Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 574: Chapter 572: Ao City Casino

It’s both funny and pathetic that although betting on horses is popular in Xiangjiang, gambling there is actually illegal.

So many of Xiangjiang’s casinos operate underground. While you can see Xiangjiang folks everywhere on the streets discussing which horse to bet on today, gambling in Xiangjiang is expressly prohibited.

However, the Ao City casinos are different; they are legally recognized and operated, solely established by the government of Ao City.

As one of the three major Gambling Cities alongside Monte Carlo and Las Vegas, the Ao City casinos have now become a very famous tourist attraction, drawing countless visitors from around the world each year attracted by the name of gambling.

Huo Sining didn’t understand much about the gambling industry, so after she followed Ouyang Jun and Qin Tian into the casino, she only paid attention to the decorations in the casino.

In the lobby on the first floor, there were many artifacts, staring at which left Huo Sining wide-eyed in wonder.

The Ma Shou from Yuanmingyuan, an oversized sapphire, a pure gold dragon boat, and ivory carvings from the Great Wall – the decorative pieces here were almost all worth a fortune, just casually displayed in the lobby on the first floor.

Such luxurious display of wealth gave visitors a massive visual impact, no wonder so many people are so obsessed with and swept up by gambling.

It is said that the Grand Lisboa Casino was established by the Macau Gambling King, Song Lifeng. His decades-long history in gambling not only made him the foremost authority in the gaming industry, but also his businesses under the name Xin De Group, real estate, hotels, and other large enterprises, making him a legendary figure and a symbol of authority in the modern history of Ao City. The development of Ao City is inseparable from his significant contributions.

As Huo Sining toured around, she could not help but admire, until she reached the second floor and entered the real gambling hall. Seeing the dazzling array of gambling activities available, Huo Sining felt her head spin, her eyes unable to take it all in.

Su Qingqing, too, was visiting Ao City for the first time. However, in terms of gambling, she was clearly much sharper than Huo Sining. After watching for a short while, Su Qingqing quickly figured out how the machines worked, promptly exchanged some chips, and got into the zone. She even called out to Jiang Xiaoqin to join her in the fun.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but feel frustrated, especially seeing Jiang Xiaoqin’s enthusiastic expression. However, as the casinos prohibit anyone under the age of eighteen from gambling, Jiang Xiaoqin could only watch from the sidelines.

Huo Sining watched as Su Qingqing lost several rounds in a row and shook her head helplessly.

There’s really no skill to speak of in gambling, she thought; it all comes down to luck. Whoever has better luck wins. That’s why many people who are serious about gambling even resort to keeping spirits or casting curses, all to change their luck and win more at the casinos.

Su Qingqing was enjoying herself, but after losing several bets in a row, she started feeling somewhat bored.

She didn’t have a gambling addiction; she was merely curious and wanted to try her luck, but it seemed her luck today was not that great.

Feeling down about her poor luck, Su Qingqing turned around to see Huo Sining shrugging with a wry smile. Suddenly her eyes lit up with an idea.

She quickly walked over to Huo Sining and pulled her to sit in the seat she had just left, laughing, ”Ningning, my luck is awful, you play for me!”

Huo Sining was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, ”I don’t know how to play this!” she protested as she tried to get up.

Su Qingqing waved her hand frantically and said, ”This is Baccarat, it’s really easy! Let me explain the rules, and you’ll understand!”

With that, she began explaining the rules to Huo Sining.

The long table where Huo Sining sat was empty in the middle, with a croupier standing inside it, who also acted as the banker.

Huo Sining was seated amongst more than a dozen swivel chairs, each occupied by gamblers.

The betting areas were in front of them on the table, divided into three different sections, with ”banker”, ”player”, and ”tie” written in both Chinese and English.

Baccarat involved using eight decks of cards, jokers removed, shuffled by the machine, and bets placed by the players before cards were dealt by the croupier.

Each person could only bet on one area. After bets were placed, the croupier dealt cards, with both the banker and player receiving at least two cards, up to a maximum of three.

After the croupier revealed the cards, they calculated the total points for both sides, and the winner was determined by whose final digit was closest to nine.

The odds for both the banker and the player in Baccarat were one to one, while a tie paid out at eight to one.

When players won, the casino would take a commission of five percent. Of course, if they lost, there was nothing to deduct.

Su Qingqing said the rules were simple, but Huo Sining felt dizzy and only half-understood after hearing them.

However, after she sat down and watched others play a couple of rounds, she got the hang of it. She watched as the croupier rang the bell and the players around her swarmed to place their bets.

Su Qingqing also watched, undecided, and then waved at Huo Sining, ”It’s all about luck anyway; just bet whatever.”

Holding her chips, Huo Sining hesitated, as both the banker and player areas in front of her were piled high with chips, while the tie area remained empty.

”Last call for bets,” announced the dealer. ”Time is running out, friends. Five seconds left before dealing!”

Hearing the croupier urging them on, Huo Sining also felt pressured and hastily threw her five-thousand chip toward the banker.

Unexpectedly, throwing it with too much force, she missed her mark, and the chip rolled a few times, sliding toward the middle area.

A solitary round chip lay in the centre of the tie area.

Seeing the people around her staring as if she was a freak, Huo Sining felt both frustrated and embarrassed.

Once the bet was placed, it could not be changed; and by that time, cards were already being dealt. No matter how frustrated she was, it was too late to do anything about it. She tried to keep calm, reassuring herself that she might just win after all.

Su Qingqing, watching closely, was also stunned. She had meant for Huo Sining to bet casually on either the banker or the player, not on a tie.

”Ningning, why did you bet on the tie?” Su Qingqing exclaimed. ”At eight to one odds, it’s highly unlikely to hit!”

Su Qingqing felt speechless as she saw Huo Sining betting on the tie.

She had explained the rules to Huo Sining in great detail, so why did it seem like Huo Sining didn’t understand at all? Where had all her shrewdness from gambling on stones gone? Perhaps she was playing dumb?

Su Qingqing scrutinized Huo Sining’s facial expression for a moment, seeing her round wide eyes and innocent look. She couldn’t tell if Huo Sining was acting or truly clueless and could only helplessly shake her head and sigh softly.