Lukas watched Trent reach for his card and couldn’t help but go over his theory one last time.

There was one question that would decide if things would stay the same or have a different outcome.

As for Trent, he was going into this blind, which meant he needed to read Lukas. However, he hadn’t actually put in much effort into studying Lukas, since he had someone feeding him the answers.

So the question was, with his flow of information cut off, what would he do?

Lukas had only one answer to that.

In this game, Trent had come in relying on his crutch, so that means he had no alternative. He’d have to choose between repeating the same thing which worked in the first round, or reverting to his original strategy.

Lukas sighed. Trent would choose to stick with what he knew for now, and Lukas had arranged his cards accordingly.

If he was right, the first two flips would end this round.

Trent flipped his card. It was an eleven of hearts.

Lukas stared at it for a moment, and before he could stop it, a laugh burst out of him.

He leaned back in his chair, letting it go on, before tapering off into chuckles. He leaned forward, placing both forearms on the table, and looked at Trent directly.

"You were destined to lose this round the moment you sat down across from me," he said.

"But don’t feel too bad about it." He held the man’s gaze with a slight smile. "You lost to me. There’s no shame in that."

He reached forward and flipped his own card.

A six of clubs.

The crowd began muttering immediately, the noise rising slightly around them, but Lukas didn’t take his eyes off Trent.

"This round is over. You see? He read him completely."

"Come on, this is just the first flip. We still have two flips to go. What if this is all within his plan? What if he lost the first flip on purpose?"

"Look at their faces, you idiot. See the difference in confidence? That means the game is already decided. You can see it."

Trent sat there, holding Lukas’ gaze.

The confident smirk he’d been wearing since the beginning of the match was still there, but it had dimmed slightly. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He tilted his head slowly, looking up at Lukas from across the table.

"I wouldn’t be so smug about winning the first flip," he said. "Nothing is over until it’s over."

Lukas chuckled, sounding amused.

"That’s what people say," he replied, "when they’re trying to feel better about losing."

"I’ve already won this round, Mr. Trent. But the question is whether you’d like to make it official now or spend another thirty seconds pretending otherwise."

"Stop yapping and flip your damn card," Trent said.

Unlike one would’ve expected, his voice was no longer taunting. Instead, it was flat, as if he’d shed a persona and was now trying to play seriously.

He stared at Lukas, trying to read him, but it was too late for that. And Lukas already had a headstart when it came to observing the opponent.

As for Lukas, he kept the smile on his face as he reached forward and turned his card over, revealing a two of clubs.

The crowd leaned in.

Trent stared at the card, then at Lukas, then back at the card.

He sat there for a moment, an anticipatory silence filling the air around them.

Then the spectators couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

Someone near the back called out. "Flip it."

Others picked it up. "Flip it. Flip it. Flip it."

Trent slowly reached forward and turned his card over.

A four of hearts.

The moment he saw it, Lukas chuckled, shaking his head.

If Trent had trusted his original instincts and played his cards the way he would with his strongest cards first to crush his opponent, he would have won this round.

But unfortunately, Lukas had gotten the best of him and had won two matchups in a row.

"So, would you like to reveal the third cards," Lukas asked pleasantly, "or would you prefer to simply acknowledge that you’ve lost this round?"

Trent looked at him for a moment.

Then he picked up his fourth card and dropped it face down on the table without flipping it, pushing it towards the dealer.

"Next round," he said.

They’d both won one round each. Which meant this final round would decide the winner.

The dealer collected the cards and began shuffling. His superior dexterity showed as he flipped them between his fingers as if they were attached to his hands by invisible strings.

Maybe they actually were. Nobody knows.

But instead of thinking about that, Lukas used the time to study Trent.

The question this time was straightforward.

Trent now knew two things. His information source had been cut off, and the strategy that came with it had failed.

He also knew, or strongly suspected, that his original approach would have won him the second round.

So what would a man like Trent do with that information?

Lukas watched as Trent’s eyes narrowed slightly, a vindictive gleam appearing in them.

Based on the kind of person he’d presumed his opponent to be, that should mean Trent was recalculating, not doubling down.

He wasn’t stubborn, but he was competitive. There was a difference. And that meant the original strategy was coming back. Crush the opponent from the very beginning.

That was what Lukas would be betting on.

The dealer spread the cards across the table in a clean line. "Pick."

They took turns picking.

Just like the previous round, Lukas lifted the cards slightly off the table, placing his palm under them to read the raised texture of the cards and determine what number was there.

When he was done, he placed all four cards face down in a row in front of him.

He could feel Trent watching him.

"Select your cards," the dealer said.

Lukas pushed three forward without hesitation and Trent did the same.

The crowd had gone very quiet, watching. Who would be the superior player in this round and take home the two hundred thousand gold coins?

"Ready?" The dealer looked at Lukas. "Flip."

***

A/N: In light of the ongoing golden tickets event, I have decided to set up a challenge of my own.

If you guys manage to reach 500 golden tickets by the end of this month, I shall give you a 5 Chapters mass release. If you reach 600 golden tickets, you get a 7 Chapters mass release. And if you hit 700 golden tickets? That’s a 10 Chapters mass release.

Let’s see if we can do it!