socalfunplaces Chapter 172 The Dice Have Been Rolled
Chapter 172 The Dice Have Been Rolled
Chapter 182 The Dice Have Been Rolled
Playing cards is an ancient game.
Some say it originated from the rituals of priestesses in traditional temples in the Johto region, arguing that the abstract patterns on the cards bear a resemblance to Eevee at different evolutions, corresponding to the mythological beliefs of the Enju Temple Tower; others claim it came from a sudden inspiration among Galar sailors during their voyages—these seafaring scoundrels, after downing entire ships of cheap liquor, invented a game of cards to solve the problem of who would take turns on watch; still others say it originated from a king in the old court of Carlos, who supposedly hid in the palace researching this game before being overthrown by angry peasants…
Regardless of the research theories adopted, poker is undoubtedly an imported product in the United States.
When this imported product entered Unova, a miraculous scene unfolded—as a portable tabletop game with numerous variations, poker quickly filled the gap in entertainment options in Unova and instantly became a sensation across the entire continent.
The people of Hezhong, seemingly with gambling genes flowing through their veins, were hopelessly drawn to these rectangular cards printed with different numbers and patterns, like northersby attracted by magnetite, and created hundreds and thousands of novel ways to play based on them.
Gold prospectors in Fanba City have honed their skills to perfection in playing poker; performers in Flying Cloud City use these cards to perform magic tricks and fortune telling; children at the Hinoki City Elf School play solitaire with playing cards; and even at high-end parties in Raven City, wealthy men and women often gamble a little on solitaire for fun...
Despite the many ways to play, if you mention poker in Unova, people will only think of one particular way of playing it first, just like when people mention Gyarados, they think of Water-type first, not Flying-type.
When talking about poker, the first game that comes to mind is Double Dragon Poker.
Contrary to the imagination of many uninformed people, Twin Dragon Poker did not originate in Twin Dragon City in northern Unova, nor does it have anything to do with the Twin Dragon founding myth that circulates on this continent. Instead, it was invented by a pottery craftsman who lived near Reverse Mountain and did not do his job properly.
The name "Shuanglong" comes from the fact that the World Poker and Card Association holds the world's largest poker tournament in Shuanglong City every year, and this game created by porcelain craftsmen is the most watched event in the tournament.
During the finals, a ring is set up in the central square of Shuanglong City, creating a visually striking scene. The east side of the city features a futuristic black streetscape, with blue neon lights and luminous paving stones creating a sci-fi atmosphere. The west side, on the other hand, is dominated by elegant white historical sites, where white marble reliefs depict human history amidst swaying tree shadows, showcasing classical aesthetics that have remained unchanged for thousands of years.
Right at the crossroads of two starkly contrasting aspects of the city, the annual Double Dragon Poker Showdown unfolds. The black and white tables, mirroring the city's dividing line, feature a white table on the east side of the black wall and a black table on the west side of the pristine white wall. The finalists from both sides will determine who is the world's best poker player.
On United Daily News' television screens, the viewership of the Double Dragon Poker Finals was second only to the local league's championship defense match. With such strong public support, people naturally and implicitly named this game after the location where the event was held.
The rules of Double Dragon Poker are like most games in the world; they're not particularly difficult, but they're not exactly simple either. However, unlike Blackjack, which Vio played before, Double Dragon Poker is not a purely probability game. It combines the beauty of mathematical calculation with the brutality of gambling.
In Double Dragon Poker, there is no difference in game mechanics between the dealer and the players, making it arguably the most suitable game for duels. Each player is dealt two cards at the start of the game, and each player can bet or fold at this point. The dealer then deals five common community cards, which are revealed one by one. Players can increase their bets on the last three revealed cards. Finally, everyone reveals their hole cards and chooses three cards from the community cards to form the best possible hand. This hand then competes against the opponents to determine the winner, with the player with the highest hand taking all the bets for that round.
These are all the rules for Double Dragon Poker. Head over to the Royal Union Official Account and win back hundreds of millions of Union Coins!
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Vio looked at the blueberries with a half-smile.
“I’m not stupid enough to gamble against you in your casino, Blueberry. I’m going to get off the ship now with the 10 billion prize I won.”
"Actually, it's only nine billion. Converting chips into cash requires the casino to take a cut; otherwise, it would be blatant robbery. And our cut here is 10%," Yueju shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
"In fact, you calculated every variable in the game that night, but you didn't calculate one thing correctly—the total amount of liquid funds on the Royal Union. Perhaps because you devoted the second half of your life to finance, you are becoming a little too unimaginative as you approach your twilight years. Therefore, you cannot accept the fact that a casino can make billions in a quarter, which makes you choose to quit too early—but as a gambler, you should know that anything can happen in a casino."
The casino owner chatted animatedly with the gamblers who had made a fortune, as if he were the victor.
"From starting a casino with 500 million yuan in cash to the now thriving Royal Union, I only spent less than three months. Now, a casino legend has just returned and swept billions of dollars in gambling on this ship. With such a buzz, do you think I can recover your losses in just a few days?"
“You’re bluffing,” Vio said with a gloomy face.
"If you were a true casino legend, you would be able to see my sincerity at this moment."
Blueberry smiled—
"Make your choice now. If you are willing to participate in the gambling duel, I agree that you will provide the gambling equipment and the dealer. I believe you understand what this means."
"You really want to gamble with me on a game of Double Dragons poker?" Vio himself didn't realize that his aged breathing had become rapid with the rush of blood to his head.
The evil-type king smiled respectfully and recited the following passage as if reciting a text from memory—
"The principle of weak difference, derived from the clock face algorithm, has significant probabilistic and statistical implications. However, if we extend this finite clock face to an infinite one, we will see new understandings about the finite and the infinite, the continuous and the discrete. In the foreseeable future, the law of large numbers, which is revered in casinos, will be replaced by more precise and concise formulas. Professional poker players who win big in Shuanglong City will fall victim to the calculations of mathematicians—under perfect probabilistic expectations, even the cunning of the human heart will have nowhere to hide. We are standing at such a crossroads of our time."
Vio let out a soft "Eh?": "This is my doctoral dissertation from thirty-six years ago. I didn't expect you to have seen this."
"Your paper almost won the highest honor in the field of mathematics, but unfortunately you only explained the most basic principles of clock arithmetic in the paper, without giving specific examples of how it is applied to gambling," Yueju said regretfully, shaking her head.
The old man laughed, and recalling the past, he even had a touch of youthful pride: "The reason I didn't win the award was because I linked algorithms to gambling in this passage of my paper, and of course, it's impossible that it taught you how to gamble. Besides..."
Vio glanced sideways at the enigmatic man before him and said proudly, "If I were to write my methods into a paper, how would I ever make money again?"
After speaking, the old man swung his arm, and the geometric snowflakes dispelled the soundproof "light wall." Vio, dressed in a purple robe, walked without a word towards the elevator leading directly to the ship's exit.
“My lord, which direction do we go to the chip exchange area…” a subordinate timidly reminded Vio.
"The game isn't over yet," the old man said without turning his head. "Now I'm going to get off the boat to buy four decks of cards."