Casino Wizard

Casino VIP Room

Selected staff (distinguished by different-colored vests) are stationed, and the room is furnished with luxury furniture and a bar, creating a playground for the elite.

The games, of course, are Baccarat and Blackjack.

A key difference between the two: Baccarat always has a waiting list, while Blackjack usually has open seats. To those who swear by Baccarat, Blackjack is seen as “the game where you can play longer while spending less.”

But today, even the Blackjack tables were drawing unusual attention.

“Hey, are they letting just anyone in these days? Where did that guy come from?”

“Look at his ears! His ears!”

“Ah… yeah.”

“I heard he made 40 gold from a 30-die bet…”

A newcomer had arrived from the first floor to the second.

Wearing a light gray linen outfit, expressionless, with webbed ears… and only one hand.

A dragonkin who went by the name Dragon Ear in the casino.

He was a guest invited as a reward for identifying a structural weakness in Blackjack.

A figure that naturally drew the attention of the nobles.

“I mean, being a Dragonian, it’s not that unusual for him to be in the VIP room, but still… shouldn’t we at least introduce ourselves?”

The VIP room was more than just a place to gamble; it was where people with money and power mingled over wine and tea. At least, that’s how the patrons saw it.

And the fact that he was a one-armed dragonkin changed nothing.

“By the way, how old are you…? Dragonians have such long youth phases, right?”

“I’m old enough. You seem old too, so speak comfortably.”

“I heard you only play Blackjack. What about Baccarat?”

“Baccarat is an excellent game. As is every form of gambling in this world.”

A slightly tipsy noble asked, and the dragonkin responded kindly.

“That’s right…! I actually use a technique called the symmetry analysis method in Baccarat. If two streaks drop, I predict the next streak based on that… Didn’t work today, but tomorrow it should!”

“That’s a good strategy. And a great attitude.”

“Right?”

“I mean it.”

His words were short, his gaze fixed on the cards, but his attitude was surprisingly cordial.

Just like that, Dragon Ear naturally blended into the VIP room.

His betting was ordinary.

Observing the dealer’s up-card, he bet the minimum when at a disadvantage and 30–50 sil when the odds were favorable.

“Your bet?”

“3 gold.”

“Dealing now. May the goddess Gaia bless your hand.”

Then, suddenly, Dragon Ear raised his bet significantly.

A hefty amount for a game that would be over in less than two minutes.

The crowd turned their attention to the dragonkin, already known from the first floor.

“5, K, 9… That’s 24, isn’t it?”

“Bust?”

Dragon Ear lost without so much as a frown.

Instead, he calmly continued his aggressive plays.

Losing again, and again—until a split-hand helped him recover.

Some nobles, concerned about the one-armed man who had just arrived, began to murmur.

“Uh… Sir Dragon Ear?”

“I’m no ‘Sir.’ Just call me Dragon Ear.”

“You’re playing too dangerously. You could lose everything!”

“Or win big.”

His face remained utterly serene.

For someone who nearly lost 12 gold in ten minutes, he seemed almost too calm.

That’s when the onlookers—who had been worrying over his losses—started feeling uneasy.

And then Dragon Ear spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

“Isn’t that what gambling is?”

It wasn’t a particularly dramatic line. But somehow, the entire Blackjack table grew quiet.

“I mean, sure, gambling is like that, but still… the money…”

“Money is important. But there are things even more important.”

At that moment, the dealer shuffled the deck.

And Dragon Ear fully immersed himself in the game once more.

The concerned nobles and even the brewery guildmaster who had been watching backed away with uneasy expressions.

****

Dragon Ear entered the VIP room.

Soon, reports started coming in that he was losing money.

“That Dragon Ear guy has lost more than 30 gold.”

It was said that he was playing with small bets at first and then increasing his wagers in the latter half of the shoe to make his move.

This was common practice among advantage players. When they determined that the remaining cards were in their favor, they would place decisive bets.

The problem was that I had already changed the rules.

I increased the number of decks to six, cut a certain portion of the deck after shuffling, and increased the number of burn cards to two.

Even with these changes, card counting wasn’t completely meaningless.

But my casino was no longer a paradise for Dragon Ear.

‘And he’s actually losing money.’

Yet, Dragon Ear was still placing high bets without hesitation.

Was he trying to grab as much money as possible before I reinforced my defenses? Or was he testing whether his skills still worked?

He was truly an unreadable bastard.

I ignored him and focused on my work.

Since this was happening in the VIP room, reports kept coming in. The servers would observe and relay the information to me anyway.

“It looks like he recovered his losses, boss.”

By the afternoon, luck seemed to be on his side as he broke even.

“I heard from Baron Ebola that he’s now up by more than 60 gold.”

As time passed, he went beyond breaking even and was now at +60.

Dragon Ear seemed to be riding a good streak and raking in money.

But it didn’t last long.

“He’s losing again.”

By late evening, reports came in that Dragon Ear was steadily losing money.

My casino was already designed to be highly resistant… No, thanks to racial advantages, it wasn’t just competent—it was beyond that. Either way, this wasn’t an environment where a single player could win big for long.

And no one knew that better than Dragon Ear himself.

So why the hell was he still doing this?

If he wanted to pique my curiosity, he had succeeded.

‘I need to see this for myself.’

Twenty minutes before closing, I headed to the VIP room.

I often showed my face there anyway.

The customers who used the VIP room were all people accustomed to being treated with the highest respect. Just having a well-decorated interior and dedicated staff wasn’t enough. Since I made my living off their commissions, I had to personally engage with them to keep them happy.

But this time, I was going there because of Dragon Ear.

I had already shown him that a hustler couldn’t beat the house, and that I had no intention of competing with him as a gambler.

I wanted to know what it would take for him to finally get disappointed and leave.

“Double down.”

“Confirmed.”

Dragon Ear sat upright at the blackjack table.

The nobles who had been gambling for socializing had already left, and only serious players remained at the baccarat tables. Dragon Ear was the only one at the blackjack table.

Even alone, he was going all in like a madman.

But the results didn’t seem favorable.

“Blackjack.”

The dealer—my employee—won with a blackjack, not Dragon Ear.

In front of Dragon Ear, there was a little over 45 gold stacked up.

He had started with 30 gold, so he was up around 15 gold.

Of course, that was still a decent sum.

Fifteen gold was probably enough to get someone killed if you put out the request. But was it enough to be a threat to me? Not at all. This wasn’t some small-time operation.

Maybe there would come a day when he won big, but that would require luck.

So why?

Dragon Ear answered that question himself.

“I actually considered intentionally losing a lot to provoke you.”

How would losing a bunch of money be considered provocation?

I had a guess.

I had publicized Dragon Ear as “the first customer to discover blackjack’s structural weakness” before I changed the rules.

If that same guy came in on the very day of the rule change and got completely wiped out? It would put me in an awkward position. It wouldn’t be great for the popularity of blackjack either.

“That’s a strange thing to say, sir.”

“But that wouldn’t be something a gambler should do. There are times when gamblers intentionally lose to increase excitement or lull opponents into complacency, but the dealer I’m facing now is just a card dealer.”

“That’s true.”

“So from today, I’ve decided to rely on luck.”

“Luck?”

Just then, a loud cheer erupted from the baccarat tables.

Someone must have won big on a tie bet. After the ecstatic shouting died down, Dragon Ear continued.

“I still have a slight edge in this game. If luck is on my side, there will be a time—whether in one day or over several days—when I win big. That will pressure you to change the rules again.”

“Sir.”

“Of course, I could lose as well, but that’s fine. I’ll just find another way.”

In a steady voice, Dragon Ear spoke dangerous words.

And that confirmed it for me.

No matter what I did, this guy intended to stick to his promise—to make me be the one to lay down the next move.

I had already known he was crazy, but this was beyond my imagination.

How the hell was I supposed to get rid of him?

Another rule change?

That was out of the question. Aside from the cost, he had already assured me he’d find another way. Ignoring him and letting him be was an option, but if he really walked away with hundreds of gold, it would sting.

Gambling against him?

He wasn’t enough of a threat for me to take on that kind of risk.

So, I decided to warn him instead.

A warning that would work on a gambling addict like him.

“Sir, have you heard of Prince Stefano?”

“I heard about him in a tavern. He picked a fight with you, ended up in exile, and eventually became a cleric.”

“He’s still just a trainee cleric. He used to love card games… but unfortunately, he can’t touch them anymore. The life of a novice cleric is very ascetic. They’re forbidden from all forms of entertainment, including alcohol.”

The message was clear: if he kept provoking me, I could make sure he never gambled again.

Threatening to kill him might backfire, so I chose my words carefully.

Dragon Ear hesitated for a moment.

He clearly understood my point.

‘Did it work?’

After about a minute of silence, Dragon Ear spoke again.

“I get it. That’s definitely something I want to avoid.”

“Yes, sir. So—”

“Then let’s decide it with this next game.”

Two cards lay in front of him.

A 10 and a 7. Total: 17.

“I’ll take one more card. If I don’t bust, I’ll do as you say and back off. If I bust, I’ll keep going.”

“Even now?”

Ignoring me, he tapped the table with his fingers.

The card he received was a five of diamonds.

Total: 22. Bust.

He lost the bet.

“I’ll keep going.”

But when he looked up at me, his face was beaming.

The real problem was that if he hadn’t busted, he actually would have kept his word.