Something's wrong with how I'm watching anime.

"The restroom was a bit crowded, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Su Xiaolu!"

Su Yun turned around and glared angrily at her younger brother.

"Why did you bring me to a place like this... And you've even learned to gamble?"

Seeing her older sister like this, Su Xiaolu couldn't help but shrink back.

He does indeed seem to be trying to harm his sister.

However, it was his own fault for being so talkative; he let it slip while playing with his friends that his very beautiful older sister had come back.

At that time, I had just made a bet with a friend, and I lost it. The price I paid was that I would bring this lady along next time I went out to play.

Now Su Xiaolu is starting to regret it.

My older sister has always been a well-behaved girl, so bringing her to a place like this is really not a good idea.

The original plan was for everyone to go to Ocean Park together, but then the plan suddenly changed and we ended up here.

While Su Xiaolu was still struggling with her inner turmoil, Su Yun had already used the weapon that had always worked on her brother:

"I'm going to tell Dad..."

Su Xiaolu immediately knelt down.

My husband is a very strict man, but because of his work, I've never been able to manage him very well.

However, if this older sister, whom the whole family cherishes, were to complain to the old man that he had brought her to such a place, the old man would probably immediately fly back and break his legs.

"No way, the old man will beat me to death. Can you bear to see your little brother lying in bed for half a month?" Su Xiaolu pleaded.

Su Yun hesitated after Su Xiaolu said that.

She knew that if she really complained to her father, there was a real possibility that her younger brother's leg would be broken.

"Then... take me away from here right now, and never come to a place like this again."

Seeing that her sister's attitude had softened, Su Xiaolu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay, I won't come to places like this again."

Su Xiaolu readily agreed to Su Yun's second request, but whether she would actually do it was another matter.

As for the first requirement.

After thinking it over, Su Xiaolu realized that going back under her older sister's coercion would be too embarrassing in front of her friends, so she said:

"However, since we're already here, we might as well watch the 'show' here before we leave."

What program?

Su Yun asked doubtfully.

"A fantastic show; you've definitely never seen anything like it abroad!"

When this was mentioned, Su Xiaolu's face immediately lit up with excitement, but he still didn't say what the 'program' was.

"No, take me back now."

Su Yun became even more suspicious of her younger brother's mysterious demeanor, and she said firmly.

Unbeknownst to the siblings, their argument was being watched by someone not far away.

In the distance, Kazama frowned.

At that moment, Cerberus's voice rang in Kazama's ears:

"That woman isn't..."

Kazama pressed Cerberus's head, which had been peeking out, back down.

Kazama used the 'voice card', so currently only he can hear Cerberus's voice.

"Ah."

Kazama nodded slightly:

"It's that female returnee I ran into the night before last."

“I didn’t expect her to come to a place like this. And is that her boyfriend next to her? Are the two of them arguing?” Cerberus said.

"Couples shouldn't act like this; they should be siblings."

As he spoke, Kazama withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the card table in front of him:

"Furthermore, Cerberus, your curiosity is a bit too excessive."

"After all, this is my first time in a place like this..."

"Although Kuroride had visited similar gambling dens when he traveled in this eastern land before, the games he played back then were mostly things like 'Sic Bo' and 'Pai Gow'. I've never been to a modern gambling den before; it seems like they've added a lot of new games."

This caught Kazama's attention.

"Oh, does Clow Reed like going to casinos?"

"Well, I'll go when I'm short on cash. You know, alchemy is very expensive. Although Clow Reed can make money by helping with divination, nothing beats making money this way."

"Although, basically, he would be kicked out of a casino after only one visit."

What does Clow Reed usually play?

"Of course it's a guessing game. Don't forget, he's a fortune teller."

Kazama remained silent. Indeed, for a magician with extraordinary power to participate in a game played by ordinary people would basically be nothing more than a chaotic massacre.

"If you still want to pursue alchemy in the future, you'll have to find a way to make money."

Kerberos knew that Kazama wasn't short of money; in fact, he was quite wealthy. However, for a path like alchemy that required huge investments, that little bit of money wouldn't even be enough to fill a gap in his teeth.

"Hmm." Kazama did not refute Cerberus's words, but simply nodded slightly.

Noticing that Kazama kept his eyes fixed on the card table in front of him, Cerberus added:

"You've been standing here watching for almost ten minutes now, do you want to go up and play too?"

"Although I had already browsed the relevant information online, it was still necessary for me to observe and learn since this was my first time in such a place."

"However, it's almost time now."

"Since it's a disguise, it really needs to be made to look convincing."

Anyway, there's still some time before the 'show' starts.

With a sway of his lips, Kazama sat down in the empty seat at the card table in front of him.

"Welcome to BlackJack, sir."

Upon seeing Kazama sit down, the pretty female croupier greeted him with a smile.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Just Like Me

Blackjack, originating from a card game in Frankish England, is perhaps better known in China as 21.

The gameplay is simple: the sum of your cards doesn't exceed 21, but the closest you can get is the highest. K, Q, J all count as 10, and A counts as 1 point, or sometimes 11.

However, there are restrictions on the dealer. The dealer cannot freely choose to draw a card or skip a card. Cards must be drawn for points below 16, and cards must be skipped for points above 17.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, the probability of the banker winning by more than 21 points is greater than that of the player.

"This is one of the few games where the casino's advantage is not that significant for the gamblers."

Sitting at the table, Kazama exchanged chips with the dealer while speaking to Cerberus.

"So, that's why you chose blackjack?" Cerberus said.

"That's not entirely true. In fact, gamblers can use special methods to increase their winning rate."

"Because the playing cards here have a memory, Blackjack is a game that connects the past and the future. The result of one round of dealing will affect the result of the next round and even the round after that, because the same deck of cards is used."

Kazama explained, seemingly worried that Cerberus might not understand.

"For example: if four Aces appear in the first round of the game, then after this round, these cards are placed face up at the bottom of the deck. In the second round, cards are drawn from the remaining cards, so from the second round onwards, there are no Aces. This situation will continue until the deck is used up or the deck is reshuffled."

"This means you can observe from the sidelines and silently note down the discarded cards. When a game is in its middle stages, if there are many small cards at the beginning and many big cards left, you can join in. This is because the game will favor the gambler at this point, since if the gambler 'passes,' the dealer will draw a big card and the chance of busting will be greater than if the gambler does not."

"Based on this, we can then proceed with card counting."

“Treat it as a simple mathematical probability problem, and you can use the method of complete point counting.”

Kazama placed the exchanged chips on the table, and a sound that no one else could hear rang in Cerberus's ears.

"All cards can be divided into three high and low point values: +1, 0, and -1."

“+1牌包括2、3、4、5、6；0点牌包括7、8、9；-1牌包括10、J、Q、K、A，每见到一张牌就更新一次高低点数。”

"Then calculate the high and low index values ​​and combine the high and low points. At this point, analyze the dealer's revealed card points and your own hand to make decisions such as whether to take cards, split cards, or double down. Maximize your winning rate as much as possible."

Kerberos seemed to be completely bewildered by Kazama's string of words.

"Wait a minute, are you using mathematical methods to participate in this game?"

"why not?"

Kazama smiled slightly:

"Blackjack is not an 'independent random process.' Probabilistic methods can certainly be involved in it."

"But if what you're saying is true, then blackjack is a very unfriendly game to casino owners. Why not remove the game?" Cerberus asked, puzzled.

Kazama replied, "Casinos naturally have their own ways of dealing with this, such as specially designed machines. Discarded cards are randomly reinserted into the deck by the machine, thus breaking the 'card memory.' Card counting becomes useless."

"But such an extremely expensive system can only be afforded by large casinos."

“There are no underground casinos like this, of course.”

"As for not being able to afford the machines, you can also use the method of shuffling the cards every round to break the game. Although because shuffling the cards every round takes too long and is too cumbersome, no one is willing to play, and the resulting losses are higher than if someone counts the cards. Small casinos generally don't use this method."

"Furthermore, do you think everyone can do card counting like this?"

"This kind of card counting requires a great deal of skill in terms of memory, calculation, judgment, and emotional control."

"Anyone who can do that is undoubtedly a genius. They could do well in any industry, so why become a gambler?"

"Moreover, even if we take a step back and assume that there really is such a genius who wants to make some extra money, it will only be limited to one or two times."