At three in the afternoon, Emperor Company officially took over the dealing. As per the prior arrangement, Old Wu stepped up to be the banker, with Biao Biao, Song Ge, and two others serving as dealers.
Yang Jian wanted to see the scene at Seoul’s largest casino, so he stood behind Old Wu. In all casinos, regardless of the number of gamblers, no gamblers were allowed behind the banker. Only people from Emperor Company and the gambling company could stand there.
Previously, there were too many people and he couldn't get in. Now, standing behind the banker, he could see the entire casino.
This gambling table was similar to those in other casinos, just much longer, about twelve meters. Over a hundred gamblers surrounded the table, sitting on tiered benches. While the gamblers in the front row had ample space, the two rows behind were packed shoulder to shoulder. There were men and women, mostly young people under forty.
The people sitting in the first row were clearly the big gamblers. In front of them were stacks of cash, either thirty thousand or fifty thousand, with only three or five gamblers having over a hundred thousand.
Among these people were many young men with bags, their hands empty, presumably there to place bets.
The game began, with Emperor Company and the gambling company each providing a die, as usual. However, a noteworthy addition in this casino was that the gambling company's dealer produced a device, clearly a handheld metal detector used by airport security personnel.
The dealer waved the detector back and forth over both sets of dice. The detector showed no reaction. Then, the dealer picked up the dice cups and trays used for shaking the dice and tested them with the detector, again with no reaction, indicating the gambling equipment was genuine.
Finally, the dealer waved the detector over the table in front of the banker, confirming the table was also fine. Only then did the game officially commence.
No wonder so many people came to play. This casino was truly fair and just. Emperor Company also had no worries about being cheated, so they queued up to become the banker.
“Little Yang, don’t be fooled by the crowd here. The amount being bet is actually less than at the casino we ran with Chen Song. It’s a shame we only ran it for two days,” Song Jianhao said softly to Yang Jian, his face filled with regret.
Looking at the stacks of red banknotes on the table, Yang Jian estimated that the total bets on both sides were only around a hundred thousand, with a difference of no more than ten thousand.
Although Yang Jian wasn't present at Chen Song’s operation, he knew it was a place with a table limit of two hundred thousand. Emperor Company’s wins and losses per hand were around two hundred thousand, indeed larger than the stakes in this casino.
“Brother Hao, a table limit of one hundred thousand isn’t small either. The wins and losses depend entirely on luck. I think it’s much riskier than Chen Song’s place.”
“That’s true. However, this place is much fairer than other casinos. There’s no worry about being ripped off. As Emperor Company, we hope to find such places to bank long-term. We won’t complain whether we win or lose.”
“But for such a large venue, ordinary Emperor Companies wouldn’t dare to enter. To bank here long-term, you’d need at least two million in reserve capital. We still don’t have enough money.”
Seeing the scene, Yang Jian felt a little uneasy. If Old Wu’s luck was even slightly bad, they could lose everything in one hand.
Song Jianhao, however, was full of confidence. “Don’t worry, Little Yang. As long as we’re not cheated, Emperor Company will win more than it loses. With you, our lucky star, here, we won’t lose.”
Yang Jian didn’t say anything. He didn’t share Song Jianhao’s confidence. Emperor Company did indeed win more than it lost, but that was based on being able to bank long-term in a venue, meaning having sufficient capital. If this venue caused them to lose once, it could wipe out their not-so-wealthy Emperor Company completely, leaving no chance for a comeback in a second round.
Fortunately, Old Wu seemed to have good luck today, consistently winning. However, the four dealers were working hard. There were too many gamblers, and most bets were small, like five hundred, eight hundred, or a thousand. They had to be quick and accurate, and also identify counterfeit money.
Fortunately, everyone had a money counter, which sped things up. But counterfeit money identification still had errors with machines; it relied on touch and judgment.
There was a lot of counterfeit money in casinos. Identifying it usually meant tearing it up, not causing trouble for the gamblers, because the gamblers had an excuse, saying Emperor Company gave it to them, and they couldn’t identify it.
“Whose bet is this? There are two counterfeit bills. If any more are found, it’s ten times the penalty.” Biao Biao waved the two bills he held and then tore them up in front of everyone.
The person who bet was a middle-aged man. “Even if it’s counterfeit, you should have returned it to me. Why tear it up? I still need to take it back to the bank for verification.”
Before Biao Biao could speak, a young man from the gambling company shouted, “If you want to play, play properly. If we see you using counterfeit money again, don’t blame us for being impolite.”
The middle-aged man didn’t dare to retort, only muttering, “You guys gave me this money in the first place. How would I know it’s fake?”
Before he finished speaking, two young men suddenly pushed through from behind and dragged the man away.
Then, the man’s screams were heard, clearly indicating he had been beaten badly.
“Everyone, don’t be afraid. We’ve been watching this guy for a long time. All the recent counterfeit money has been brought in by him. We also found five thousand yuan in counterfeit bills on him. We advise anyone planning to cause trouble here to behave themselves, otherwise, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.” The young man from the gambling company held up a wad of cash and tore it up publicly.
Yang Jian greatly admired this action. The gambling company was responsible and protected the interests of Emperor Company.
“Brother Hao, I see casinos in TV shows playing with chips. Why are we playing with cash here? Wouldn’t that avoid counterfeit money? And it’s much safer too,” Yang Jian said thoughtfully, asking softly.
Song Jianhao laughed. “I’ve played with chips. That stuff isn’t as satisfying as cash, and it’s easier to lose big. Southerners from the coastal areas and those from the gambling cities like playing with chips, mainly for convenience. But northerners prefer cash. The feeling of counting money is much better than counting chips.”
“You mean playing with cash is more exciting?”
“Exactly. Counting money until your hands cramp is everyone’s dream. Chips are just a few pieces of plastic, cold and meaningless. Another important reason is fund security. Some casinos have tried promoting chips, but no one accepted them. Our casinos here aren’t safe; the police could raid them at any time. Gamblers are unwilling to exchange their cash for chips. If the gambling company is suddenly raided or shut down by the police, gamblers won’t be able to redeem their cash, which is too risky. So, they don’t play with chips.”
“That makes sense. No casino can operate indefinitely. Gamblers can come and go as they please, avoiding the chip exchange process, which is very convenient.” Yang Jian gained a better understanding of the survival methods of mainland casinos.