Chapter 142: Blackjack

“Boxing match?” Chen Chen asked curiously.

Leo quickly came to his senses and smiled as he explained, “You must’ve watched UFC before. Unlike UFC, this type of boxing match has no rules. Arms, legs, and even teeth can be used as a weapon.”

“Right, many people like watching UFC, but to really stir up the beast in you and pump up your adrenalin, it has to be boxing without rules!”

On one side, Davis broke out into a bloodthirsty grin. “There are no medics, physical examinations, doping tests, not even referees. The difference between victory and defeat is that one side will be standing while the other side has fallen.”

“I’ve never seen that kind of fighting. What are we waiting for then?” Chen Chen was already walking off.

Leo who lagged slightly behind stared at Chen Chen’s back with a dark glint in his eyes. After that, he exchanged a glance with Davis.

Davis nodded and the four of them swiftly followed behind.

Upon reaching the casino, Chen Chen found that the doors, which had been shut tight, were fully opened. Not only that, but there was also a large throng of people inside. Most of the passengers on the cruise had gathered here.

Before he went in, he could already sense the excitable atmosphere surging out from inside.

“Looks like the one we’ve invited isn’t here yet,” Leo said ruefully. “So, Chen, wanna play a few rounds of ‘Blackjack’ with us?”

“What’s ‘Blackjack’?” Chen Chen asked offhandedly.

“Oh, my dear Chen, you don’t even know what ‘Blackjack’ is?”

Leo did not know whether to laugh or cry, so he pulled Chen Chen by the sleeve and went in. “Come, dear Chen, let us give you a proper lesson!”

With that, he dragged Chen Chen into the casino.

It was not until Chen Chen walked into the casino that he understood why so many successful people with billions of dollars would be addicted to this sort of place, even losing control as they gambled frantically and finally burned through everything.

The interior of the casino was magnificent and sumptuous with thick, dizzying carpets, splendid golden inscriptions on the walls, and a gigantic chandelier suspended over the huge hall. It was like paradise on Earth.

However, beneath the brilliant, glittering fixtures, there was a psychological suggestion that anything was possible —

The windows here did not show the world outside, so one would not sense the passage of time;

There was no mirror that would show one’s reflection, so people would not notice their faces distorted with greed;

Moreover, the flawless service here, along with the casino chips that obscured the fact that money was slipping through one’s fingers, caused people to abandon all reasons. They could only sink endlessly lower...

The livelier the atmosphere, the more the place was filled with a “hysterical” aura.

As he walked through the aisle at the center of the casino, Chen Chen had already seen several gamblers with bloodshot eyes. They pushed their chips forward recklessly, panting, having lost their rationality.

It took humans millions of years to develop reason and gamblers abandoned it in only three minutes.

Before Prince Steele had invited the eleven plutocrats, he had said that he would allow these powerful families to invite their relatives and friends on board as well. This was why there were so many people on the ship.

Most of these were second-class, minor plutocrats or wealthy entrepreneurs, who had used their connections to come on board to expand their network. Chen Chen even noticed a few people from China.

At this point, a handsome young man with long hair, dyed brown, passed by Chen Chen, tirelessly explaining to his companions:

“This is the last time I’m buying the chips. This 4 million is my final streak of stubbornness. You won’t see me spending another dollar in this casino. With this 4 million I’ll win 400 million!”

Chen Chen shook his head slightly. It was not that easy to win four million in a casino...

Leo, Davis, and the rest led Chen Chen to a gambling table with a notice that said “Blackjack”. This must be the Blackjack that they were talking about.

“Blackjack is actually 21-point.”

Leo quickly explained to Chen Chen, “First, take two to three decks of cards and remove the two Jokers from each deck. For the remaining cards, the points of 2 to 9 are counted as is while 10, J, Q, K each counts as 10 points. The Ace is counted as 1 or 11 points, depending on the situation. The rules are simple. The player may keep drawing cards, then compare the number of points in their hand. However, the total can only add up to 21 points at most. If it exceeds 21 points, you ‘bust’, and you lose immediately. If your points are the same, it’s a tie.”

“So, who am I playing against?” Chen Chen asked.

“The dealer.” Davis pointed at the sexy dealer opposite the table. “The game is divided into the dealer and the player. All players only need to compare with the dealer. They don’t have to compare with each other.”

“That’s right. After all players have finished drawing their cards, then it’s the dealer’s turn to look at the cards. The rule for the dealer is: If it’s greater than or equal to 17 points, they won’t draw more cards. Otherwise, they’ll keep drawing cards until they reach 17 points. If they bust, all players win.”

Leo added. “Tonight’s banker is Prince Steele. He’s sponsored each of us a hundred thousand dollars.”

As Leo spoke, a casino staff member came over with some chips and handed them to everyone. Chen Chen took a few and held them in his hands.

“Let’s play a round then,” Davis said eagerly, “my hands are itching already.”

With that, he took a seat and threw down his chips, signaling the dealer across the table to start dealing.

Chen Chen shook his head and sat in the second seat, putting down two chips.

In the first round, Chen Chen received one card that was faced down and one card that was turned over. The former was the 2 of spades, and the latter was the 10 of diamonds.

Chen Chen frowned. 2 plus 10 resulted in a number that was neither here nor there. If he continued to draw, he might bust with just one more card. If he chose not to draw any more cards, his chances of losing were very high.

Right away, Chen Chen looked toward the dealer, whose exposed card was 7 points.

“Seat number 1, do you want to draw?” The dealer started to ask Leo, according to the procedure.

“D*mn it, I don’t want any more cards!”

Leo laughed and cursed. His exposed card was the 10 of hearts, the same as Chen Chen.

A game of probability? This gameplay seemed to be solvable by math...

At this point, Chen Chen could not help tilting his head.

[My points are 12 and the dealer’s exposed card is 7 points. If I choose not to draw, then according to the rule that “the dealer must reach 17 points or more”‘ as Leo said, there’s only one way I can win, that is if the dealer busts.]

[Suppose that the probability of the dealer busting is P(S). In that case, there are currently 13 possibilities for the dealer’s hidden card: let T represent 10, J, Q, K. When F(T+7), the dealer won’t draw or bust. Putting this aside...]

[When F(9+7), drawing 6~T equals to bust. F(9+7) = 8/13... and so on. Finally, P(S) =∑F=0.26231.]

[This means that, if I don’t draw any cards, my probability of winning is 26.231%.]

Chen Chen glanced at Leo and Davis beside him and continued thinking.

[However, if I continue to draw, I’ll win in two cases: 1. I don’t bust, and the dealer does; 2. Neither the dealer nor I bust, but I have more points. The probability of this: P(H).]

[The chances of the dealer busting is the same as above. But if it’s the second scenario, then there are four further possibilities. P1, I have 21 points, the dealer has 17 to 20 points; P2, I have 20 points, the dealer has 17 to 19 points; P3, I have 19 points, the dealer has 17 to 18 points; P4, I have 18 points, the dealer has 17 points...]

[Let’s analyze this first. If I draw the next card and my point increases from 12 to 13, that means I drew an A. Therefore, if W(12) = 1, then W(13) = W(12)×1/13 = 0.07692.]

[From this, W(18) can be calculated. The dealer gets 17 points, and Z(17) can be calculated in the same way. Therefore, the formula for the fourth possibility is P4 = W(18)+Z(17), and the same can be calculated for P1, P2, P3...]

[Therefore, the probabilities of the four scenarios added together is P(H) = P1+P2+P3+P4+P(S)×9/13 = 0.43577.]

[In other words, if I continue to draw, my probability of winning is 43.577%, which is higher than if I don’t draw a card...]

All this seemed lengthy, but it flashed through Chen Chen’s mind in just a moment. When Chen Chen looked up once again, it was his turn to speak.

“Seat number 2, do you want to draw?” the dealer asked in a soft voice.

“One more, please.”