Endless Evolution: Last Star

The dealer dealt two cards to each player, as required by the stage of the game – Pre-Flop. This was the starting point for each player to assess their strength and decide whether they could continue playing or not.

In fact, Silvana had already lost from the very beginning, but she didn't realize it yet. It wasn't that the dealer had decided to deal her the worst cards for some reason. No, Silvana simply didn't have any money.

Louis deliberately used his chips to raise the initial bet to 100K through Silvana, who was supposed to make a Small Blind. Thus, when it was her turn, she had no choice but to fold.

"Fold." Silvana sighed, putting her cards aside.

Adam glanced at Silvana, wanting to know what cards she had. With her gaze, she showed that she had no chance of winning, she just shook her head.

'Maybe I decided too soon, but... eight hearts and three diamonds? What am I supposed to do with that? Although maybe that's what Louis wanted. He gave me 50K when I didn't even have the money for a call!'

Although Silvana knew a little about poker, in Louis's eyes, she was almost no different from Silvana and Alexia.

Sure, it was useful to have his man at the table, but he wanted her to just watch from the sidelines for the first round, even if it cost him 50K.

He wasn't going to lose, which was why he raised the bet to as high as 100K credits through Silvana.

After all, for that amount, one could buy a house in the Third Ring. Although for rich people from the very center of the First Ring, it wasn't a large sum. At least if they came to the casino and made such bets with ease.

"Khm..." The man to Silvana's left grumbled as he looked at his cards.

Then, he silently tapped the table. It was a check. He was the last to act, and no one had raised, meaning no one had increased his initial bet, so he decided not to risk even more money.

Thus, even before the dealer had a chance to move on to the flop, two of the six players decided to fold their cards.

The players remaining at the table were Louis, the woman to his right, the burly man sitting to Silvana's left, and another man with a pale face and deep-set eyes in the center. They all decided to call the Big Blind, basically betting 100K each.

The dealer nodded and finally laid three community cards in the center of the table.

Louis nodded in satisfaction, and the next round began.

The pale man was first. He looked at his cards several times, then at the table, and silently discarded his cards without saying a word. It seemed he was not one of those who liked to talk or even use a technique such as bluffing.

The woman to Louis's right thoughtfully touched her lips.

"Well, well, there are only three of us left so soon. What do you think, handsome? Do I have a chance of winning?" She turned to Louis.

In response, Louis just shrugged with a slight smile.

"Who knows? It all depends on luck. Moreover, don't forget that there aren't actually three of us here."

"Hmm?" She gave him a questioning look.

He silently nodded toward the dealer. There were only three cards on the table. The chances that one of the remaining players had already assembled a strong combination capable of beating all the others were too slim.

"Huh, I see, it seems someone isn't confident in their cards since they've decided to rely on the dealer."

"Hey." The burly man frowned. "Make your move already."

In response, the woman rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. Soon, a black chip appeared in her hand, as did a smirk on her face.

"Of course. I heard you were unhappy that the starting bet was 100K. I think it's time to raise it a little."

She pushed the black chip forward.

"Raise to two hundred."

The burly man muttered something indistinct. He was clearly not happy with the woman's move.

But all eyes were on Louis. Despite how relaxed the woman was acting, it was obvious that she was ready to raise further. She had enough money to do so, and she might have been planning to stop at half a million on this table if she had to.

"What about you?"

The woman turned to Louis, who, without hesitation, pushed another black chip forward. It was his call, and he matched the woman's bet.

The last active player at the table was the burly man, but his sullen face made it clear to everyone that he was not going to continue playing for such large sums.

"Tsk, Fold." The burly man put his cards down, moving them toward the dealer.

The dealer nodded and turned over the fourth card.

"Check."

"Check."

No one was in a hurry to take action, and from Louis's and the woman's interaction, it was difficult to tell which of them had the winning hand.

However, they couldn't continue at this pace indefinitely. After the River came and the dealer showed the fifth card, they raised the bet to 300K.

Thus, it was time to reveal their cards.

The woman was first as he showed his two cards, moving them forward across the table.

She had not the strongest combination available – a Full House, three cards of the same suit, and one pair.

She looked closely at Louis. Almost everything depended on his reaction to her combination.

To her disappointment, he sighed heavily as he pushed his two cards forward.

Now, there were four kings on his side of the table, which was one rank higher than the woman's combination – Four of a Kind.

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances. They assumed this meant Louis had won, but they weren't sure.

"Well, looks like almost a million is in my pocket this time, doesn't it?" Louis grinned, glancing at each player at the table.

The dealer nodded, preparing to move on to the next round.