Chapter 269: Chapter 59: Winning Chance_2
Vatana didn’t hesitate, "Of course it’s roulette; the large round table over there with the most people around. You see, there are a hundred squares on the table, divided into black and white. Each square also has a corresponding number. The big table next to it is where you place your bets. Just buy your chips, then go over there and bet on what you want. Most people usually bet on black or white. This way, you have a 50% chance of winning. Once the roulette starts spinning, the casino staff will place a ball on it. The ball will quickly spin in the opposite direction of the roulette, and when the roulette stops, whoever bet on the color where the ball landed wins. However, because the probability of winning is high, the odds are not too high, it’s one to one."
Ah Dai asked, "Why did you say that you can make money quickest from roulette then?"
Mentioning gambling, Vatana had long forgotten his worries and struck a pose like a seasoned gambler, "There’s a reason why I said it. The roulette doesn’t only allow bets on black and white, you can also bet on the numbers. Normally, you could bet on multiple of three, five, seven, nine or ten. That means, if the ball lands on a number that is a multiple of three, those who bet on multiples of three win three times their bet. Those who bet on five win five times, and so forth. If you manage to bet on multiples of ten, that’s a one to ten payout! One Gold Coin can become ten in an instant. That’s not even the highest payout. The highest is at one to twenty-five, but you must bet on a single number."
Yan Shi nodded, "Indeed, the odds are high. Ah Dai, give me the money Chairman Kary gave you, I’ll go exchange it for chips."
Yan Li, alarmed, grabbed Yan Shi’s hand, "Brother, what are you doing? You’re actually coming here to gamble? That’s our living expenses for the future!"
Yan Shi smiled faintly, "I have my reasons, just relax. Ah Dai, give me." Ah Dai hesitated for a while, but ultimately chose to trust Yan Shi and handed him the money pouch. Yan Shi, with Vatana who was too excited to remember a thing, approached the casino’s chip exchange window. He came back shortly after with an attendant trailing behind him, holding a huge plate filled with purple-colored chips. Vatana, slack-jawed, said, "So you guys are this wealthy? Each of these purple chips corresponds to five Gold Coins!" The surrounding gamblers cast astonished looks upon seeing the chips in the attendant’s hands. They obviously referred to Ah Dai and company as big-time gamblers.
A somewhat lascivious skinny man sidled up to Yan Shi and murmured, "Master, with so much money, why would you gamble here? Come to our Jin Fu Casino. We offer top-notch service there, not to mention we have beautiful women at your service. As long as you can afford it, we can fulfill all your desires."
Yan Shi was intrigued. He glanced at the man, "Since we’re already here, we’ll play a bit first. If we win money, we’ll consider dropping by to your place."
"All right, I wish you good luck," the skinny man said obsequiously. With that, he quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Yan Shi went over to Ah Dai and grilled, "Let’s go, let’s have a go at the roulette." With that, he took the lead towards the roulette table. Ah Dai had no choice but to follow along with Yan Li.
Vatana excitedly stuck close to Yan Shi. Upon their arrival, the spectators immediately made room at the roulette table. At this relatively small casino, gambling was usually done in silver coins; some commoners would even join in for a thrill with dozens of copper coins. Upon the sight of a high-roller like Yan Shi, they naturally stepped back, ready to learn from his lavish betting style.
Ah Dai and company were gathered before the roulette. Yan Shi leaned in to Ah Dai’s ear, "Later, when I place a bet, use your True Qi to influence the ball to land where I need it. However, make sure there are no sparks of magic. It would be best if you could transmit the magic underneath the table and into the machine." Yan Shi could barely manage this himself but enlisted Ah Dai’s help to ensure better success.
The dealer watched the rare high-rollers entering the game, thinking to himself that he must make these guys lose everything. He loudly cried out, "Place your bets!" Some small-time gamblers in the crowd began placing their bets, but Yan Shi remained motionless. He leaned into Ah Dai’s ear again, "Try it first. See if you can get the ball into square fifty-five."
Ah Dai nodded slightly. Seeing that they weren’t participating yet, the dealer felt a hint of disappointment. He instructed his staff to start spinning the roulette. The spectators all around started to cry out the numbers they bet on put their own numbers to the test as the roulette began to spin. The dealer placed a wooden ball onto the spinning roulette, the little ball continuously lightly bounced atop the roulette, coursing a ticking noise.
Ah Dai lowered his head. His magician’s cape completely covered him as he closed his eyes, channeling the magic within him. He pulled back all his glows and carefully explored the interior of the roulette machine with his magic. As his magical energy entered into the bottom of the roulette, he was startled—because he sensed through his magic that there was actually someone squatting inside the roulette machine. Although he didn’t understand why there was a person inside, he knew he had to ensure his magical energy remained undetected. He carefully channeled his magic thread through the sideboard and into the roulette machine. By this time, the roulette’s spin had begun to slow, Ah Dai manipulated the invisible magic to subtly control the bouncing wooden ball. When the spinning finally stopped, the ball continued to jump around, and all the spectators had their eyes wide open, waiting for the ball to settle. The ball’s momentum gradually petered out until it finally rolled into square fifty-five.
