shi Rui's thoughts, the magician put his hands in his pockets and approached with a smile, his eyes full of admiration, "You know, only her height is not too far behind yours .”

Suddenly remembering that Kate once said that magicians don't like women who are too tall, and took away his high heels for this, Shi Rui couldn't help chuckling.In fact, even without the high heels, he is about two centimeters taller than the magician, and this is not counting the height of the coiled hair.

"Honey, can you tell me what makes you smile so happily?" The magician gently hugged Shi Rui from behind, and his warm breath almost spewed on his neck.

There was a scent that was not there before, and it seemed that the magician had carefully dressed himself before coming to the locker room.Shi Rui turned around with a slight smile: "You are not suitable for this perfume. In other words, you are not suitable for any perfume at all."

The magician was slightly taken aback.

"I prefer your original taste. Sharp, agile, creative and explosive." Shi Rui said, looking into the magician's eyes.

"Ha! My dear, this is the first time you have praised me! I also like the smell of you." The magician took a deep breath, "I have never smelled such a fascinating smell."

"If you know me well enough, you will know that I don't like this topic." Shi Rui suddenly lowered his face, making the magician's movements stiff.

"Okay, okay. It's my fault." The magician held up his hands in surrender. "Honey, can we go?"

"First of all, I don't need anyone to take me home."

"No, just a little relaxation routine. Teams always need some bonding, don't they?"

The sly smile on the magician's face made Shi Rui doubt the authenticity of his words.In any case, it was really inconvenient for him to refuse when the employer proposed to carry out team activities.

"Honey, I remember you said that you are my man until five o'clock in the morning?"

"Clifford..."

"Ok?"

"I hope your activities are interesting enough." Shi Rui smiled and held out his hand to the magician.

"Of course." The magician held Shi Rui's palm, "I promise I won't let you down."

Casino Royale is not only magnificent in appearance, but also full of gorgeous and retro interior decoration.In this palace-style building covering an area of ​​more than [-] square meters, there are more than [-] gambling machines, [-] gaming tables, and more than [-] restaurants and bars with different styles.

The magician took Shi Rui's hand and walked up the famous platinum staircase.He casually ordered to the doorman: "Give each person 200 yuan of chips, and charge it to my account."

"Yes, Mr. White."

As the doorman trotted away, the small group of people following them erupted in cheers.

"Well, good luck to everyone tonight."

The magician deliberately put on a black magician hat when he got out of the car.This should have been extremely incongruous with the T-shirt and sneakers, but it looks surprisingly harmonious on him. With the slightly messy hair, it even gives people a decadent and uninhibited feeling.

At this moment, he stood on the platinum steps, let go of Shi Rui's hand, and turned around with a smile.He took off his tall magician hat, waved to the rest of the team, and bowed deeply with outstretched arms.Then, miraculously, the moment he got up, with the slight vibration of his arm, the entire magician's hat turned into black moths flying all over the sky!

"Can you?" Ignoring the exclamation behind him, the magician turned back and bent his arms, proudly raised his chin at Shi Rui like a child asking for a reward.

Shi Rui smiled and took the magician's hand. "I prefer to play ShowHand." He whispered in the magician's ear.

"Don't worry, you can find any gameplay here." The magician winked at Shi Rui.

"Jessica, do you want to come together?"

Just walked into the revolving door of the casino, Shi Rui's sudden invitation stunned the girl who was holding chips and was still a little bit hesitant. "me……"

"This is a good opportunity." Shi Rui said pointedly, "Clifford, I want to play with Jessica."

"Of course. Honey, I'm so happy for you that you made friends on the first day."

"Let's go! Let's find a lucky table together!" Shi Rui smiled and took the girl's arm with his other hand.

The three of them first tried the slot machine and the fruit plate, and then played roulette for a while before they came to the poker area.

"Honey, if I don't believe that no one can hide from my eyes, I will definitely think you are cheating." The magician whispered into Shi Rui's ear.

In just half an hour, Shi Rui doubled their bet twenty times, and the magician had to find a staff member to hold the chips for them.

"Jessica, my wine." Shi Rui signaled the girl to hand him back the mocktail that he brought for him just now. "Clifford, do you believe in Lady Luck? I can see her, and she is here, beside us. As long as we follow in her footsteps, we are invincible!"

Shi Rui's words made Jessica's face show both doubt and longing.

"I'd rather believe in the visible than the illusory." The magician shrugged, "But my dear, I think you are the goddess of luck."

"Hahahaha... Alright, in the last round tonight, I saw ShowHand's table!" Shi Rui couldn't help being a little excited to be able to replay this small game that he used to play when he was a child in a foreign country.

He stopped before a gaming table in the corner.There were already three people sitting at the table, a middle-aged man who looked quite wealthy, a man with black hair and a hooked nose, and an Asian face.Judging from the high pile of chips, they gambled quite big.

"is it okay?"

Shi Rui's charming smile made the middle-aged man sitting on the left stand up hurriedly to help him open the seat, while the Asian face on the opposite side and the right hand just nodded slightly.

Shi Rui glanced at the chips on the table.It was obvious that the man with the hooked nose sitting across from him was the winner of the night.

"Deal the cards!"

Since the minimum bet was one thousand, Shi Rui had already shrunk their bet by a quarter after giving up two rounds in a row.The magician stood behind him, looking at this kind of card game with great interest, and habitually tapped the side of his leg with his slender fingers.Jessica watched the game nervously, fearing that Shi Rui would lose all the hard-won money within 5 minutes.

"I follow."

At this time, the first clear card shown by the opponent is the Ace of Spades, and the left and right sides are a K of Hearts and a 4 of Clubs respectively.The first clear card in front of Shi Rui is the 2 of diamonds.Jessica couldn't help but be puzzled by choosing to call the bet after being dealt the smallest card on the table.

"I'll follow." Shi Rui's next player signaled the dealer to continue dealing cards.

After another two rounds, the Asian face had already given up, and Shi Rui had no more bets to follow.

"Clifford." Shi Rui turned his head.

"Add another [-] chips." The magician immediately ordered the staff of the casino.

Shi Rui smiled at the magician and turned back to the gambling table. "I follow." He said with a smile.

At this moment, the hooked-nosed man on the other side has two Aces and one Q, the middle-aged man on the left has three Kings, and the clear card in Shi Rui's hand is 234 squares.

The dealer continues to deal the cards.

Shi Rui got another K on his left hand as he wished, and the middle-aged man who formed four K couldn't help but his eyes lit up.When it was sent to the other party, the Q of Hearts obviously made the black-haired man stunned for a moment.At this time, the opponent has a pair of A and a pair of Q, plus the hole cards, the highest can only form a full house.

The last card Shi Rui got was a 5 of diamonds, which made the middle-aged man nervous again.There are two Aces that have appeared on the table, one is spades and the other is hearts, and the diamond A has not yet appeared.If Shi Rui's hole card is the ace of diamonds, since a straight flush wins four of a kind, he will lose to Shi Rui in this round.

Dealer: "Four Kings speak."

The middle-aged man stared at Shi Rui's face, and then cautiously placed a bet of 5000 yuan.

The hooked-nosed man on the opposite side immediately chose to give up.

"ShowHand." Shi Rui pushed all the chips in front of him to the center of the table.Behind him, the magician whistled softly, while Jessica gasped visibly.

ShowHand can be said to be the climax of this card game.After the last card is dealt, instead of simply calling and raising, players can choose to place their entire bet.This action of leaving no more chips in the hand is called ShowHand.In contrast, all players who have not abstained in this round must follow ShowHand if they want to continue, otherwise they will automatically lose their bets.After all ShowHands, the dealer signaled to open the cards, and the winning party will get the full amount within the betting range of his bet.That is to say, those who bet less than him in the last round will lose all their bets, and those who bet more than him can get back part of their bets.

In any case, the all-or-nothing play of ShowHand undoubtedly shows that players have great confidence in their own cards!

Or a fraudulent psychological warfare!

The middle-aged man on the left couldn't help but took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead.Shi Rui chose to go all-in, he had slightly more chips than Shi Rui, but the amount was limited.The only possibility that Shi Rui can beat him is the diamond A2345 flush.If Shi Rui's hole card is really the Ace of Diamonds, then it is understandable for him to go all-in.But what if he was bluffing?

The middle-aged man was really reluctant to give up this good card in his hand.

"ShowHand." The middle-aged man finally pushed all his chips to the center of the table with all his heart.

Dealer: "Both ShowHand. Turn the cards."

The middle-aged man quickly turned out a 10 of Hearts from his hole cards, and then clasped his hands tightly waiting for Shi Rui to turn out his hole cards.

The slender index finger and middle finger staggered, and a diamond A appeared on the gaming table.Jessica couldn't help but let out a cheer.

Dealer: "Big flush."

After returning some of the middle-aged man's extra chips to him, the dealer pushed all the chips on the table to Shi Rui.

The middle-aged man couldn't help cursing in a low voice.

The game continues.

After this round, Shi Rui won another four rounds in a row.The middle-aged man on his left finally left the gaming table resentfully after buying more chips twice.At this time, in front of Shi Rui, nearly 20 chips have been placed, which is almost equal to the man with the hooked nose on the opposite side.

Then, before the dealer was about to deal the cards, Shi Rui suddenly made a stop gesture.

"Five is my lucky number, that's it for tonight. I'm leaving, I wish you two have a good time." Shi Rui stood up and left the gaming table without hesitation.

"Except for the [-] that will be returned to you, how about sharing the rest between the three of us equally?" Shi Rui suggested with a smile.

"Honey, I have to remind you that I didn't participate." The magician shook his head, expressing his disapproval of the distribution plan, "The initial chip is the 400 yuan you and Jessica put together, I just need It will be enough to get my [-] back." The magician himself seemed to have no interest in gambling.

"Those who see have a share, this is my consistent principle, not to mention that I can't play without your [-]. Are you right, Jessica?"

"Oh! Okay, okay." The girl was obviously a little overexcited, and there was a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"The change is yours. First take out [-] yuan and give it to this gentleman. The rest will be divided into three parts and three checks will be issued." Shi Rui said to the staff.

"Clifford, go for a drink?" Shi Rui raised his eyebrows.

"It's a great honor, my dear!" The magician showed surprise on his face.

"Jessica, I'm going to have a drink with Clifford. They seem to be planning to leave, do you want to go with them?" Shi Rui pointed in the direction of the door.There were several magician's assistants who were gathering to leave.

"Oh! Okay, I'll go home too." The girl nodded in a daze.

"Be careful on the road." Shi Rui leaned into the girl's ear and whispered, "I don't think you need to pay your salary in advance, do you?"

"No, there's no need." Jessica shook her head hastily.

"Remember, don't try to gamble again in the last few months, if you don't want to lose everything in your hands. Just now, the trajectory of the goddess of fortune has been far away from you." Shi Rui whispered.

The girl was startled and began to nod more frequently. "I'm going, thank you, Shirley. Mr. White, I hope you have a good evening."

"Huh... I'm really worried, she will encounter robbers as soon as she walks out of the casino in this state." The magician looked at the girl's back and said.

"She was just overjoyed for a while. I can guarantee that she will remember how to protect herself when she gets off the taxi." Shi Rui turned his head sideways, "Go to the coffee shop together?"

"I thought Orientals didn't like coffee!" the magician smiled and nodded.

"I just want to see the stars."

The "Starry Sky" cafe is located on the top floor of Casino Royale.Apart from candles on every table and some dim floor lamps, there is no other lighting in the entire venue.The huge curved dome overhead is decorated by projectors into a beautiful shimmering starry sky.When he walked into the casino, Shi Rui was attracted by the posters of this place.

On one side of the cafe, there is a small symphony orchestra.A female singer in a blue mermaid dress is standing on a small circular stage singing soothing tunes.

"I didn't expect to see the starry sky in this city." The magician leaned his body into the sofa chair, raised his legs and put them on the table.

"Indeed." Shi Rui's expression was a little relaxed.He looked up to identify the constellations in the sky. "So, you don't actually like gambling?"

"Gambling is a good way to vent your emotions, no matter you win or lose." The magician's eyes seemed a little distant.After a long time, he sighed softly. "However, it is also easy to make people addicted and lose their minds. Those who lose want to get back their money, and those who win want to win more. As long as you walk into the gate of the casino, you will never be able to leave this vicious circle."

Shi Rui frowned, feeling that the magician had a hint of sentimentality when he spoke.

"Anyway..." The magician raised the corners of his lips, "I like games that are [-]% in my control, and gambling is just not this type."

"I agree with your first half sentence." Shi Rui said.

"Can you predict the outcome of the game?"

"I also only like games that are [-] percent in my control."

"Hi! This doesn't scare me off. If the object is you, I am willing to give up some initiative." The magician took the initiative to bring the topic to the relationship between men and women.

"And I'm just the opposite." Shi Rui closed his eyes, engraving the bright starry sky at this moment into his mind.

for a long time--

"Clifford, they say you're playing with your life. What do you think, about the weekend show?"

"..."

Shi Rui opened his eyes in surprise.On the opposite sofa, a small ball of candlelight on the table covered the magician's face with a layer of rose color, and he seemed to have fallen asleep.