Jazzy swing music blared, enveloping the casino.
Slot machines clinked and clanked, the spinning of roulette wheels filled the air, and numerous dealers were surrounded by gamblers, all of whom were dead set upon whatever game happened to be their current focus.
"Come on... come on... ace... ace... ace..."
"One more round... I'm feelin' lucky on this next one!"
"AGH!! What the hell!! This is rigged! Rigged, I tell you!"
Hope and despair.
Excitement and dread.
All of these things filled this place of dreams - a parlor where anyone could win big at any moment.
'I could be next.'
The biggest lie anyone ever told themselves.
----
"Ahem... welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I will be opening a table for blackjack shortly, so would the guests who intend to play gather around?"
A dealer walked forth into the crowd, taking the attention of the people as he invited them over to a new table.
Sliding a deck of cards out from his sleeve, the man began to shuffle as he walked behind the bar style table, watching as people took their seats around him.
Looking from one person to another, the man studied them as he continued to shuffle, gazing from one person to the next.
'Another set of fools who believe they hold a chance at winning.'
This balding man, whose head had been relieved of any hair that it may have once held, found his eyes focused on a particular young woman - one whose hair was as white as snow.
'That one in particular looks like she has no idea what she's doing.'
The girl took a seat at his table, filling the final spot as the man spoke to the group.
"That will be it for now. There are no more seats available. If the guests who have taken a seat will please place forth their wagers, we can begin."
----
At this particular casino, Blackjack was played individually against the dealer.
The dealer would be given two cards. A single one of the two cards would be face up, the other face down.
Each of the customers would also be given two cards, and if they wished, they could 'hit' to be dealt another card.
A player could hit as many times as they wanted, however if the sum of the cards exceeded 21, this would be considered a bust - an automatic loss.
If the player managed to get closer to 21 than the dealer, they would win the amount they had bet. Otherwise, the dealer would take the gambled funds.
It was a simple game - one that seemed to be completely based upon luck.
'I can't believe that we aren't even allowed to use marked cards anymore... tch. Just what is the new owner thinking? Does he WANT us to lose money?'
This particular dealer hid his own irritated thoughts behind the mask of a smile as he waited for the bets to be placed.
'He has the gall to forbid direct cheating, and yet he puts the responsibility of our earnings and losses onto us dealers! It's criminal! If I lose money as a dealer, I'm the one who inherits that debt!'
As the man thought these things, some of the customers made smaller bets. A few made somewhat larger bets, and one man in particular made an enormous bet, slamming down an entire stack of chips.
'Ah... so that's my target.'
Giving himself a card, the man then started dealing each person a card in order.
'This one's for you. The others... don't matter.'
With his focus completely on the man who had made such a large bet, the dealer chose a particularly strange order of dealing, not handing out the cards in a direct order, but rather in a seemingly random order as he went from one customer to the next.
'And this one as well. It's a good thing I learned how to shuffle in a way that wouldn't disrupt the general order.'
Glancing to a camera in the corner of the table, the man glared down at it for just a brief moment.
'You see this? I'm not cheating in any way. In your words, I'm just using a technique. I'm using my skill to outsmart them. You don't have any issues with this, do you now? Inspect my deck all you want if you wish. You won't find anything strange.'
As he dealt his second card, a King was displayed in front of the crowd, at which the dealer grinned to himself.
This particular man - Preston - had devised a certain strategy that didn't use marked cards or any other visible method of cheating.
The cards in his deck were split into two groups of cards, perfectly sectioned as every other card. Every even card in the deck order ranged from 9 to Ace along with two eights to make an even 26.
These cards would give a blackjack or a high value when paired with one another, with 16 being the absolute worst case of any two that were selected.
On the other hand, the odd cards in his deck were low cards, those between 2 and 8 which would require multiple hits and a series of luck to get a high value.
By shuffling using skillfully counted hindu shuffles or by performing a specific number of riffle shuffles from an exactly split deck, no matter how randomized the cards became, they would maintain the pattern of even and odd cards.
For this reason - even if he couldn't predict the exact card that he would deal, Preston still had a good idea of where his customers stood - and what type of card he would deal next.
"Everyone has now received their first set of cards. If you wish to hit, please hold your hand forward and I will deal another card."
A number of people placed their hands forward, at which the man began to deal - this time taking a more standard order as he dealt.
'This one for you. And this one for you.'
Having used the first dealing to premeditate the perfect ordering, the man didn't need to resort to any further flashy tactics to guarantee his win.
With certain low betting customers, he would deal them cards that would likely result in a win. With medium betting customers, he would take what he could - attempting to make them bust without guarantee of doing so.
For the high roller, on the other hand - no such mercy would be shown.
'Another low card for you. That makes your third... and your average should be 15 more or less.'
The man took a peek at his new card, seemingly dissatisfied at the result.
'That's right. You're probably right at 15, aren't you? The worst possible place to be in this game.'
By reading the man's reaction, Preston immediately knew that this was the case.
By giving anyone three low cards in a row, the average would always be around 14 or 15. This was a dangerous spot where one would likely lose if they didn't hit, but would immediately lose if they received a card with a value of 10 - a highly likely outcome.
And all the more likely if Preston decided to hand them a high card on their next attempt.
"Ahem... ladies and gentlemen... is there anyone who would like to hit again? Please place your hand forward if you decide to do so."
Perhaps it was in the back of his mind, but the white haired girl hadn't hit once. She had bet a particularly low amount, so Preston had given her a winning hand without any concern.
'I guess she's content with what she has. Good mindset. You can take some chump change, but the moment you get greedy you'll regret it.'
As the high roller placed his hand forward, Preston immediately grabbed a card, sliding it over to the man.
'And that should settle it.'
"Agh!!! What shitty luck!!"
Throwing his cards down, the man stormed off, leaving his chips at the table as he revealed his cards to all.
A two, a seven, a three, and finally - a Queen.
"Quite unfortunate, Sir. Better luck next time."
As he raked in the chips, the man continued his duty as he finished off the round.
"Is there anyone who still wishes to hit? No? Well then... please have a look."
Revealing his own hand, the man showed that he had a 20 - a nearly unbeatable score.
"My... it looks like I was quite lucky today. Is there anyone who is able to beat this?"
Looking around, disappointment filled the table as many threw their cards down, getting up as they whispered to themselves.
"Rigged."
"So unfair..."
"I don't know what he did, but he was clearly cheating."
While the people murmured under his breath, Preston took great effort to suppress the veins that formed in his brow.
'You lowlives... you don't even understand the effort I've gone through to earn this. You merely shake it off as cheating without understanding the risks I myself am taking as a result of this new leadership...'
"Um, excuse me. I... I actually won."
Suddenly, the man's griping was interrupted by the voice of the young woman, who showed off her cards.
A King and an Ace.
"Blackjack..."
"Ah... congratulations, miss. Here is your reward."
Taking a few chips off the top of the high rollers pile, the woman smiled graciously as she received her winnings.
"Thank you!"
With these words, the woman got up, heading off to another table.
'What a strange woman... so excited about a couple hundred Sin when thousands upon thousands are being thrown around.'
----
'It's... too easy.'
Indeed - it was far too easy.
When entering a casino, Eclaire hadn't expected winning to be so simple - no, rather - she had expected it to be insanely difficult.
Surely, everything should have been rigged against her.
The more she played, the more money she would have lost. Even if she did manage to get lucky a few times, her luck would eventually run out.
Yet there was one simple strategy that allowed Eclaire to win with such ease that almost 80% of her rounds ended in victory.
"Play a game where multiple people face off directly against the casino. Blackjack and roulette are your primary targets. The slot machines and pachinko machines are too random and likely won't get you anywhere. Poker is played against the other customers, so that one is a no go."
Just as she had been instructed, Eclaire had placed her focus on these two games in particular.
"Well, well, well! It looks like we have a high stakes gamble going on here - and on evens! Is there anyone else who would like to place a bet on the next spin?"
As a particular dealer shouted out to the crowds, Eclaire made her way forward with a smile, grabbing a handful of chips as she laid them down.
"It seems that one girl is quite confident in the opposite! She's just bet a small sum on odds. Is there anyone else? No?"
As Eclaire recalled the words of the officer, the dealer spun the wheel with a smile.
"When you play one of these games, betting happens all at once. Always wait until the last moment - until everyone else has made their bets. Once you do so, bet a low amount on the opposite of what has the most bets."
The ball rolled around as all eyes gazed upon it, the noisy crowd becoming silent for just a few moments as they held their breath in suspense.
"By betting low, you'll eliminate your bet as one that the casino needs to defend against. You're no longer a target, since they can easily compensate you with whatever they've won from the other high rollers."
As the ball spun around, it's path slowed as it honed in on a particular slot.
"And so, even if you yourself have no way to cheat - the dealers will ensure your victory."
"It looks like that's a seven! A seven, folks!"
Indeed - it was too easy.
It was a method that nobody in this place would use.
After all, why would anyone continue to bet low when they were in this place to win big?
Eventually, a large bet would be made.
Eventually, all of their winnings would be placed on the table.
And eventually - those winnings would be stripped away from them.
"Shit!!! I was sure it would be even! It was odd six times in a row!"
One young man shouted out in agony, despairing at his massive losses.
As Eclaire gathered her winnings, she looked into her purse, gazing upon it with a gulp.
'It took a lot of games... but just like that, I've earned this much...'
It was packed with chips, to the point where she could fit no more.
'I guess if you want to earn a lot... you really do need to take from the people who have nothing.'
With a different glint in her eye, Eclaire's demeanor changed as she walked off, heading in the direction of the poker tables.
'It's time for the real game to begin.'
----
As she took a seat, not a single eye focused on the girl.
She was a nobody.
Someone who wouldn't even put up a fight - an easy target who made no high bets, and thus had swept under the radar of almost all, despite her immense winnings that she currently carried.
To the sleazy rich men who sat at the poker tables, Eclaire was exactly this - an easy target.
'Ah... she looks stupid.'
'What's a young one like that doing alone in a place like this?'
'Poor thing. I almost feel bad for her.'
'Almost.'
'If I weren't about to take everything she has, that is.'
Strangely, it was exactly this unnoticeable nature that painted a target on the back of the girl - she was someone that these high rollers could indeed roll right over, using their immense funds to pressure their opponent out of a real fight.
'Heh... watch and learn, girl. I'm not quite sure how much you've brought to bet, but one round against me and you'll realize the harsh truth of these casinos.'
With a sinister gleam, one particular man took a seat next to the girl, heaving a briefcase upon the table as he opened it to reveal an enormous amount of chips.
"It looks like we've filled the table. If all the guests are prepared, I will begin the dealing."
With a calm demeanor, the young man who played the role of dealer looked to the guests, at which they all nodded in agreement.
"In case there are any rookies present, poker is played solely between the players at the table. The casino will take 10% of all winnings, but you will not be facing off against the casino."
With this explanation, the man began to deal, and with hand motions that surpassed the vision of the average person, the cards were dealt before anyone could even realize what had happened.
"There you are. The minimum wager is 100 Sin. Please begin."
And with these words, each person grabbed their hands, checking fervently
'The ones who already have the money are the ones who can win.'
Each player put up the ante, and after a few card changes, the betting began.
"Raise 200."
"Raise 400."
"Call."
As this particular man watched the others make their bets, he slapped down a set of chips.
"Raise 10,000."
With this bold move, the man grinned heavily as he watched the color drain from those around him.
'Heh... this is what money can get you. Does anyone want to compete?'
"Fold."
Immediately, the white haired girl folded at the outrageous bet, at which numerous others followed.
"Fold."
"Fold."
"Fold."
And with this, everyone at the table had folded.
Was this man merely bluffing? Or was he truly that confident? Was his value of money simply that low, or did he actually have a decent hand?
None of the competitors were willing to take such a risk - and so with that, the man took the entire pot.
"Heh... thank you very much."
With a grand grin, the man looked around him as he watched the others seeth in resentment, yet this was not enough to shake him.
"What? Nobody was willing to take me on, so of course I would win. Or perhaps you were all just hoping that someone else would challenge me?"
With irritating words, the man spoke grandly, at which many grit their teeth with irritation.
"If you're not willing to take the risk, then how can you expect someone else to do it for you?"
"I'd have to agree."
Suddenly, however, an unexpected supporter added her voice to the man's.
"I wasn't willing to take the risk, but I had no intention of relying on anyone else to do that either. That would simply be foolish."
"Oh?"
Looking at the white haired woman with interest, the man raised an eyebrow as he placed the ante, preparing for the next game.
"Heh... well, are you going to take me on in the next one?"
"I haven't seen my cards yet, so I'll hold off on giving you an answer."
With a prompt response, the woman remained unfazed at the man's blatant victory - perhaps because she had escaped nearly unscathed, unlike the others who had raised before her.
'She's pretty cocky, isn't she? Maybe she got lucky at some other tables.'
The man's grin deepened as he realized that an opportunity had presented itself right in front of him.
'But not mine.'
"Is everyone ready for the next round?"
After having watched the drama ensue, the dealer finally took the attention of the guests, who all nodded in agreement.
At this, another set of cards were dealt, and within a few moments, the betting began once more.
"Raise 100."
"Call."
"Call."
The betting began once more, at which the sleazy man decided not to use overwhelming force - just yet.
"Raise 200."
With a smaller bet, the man looked to Eclaire, who was staring at her hand with a completely blank expression.
Truly - it was a perfect poker face.
'Hm... I thought she would have been easier to read, but she's able to completely mask her emotions-'
"Fold."
Yet immediately, the woman folded once again.
'Eh?'
Without even a chance to defeat her, the woman had given up of her own accord.
'Is she not even going to try and compete? Why is she giving up so easily?'
Was it just because she was an amateur?
Was she given a bad hand, and immediately thought that she would lose - and gave up without even putting up a fight?
'How boring.'
Turning his attention away from the girl, the man was turned off from his victory high, looking instead on the other contestants.
"Raise 300."
"Call."
"Raise 50."
The other three seemed to still be competing, at which the man gazed at his hand.
It was garbage.
"Raise 30,000."
With a bored expression, the man casually slid a massive amount of chips over, at which the other contestants grunted in agony.
Many stared at the chips, some considering what to do while others immediately hung their heads low.
"Fold."
"Fold."
Within instants, two of the three had given in, at which only one man remained.
There was nothing special about this man. He appeared to be middle aged, and his eyes were reddened as if he had been awake for far too long.
He was almost certainly an addict, and he gazed back and forth between his pile of chips, reaching out with one hand before pulling it back, restraining himself.
"C-c... fold."
He attempted to challenge the massive bluff, yet in the end decided not to do so.
With this, a slight smile drew itself across the face of the rich man.
'Heh... see? Know your place. You shouldn't be sitting at the same table as me.'
As some satisfaction returned to him, the man gathered even more chips, his riches only growing with each turn.
"Ahem... it seems another round has ended. Are you all still up for another round? If not, please allow some other guests to fill in your spots."
With these words from the dealer, a few of the people left the table, only to be replaced quickly with new ones.
'Heh... see? They're all scared of me. They're never willing to put so much on the line. Well, that should be obvious. Only a junkie would do that - but such a person would have been run into the ground long ago.'
With a nod, the man gazed over to the young girl, who strangely had stayed at the table - despite having folded twice.
'Self preservation... that is the single largest emotion that can control a person. You are no different, girl.'
'You can't fold forever. At some point, you're going to bet.'
Hiding a grin, the man lavished in his own thoughts, daydreaming as a new set of cards were dealt.
'And when you do... I'm going to crush you.'