Chapter 182: Blackjack
Arthur kept his posture relaxed as he sat down and took in the other players.
The table included a man with a golden tooth and a cigar, an older woman puffing smoke through an unfriendly countenance, a lavishly dressed gentleman, a businessman wearing shades, and finally, there was a skinny man who appeared out of place, yet his posture was poised, showing his poker face.
"Starting bid is fifty thousand ryō," the dealer announced, seeing Arthur sit down.
Arthur, unfazed, slid the exact number of chips forward. He could feel all eyes fall upon him, intrigued by his boldness, especially given his apparent disparity in the chips on the table.
Was one hundred thousand ryō in chips really that much less? To those at the table, it was.
"New here?" the man with the cigar casually asked, puffing a cloud of smoke into the air as he looked at Arthur with interest.
"As if..." Arthur nonchalantly replied, sensing the scrutiny.
"Really?" the elder woman responded with suspicion. "Looks like we got another vet. Know how to play?"
There was no need to excite the crowd or draw attention to his character. So, with a harmless grin, he skimmed through the rulebook and said, "Not a lot, but I feel confident."
The rules were straightforward: get as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it to win.
Face cards equaled 10 points, aces could be valued as either 1 or 11, and a bust occurred when one's point total surpassed 21. The dealer had to hit at 16 points or lower but stood at 17 or higher. If both the player and dealer busted, the player lost.