Chapter 9: Living by the Water
In terms of the depth of the technique, gambling is no worse than any other profession. Ordinary people simply cannot imagine how good the so-called "good technique" can be. A deck of playing cards has 54 cards. After they are opened and shuffled randomly, some people can remember the order of each card. Northern mahjong has 136 cards and southern mahjong has 144 cards. Many people can clearly remember what cards are in front of them. As for guessing the size by rolling the dice, the technique is even more mysterious . It's not a leopard or a consecutive number. It's just a little bigger than yours. Isn't it annoying?
"Forget it now. With your skills, it's good enough that you don't lose your underwear."
"Your skills are shit. If you weren't cheating, would you have won the money?"
"How can you be caught if you have good skills? If you are caught cheating, your hands will be chopped off. If you gamble with foreigners, no one will help you to plead for you."
Hearing Luo Yi's confident words, the other people immediately refused to do their job. That was because everyone was giving face to Rock, otherwise Luo Yi would have been beaten beyond recognition by now.
However, Luo Yi's skills should not be bad, otherwise he would not dare to open the market and be the banker. But he probably is not at the level of a gambling king, otherwise he would not have been caught on the spot. Rock does not need Luo Yi's skills to be sophisticated, it is enough to use them to fool the foreigners.
Perhaps feeling that his words were not convincing, Luo Yi casually took out three dice, shook them in his palm twice to adjust the position, and threw them on the table. Sure enough, he threw out three sixes. That was not all. Luo Yi took the dice back and threw out three fives, followed by three fours, three threes, three twos, and three ones.
"Master Luo, I'm not bragging, I can roll any number you want. If you can do it, I will admit that your skills are better than mine." Luo Yi was very confident at this moment. It was not uncommon to roll three sixes. Anyone could do it with some practice with the lead-filled dice. However, it was not easy to roll any number you wanted. It still required a certain level of skill.
"Let's not roll the dice. It's too complicated. I guess foreigners won't be able to understand it. Let's do something simple and guess whether there is one or not. You don't have to rush. One person can't do this job. We all have to work together." Rock selected the project and naturally had a plan in mind.
Don't overestimate the educational level of foreigners these days. Rock can guarantee that many sailors can't even write their own names, so the method must not be too complicated. Guessing odd and even numbers is simple enough, and anyone can understand the rules after just a few glances.
"Guess whether there is one? This, this is too simple." Luo Yi didn't expect Rock to have this idea. In Luo Yi's opinion, guessing whether there is one is a game for children. If you want to fool foreigners, you have to do something high-end. Guessing whether there is one is a trick that even a street thug like Luo Yi is too lazy to play. It's too embarrassing!
"It's better to keep it simple. If you want to set up a set of mahjong, those foreigners must know how to play it. Li De, bring two bowls." Rock ignored Luo Yi. If Rock himself was not embarrassed, Rock could do it himself. As long as the technique was concealed and the hand speed was fast enough, it would be too easy to fool the foreigners.
The rules are indeed simple. There are two bowls and a gold coin. After the dealer depresses the bowls, other people place bets and guess which bowl the gold coin is in. If you guess wrong, the money belongs to the dealer. If you guess right, the dealer pays you one-for-one. The trick is not to depress the bowls so quickly. You need to let the onlookers clearly see which bowl the gold coin is in, so that it feels like they have picked up the money for free. If you arrange a few people to help others win and lose, soon some fools who think they are smart will come up and try to guess.
It sounds simple, right? And it is indeed very simple. However, it is such a simple scam that has remained resilient until the 21st century, and countless people have fallen for it.
Luo Yi is indeed quite capable. There were two bowls with a simple gold coin. Luo Yi placed the gold coin under one of the bowls in front of Rock, but when the bowl was opened, there was nothing inside. According to Luo Yi, he stopped playing this kind of game after he was five years old because it was too easy. There was no technical content in either the technique or the rules. Even gangsters would not use this method to cheat others because it was too embarrassing.
"Okay, let's divide the work now. Luo Yi, you will be the banker, Li De and the others will be the agents, and we'll go to the dock to try it tonight." A simple scam also requires careful planning. Rock also has to find a few people to watch over the place to prevent anyone from causing trouble after losing too much.
"You are setting up a trap for the foreigners, Rock, you are courting death." After hearing Rock's plan, Anton's first reaction was that Rock was courting death.
"It doesn't matter. The targets of this trap are ocean-going sailors. They can't stay in Cape Town for too long. Even if someone has power, he won't become a sailor. If we don't make money from them, they will send it to casinos and brothels. It's better to give it to us." Rock had no psychological burden at all. He wasn't trying to trick the British. As long as he struck a balance, there wouldn't be any trouble.
The entire city of Cape Town is built around those ocean-going cargo ships. Port officials make the biggest profits by supplying passing ships. Ordinary people do not have much capital, so they can only make money around sailors. Therefore, there are not too many casinos, bars, and half-open doors in the port area. Sailors are not good people. A trip to sea takes several months, sometimes even half a year. Resting in Cape Town is a rare relaxation. It is normal to go ashore, have a couple of drinks, play a few games, and find a woman when they are free. Some people even resign directly after winning money. Rock is just setting up a game to earn some pocket money, not to steal the business of those casinos. Real casinos don't even think highly of the sailors' little money.
"If it were in the past, it would be fine, but Sharma has spread the word that he will keep an eye on you. You have to be careful and keep a low profile." Anton was worried. Now that Rock had offended the Indians, his every move was being watched. Even the slightest mistake could lead to a disastrous outcome.
"I am trying to find money just to deal with those Indians. We have no money and power in Cape Town. We still have to rely on the British to deal with the Indians. With money, at least we can speak in front of the British." Rock's method is simple and crude. Since Indians can serve as sheriffs, then Chinese can do it too. Even if he has to use money, Rock must find a sheriff so that he can compete with Sharma.
"Looking for money - okay." Anton also knew the benefits of having money. With money, even if he didn't work for the British, he would not starve to death in other places.
As long as Anton agrees, Rock's plan is to let Luo Yi and Li De set up the plan. Anton will bring a few policemen in uniform to guard nearby. If no one causes trouble, everything will be fine. If someone causes trouble, Anton and his men will directly arrest people, which will be another source of income.
