Full House
“A full house?”
But Colt wasn’t tempted in the slightest.
“Sorry, but I’m not interested. I’ve got to go back to Korea soon anyway, so what’s the point of chasing women now...?”
“You’ll be here a few more days.”
“...Do you really think there’s a woman in Las Vegas who doesn’t know me?”
“Pfft. Fair enough. If you walked up to someone because you liked her from behind, she might slap you before you even got a word out...”
“That’s not what I meant...”
After that, James and Colt moved separately, wandering through the crowd and striking up conversations. If even one person among them could be useful in the future, that was enough.
“Haha. You saw my performance. Nice to meet you.”
“I hear you’ve taken a break from performing lately?”
“That’s right. I’m preparing a new magic show. I can’t just spend my entire life doing telekinesis trump-card tricks, can I?”
“Oh, now that’s something to look forward to.”
As James spoke with people who knew him, someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around.
“Oh! Tony.”
“I never expected the magician James to show up here again. What brings you out this way?”
Tony Anderson, the man James had mentioned while talking with Philip, was standing there. As soon as Tony appeared, the people James had been speaking with discreetly made room.
“I came to see the news about an extraordinary auction, Tony.”
“It really was something, wasn’t it? Arthurian gold coins and even a crown came up.”
Both of those items had been James’s consignments.
“And it set the highest hammer price in Sotheby’s history.”
“Haha, yes. I thought I might at least win a gold coin myself, but the price climbed so high I had to give up.”
Tony had dropped out once the coin passed four million dollars.
“I see. I did take part in the auction too, but I didn’t dare go after the coin.”
“You bid in the auction, James? Did you end up winning anything?”
“Nothing special. I had my eye on an old book and made a bid, but the competition wasn’t too fierce. It was probably the cheapest item in today’s sale.”
“I remember. The one that sold for twenty-three thousand dollars?”
“Your memory is as sharp as ever, Tony.”
“I passed on it because I figured it would be hard to decipher with those unfamiliar characters.”
“I haven’t had any performances lately anyway, so I thought I’d try translating old books for a change.”
“A novel way to waste precious time.”
“Haha. Maybe so.”
As James spoke with Tony, the conversation shifted to poker.
“I’m sorry I brushed off your warning back then. It just didn’t register at the time.”
When James had been losing heavily at poker, Tony had warned him about losing the assets he’d worked so hard to earn. He had offered sincere advice even after that.
‘When you’re young, you never know when to stop. At times like that, you should listen to your elders.’
‘Haha. That gives me a lot of courage.’
James had ignored the repeated warnings and kept playing.
“Once you get caught up in a game, even good advice stops reaching you. But that game... there was definitely something wrong with it. You know that, don’t you?”
Tony Anderson made no attempt to hide his contempt for the casino’s filthy tricks. But James had already learned about them himself.
“I saw it in the news. And I’ve just settled the compensation with President Philip.”
“Ah. Good.”
“Though I’ll be receiving the compensation in chips at the casino tomorrow.”
“...In casino chips?”
“Losing those chips taught me something. If you want to win everything back, you have to take on greater risk.”
Tony Anderson made no effort to hide his skepticism about James stepping back into poker.
“...I think you’ve learned nothing at all.”
“Haha. We’ll know after tomorrow’s game.”
“Honestly, poker is for people like me, who can afford to lose a few chips without it affecting their lives. Not you.”
“Tony, I’m the same. It doesn’t matter if I lose the one and a half million dollars’ worth of casino chips I’m receiving tomorrow.”
“......!”
“What I’m trying to get back isn’t the chips. It’s the victory I lost. Tomorrow, I’m going to win at the casino and pay back my defeat. The chips I gain from winning are just a side effect.”
“You... you’ve changed in just a short time. Did you win the Powerball or something?”
“Haha. I don’t buy Powerball tickets.”
Still, there was no denying that he had gained something even bigger than a lottery win.
“Even so, you’ve definitely got more nerve than before. I don’t want to leave behind a single regret.”
“Then I’ll have to watch you win.”
“Will you join me for poker tomorrow?”
“I’ve had enough of a break. I suppose I can go back. I haven’t set foot in Philip’s casino since that incident.”
“I’m sure President Philip will be pleased.”
James was certain that as long as Tony was with him, the casino dealers would not be able to repeat their old tricks.
‘Now that I’ve pulled Tony Anderson in, my victory is assured.’
If the casino didn’t resort to cheating, then the magician’s victory could not be stopped.
‘Watch carefully, Philip.’
James was looking forward to tomorrow’s poker game.
* * *
The next day, Philip’s Diamond Casino was bustling with customers as usual.
“Winning number ten!”
“Aaaah!”
“Yeah!!”
James stepped into the casino, where disappointed cries and triumphant cheers mingled together.
“James!”
“Clark, you’re stationed at the casino entrance today?”
It was Clark, the bellboy who had greeted James yesterday as well.
“Got a performance booked?”
“Nope. I’m here to have some fun at the casino today.”
“Whew. Casino customers just aren’t what they used to be.”
“......”
It was hard for James to judge how much had changed in a casino that saw so many people come and go, but Clark worked there every day and could feel the drop in customers firsthand.
“Looks about the same to me.”
“The numbers are similar, but the VIP customers have been thin on the ground.”
“Ah...”
That was because VIPs like Tony Anderson had turned their backs on the casino after the incident.
“Tony Anderson said he’d be coming today too. I did a little recruiting for the casino instead of Philip yesterday.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Do me a favor when Tony shows up later.”
“Got it. Leave it to me.”
“Wish me luck, Clark.”
“The casino’s probably already used up all its luck.”
“Haha.”
‘That luck is mine today.’
“Still, good luck, James!”
“Thanks, Clark.”
James’s light steps were already carrying him toward the poker room.
* * *
Before James even reached the VIP room, he was able to receive the chips he had lost back. The person returning them was the new general manager assigned to Philip’s Diamond Casino.
“A total of one and a half million dollars in chips, James.”
“Please tell President Philip I received them well.”
“...With this, the past is settled.”
“Should I leave a signature or something?”
“We already have the paperwork. If you don’t sign, the compensation will have to be decided in court.”
“Then I’d better sign quickly.”
James signed the document the manager brought him, a statement that he would make no further demands regarding compensation.
“Please enjoy the game today, James.”
“Of course.”
He then arrived at the VIP poker room, where the game was already underway.
“We have a new player joining us.”
“Good to see you all. I’m James Kane.”
James set his heavy stack of chips on the table, and every eye shifted to them.
Clatter.
Go ahead. Be as greedy as you like.
The magician’s poker had begun.
“Raise!”
“Call.”
* * *
James was letting the game breathe, losing here and winning there, waiting for the poker players’ concentration to slip.
Not yet.
But their eyes were still sharp.
Then a new player arrived.
“Tony Anderson has arrived.”
“Haha.”
Tony lifted a hand in greeting and took the final seat.
“You’ve come.”
“I came to see James in action.”
“You might end up taking all my luck away.”
“That would be even better.”
Tony’s arrival briefly refreshed the atmosphere, but the poker game continued with everyone keeping one another under scrutiny, gradually fraying their focus.
It’s about time to start.
James casually checked the hidden card dealt to him and raised the pot.
“Raise, one hundred thousand.”
Clack.
“Oh, did James get a good hand? Then I can’t not check it out. Call.”
Clack.
Tony matched James’s raise with a call, and the others followed suit.
“Call.”
“Call.”
“That’s a pity. Fold.”
One player dropped out with a fold, but the pot kept climbing.
The hand that just folded was the strongest one here.
James could read them without even seeing their cards.
Tony has two pair, aces and tens. The rest are lower.
By contrast, James’s hidden cards gave him three eights. Then the fifth and final betting card, the last hidden card, was dealt to each player.
Tony will probably fold the moment there’s even a modest round of additional betting. As for the others... oh, damn...
Tony was still sitting on his two pair, but the other two players had picked up hands they could never bring themselves to abandon.
Both of them have full houses.
Seeing that both held such a high hand ranking, James could tell this poker game was about to heat up.
Works for me.
His hand was stronger than theirs.
Because I’ve got one more eight.
Even if he picked up any other paired card, he would still be holding the same full house as they were, but because one player had already dropped out, he now held four eights.
“Check.”
James deliberately refrained from raising and passed the turn to Tony. It was a check-raise strategy. Tony, still holding only two pair, also checked and passed.
“Check.”
The player with a full house sat with a rigid face for a long moment before sliding in chips.
“Raise, five hundred thousand.”
“Wow. Got a good hand, huh? That makes this hard to read.”
The next turn also dragged on. But with a full house in hand, his additional bet was all but guaranteed.
“Raise... one million.”
“!”
When it came to his turn, James made a show of looking startled and touched his chips with feigned unease.
Clatter, clatter.
After shuffling his chips for a moment to gather his thoughts, James pushed in every chip he had.
“All in.”
At James’s all-in, Tony pushed his cards forward without even needing a second look and declared a fold.
“Fold.”
“Call!”
Then the player who had raised five hundred thousand shouted call without taking a breath, and the one who had raised one million called as well, of course.
“Call!”
“Then please reveal your cards.”
The player who had bet first had to show his hand.
“King full house. Looks like this pot is mine.”
The player in front of James, who would reveal his hand next, laid down his cards.
“Damn it. A full house too...”
He held a nine full house, lower than the king full house.
And then it was James’s turn.
“Sorry, but my cards are a little higher. Eightes full house.”
“!”
“!”
“!”
James had won a huge game with the pot soaring far beyond four million dollars.
This is only the beginning.