Huang Hua's request caught Yang Jian a bit off guard. He thought that as a shareholder of the casino, he would be prioritized to be the banker without any conditions.
From the situation over the past two days, the casino was taking in nearly 10,000 yuan in "meal tickets" daily, with very little cash being distributed. Yesterday, not a single cent was distributed because the company had to provide cash daily to the banker to exchange for meal tickets. If the banker won too many meal tickets, and the commission collected was insufficient, the gambling company would have to subsidize the cash.
If Yang Jian were to be the banker, he would have to absorb all the meal tickets won, and the gambling company would not exchange them for cash.
"Alright, I accept this condition."
Since the meal tickets ultimately had to be absorbed by him, this condition didn't have much of an impact.
"Good, then starting tonight, the night shift is all yours. The daytime will be divided into two shifts, three hours per shift, with bankers rotating."
Huang Hua was very pleased. With Yang Jian as the banker, they could distribute more cash, as meal tickets could only be converted into cash at the end of the year.
This was Yang Jian's first time as a banker, so he called Liu Yong and Liu Chao. He left Jing Yongli alone to guard the construction site at night, and quite a few people from the carpentry team also went to watch the excitement.
News of Yang Jian being the banker at the casino couldn't be kept secret. Since people went to Huang Jiaping to watch videos and buy things every day, within a day, the entire construction site would know that Yang Jian was the banker.
The night shift started at seven o'clock. Yang Jian and his group arrived at six-thirty, waiting outside the venue for the shift change at precisely seven.
Liang Liang was already a dealer on the floor, so he didn't need to leave. Liu Chao was very quick-witted, so Yang Jian asked him to go on the floor to learn how to be a dealer. Due to the large number of participants, Huang Hua also arranged for two dealers to assist, along with a bill counting machine.
Lu Feng was still responsible for maintaining order at the venue and safeguarding the cash. This was the task Yang Jian had assigned him. He brought 100,000 yuan in cash today, but it couldn't all be placed on the gambling table.
The previous banker lost 20,000 yuan and stepped down precisely at seven o'clock.
San Pang, carrying 50,000 yuan in cash and 10,000 yuan in meal tickets, took the banker's seat. It was evident that he was very nervous, and his hands trembled involuntarily as he arranged the cards.
There were too many people, with seven or eight layers of people surrounding him, all staring at him. It was his first time on the floor, and the pressure was immense.
"Damn, this banker is so young, why are his hands shaking?"
"Is he scared?"
"He looks scared. It's strange, why would Boss Huang want him to be the banker?"
The gamblers all started discussing, full of curiosity about this chubby young man.
Huang Hua stood on a stool at the periphery and announced loudly, "Everyone, this banker is not from around here. They are from the construction site and have never played Pai Gow before. This is their first time on the floor as a banker, so it's normal to be nervous. He's a rookie, so this is your chance to win money. Make sure to seize it!"
The somewhat flustered San Pang, amidst the discussions, finished arranging the cards, rolled the dice, and dealt all the cards.
Only his own people could stand behind the banker to prevent the banker's cards from being leaked. Therefore, Yang Jian stood behind San Pang.
Whether it was genuine nervousness or some other reason, San Pang made a blunder in the first round, placing the high-value cards at the front.
"Wow, the banker made a mistake! The lead card is a seven, and the tail card is a six."
Once the banker's and players' cards were all revealed, someone immediately noticed the problem. Having the highest card at the front and the lowest at the back was called a "reverse dragon," a situation that only occurred with novice players. Those who acted as bankers were usually experienced players and wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
The entire venue erupted in excitement, and everyone started laughing. This was a round where everyone won, as all bets were paid out.
Cold sweat broke out all over San Pang's head. He stared blankly at the erroneous cards, unsure of what to do.
Yang Jian was also confused. Although he had watched for over an hour, he hadn't fully adapted yet and hadn't paid attention to San Pang's card dealing order.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately nudged Liang Liang, who was also staring blankly, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pay out the money!"
Liang Liang finally came to his senses and began paying out money to the players one by one with the cash prepared in front of him. Liu Chao and the other two dealers also started to move.
Fortunately, it was the first round, and with a new banker on the floor, many people were observing, placing small bets or no bets at all. The total payout was only a little over 20,000 yuan.
Huang Hua stood at the periphery and laughed, "Mr. Yang, how about I call an experienced player to take over for you? If it continues like this, you'll lose your pants."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire venue burst into laughter.
"No need. We're playing for the first time, and there's always a learning process. He usually plays mahjong quite skillfully, so he should adapt quickly. San Pang, keep going, stay steady, don't rush. Take your time. I won't blame you no matter how much you lose."
Yang Jian patted San Pang's shoulder to encourage him.
San Pang's face turned red. He took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and began the operations for the second round.
Everyone knew San Pang was a novice, and the atmosphere at the venue instantly became lively. The seven players had their money and meal tickets spread out in front of them.
San Pang's hands were still trembling slightly, and sweat was still flowing, indicating he was even more nervous than before.
Fortunately, this round had no errors, and the cards were good. The lead card was a five, and the tail card was an eight. Four players lost, and three players won. They won over 5,000 yuan in total.
These figures were calculated by the gambling company's dealers, as the banker had to pay a commission for every win, at a rate of 500 yuan per 10,000 yuan.
After winning a round, San Pang's mentality gradually stabilized.
After more than ten rounds, his hands finally stopped shaking, the sweat on his forehead stopped, and his movements for arranging and dealing cards became more skilled.
The gambling rounds had wins and losses, and no further mistakes occurred.
The night shift gambling ended at eleven o'clock because many workers had to work during the day. Staying up late would not only affect construction but also potentially lead to accidents. If the casino operated too late, it would be reported by the power plant authorities.
At ten fifty minutes, San Pang noticed that the banker had been losing money, estimated to have lost thirty to forty thousand yuan. He decided to go for a big play.
"Damn, the lead card is a Heaven Nine."
As San Pang revealed the lead card, the venue erupted in exclamations. The lead card was a combination of the Heaven card and the four-five-nine, which was also known as the Red Nine. The Black Nine was the three-six-nine.
With the Heaven Nine as the lead card, the tail card would inevitably be a pair. Six out of the seven players didn't even reveal their tail cards because their tail cards were not larger than nine. They were destined to lose this round.
The last player's lead card was only a seven, and their tail card was a pair of clubs, giving them a chance to win.
"Wow, a pair of Earth cards, a complete sweep!"
As San Pang flipped over the tail card, the venue was filled with wails of despair. This round was a complete sweep, with at least 70,000 yuan at stake, as San Pang had calculated that the bets placed in this round were the largest, aiming for a single-round victory.
Cheating also required timing and couldn't be overused, otherwise, it would arouse suspicion.
Due to the initial mistake, no one suspected that San Pang had just executed a skillful play.