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PROLOGUE
During our holiday poker game, my cousin Brody suddenly declared that playing like this was boring.
He wanted to play big.
He slammed his Ram TRX key onto the table.
Does anyone dare to match this? he asked.
I knew exactly what he was doing. He was showing off his truck.
Everyone was scared stiff.
"We're just playing for fun, Brody," they stammered. "We wouldn't dare match that."
Immediately, they switched to flattering him, praising him for driving such a beast at his age.
I hesitated.
I looked at my hand.
Trip Kings.
Brody soaked up the flattery. Just as he was happily reaching to shuffle the cards, I pulled out my own Kia key.
"I'll match it," I said quietly.

01
The room went instantly silent.
Everyone looked at me in disbelief. Brody's eyes went wide.
The tension in the air snapped tight. The moment our two keys hit the table, any family sentiment evaporated.
But I didn't regret it one bit.
He was the one who bet his car first.
If he could be ruthless to his own family, then I certainly didn't need to hold back.
Brody sneered.
"How much money do you even have in your pocket? You trying to scare me?"
He laughed coldly.
"This is a Ram TRX, kid. Go scrape together some real money before you come back. You think you can hustle me with a beat-up Kia?"
I looked at him with indifference.
I had always hated playing cards with him.
Every holiday, everyone just wanted to have a good time. But he relied on his money to bully us. He always bet big.
Anyone who plays poker knows the truth: the poor have no dignity in front of the rich.
When we bet five dollars, he'd throw in five hundred.
Everyone told him not to play so hard against family.
He'd just look innocent. "Five hundred is big? Since when?"
He relied on the fact that we were broke to act recklessly.
I knew my Kia couldn't compare to his TRX. So I turned and called my fianc?e, Molly.
We were about to get married. She was wearing her engagement set the "Five Gold Items."
"Put your ring and the Rolex on the table," I told her.
Molly looked at me.
She didn't ask what cards I had.
She just took off the gold and the watch and slammed them onto the table.
At that moment, a phrase popped into my head.
*With a partner like this, I have no regrets in life.*
I looked at Brody seriously.
"That's enough value now. Are we going to open the cards?"
Brody's face changed instantly.
He gritted his teeth. He never expected me to actually defy him.
"Cousin," he mocked. "Don't blame me for not warning you. If I lose a truck, it's nothing. But if you lose everything, how is your family going to eat?"

02
I shook my head.
"Don't worry about us. We have our own ways to survive. Besides, didn't you just tell my dad at dinner that I didn't have any guts?"
Brody's face turned iron-gray.
I had never offended him before. But earlier at dinner, just because I didn't make as much money as him, he had humiliated me.
He had mocked me with that arrogant look, saying I was too cowardly to do big business. Not like him. The "Boss."
Halfway through his speech, my dad had stepped up to light his cigar.
Dad was just trying to be nice.
But Brody didn't even block the wind.
Outsiders might not understand what that means. But in our family, if an elder lights your smoke and you don't cup your hands, it means you don't respect them.
It means you're looking down on them.
It was a public humiliation of my father in front of the whole house.
Everyone watched Brody nervously, asking if he was going to open the cards.
He took a deep breath.
"If you want to play," he said suddenly, "let's play bigger. That's the only way I get a thrill."
He slammed his cards face down on the table and covered them with a plate.
Then he walked out.
Through the window, we saw him go to his TRX and pull out a metal briefcase.
He marched back in and slammed the case on the table.
He opened it.
Inside were stacks of cash.
"There's fifty thousand dollars in there," Brody said arrogantly. "Do you dare to follow?"
The commotion caught the attention of the elders.
Uncle Don saw what Brody was doing and panicked.
"Are you crazy?" he rushed over. "That's the advance payment for the factory project! You can't use that!"
Brody sat down, smiling.
"It's fine, Dad. I can afford to play. I just don't know if my little cousin can keep up."

03
I immediately understood Brody's plan.
Even in Three-Card Poker, there's usually a cap to prevent things from getting out of hand.
But at the start, to show off his wealth, Brody had specifically emphasized "No Cap."
He was going to keep raising the bet. He wanted to raise it until I couldn't follow.
He wanted to bleed me dry.
Sure enough, he smirked.
"What's the matter? Out of money? If you can't put up the cash, everything you bet before is mine. No refunds."
Uncle Don realized Brody's plan too. He couldn't help but smile.
He went back to playing cards with the other elders, not even looking at us anymore.
I clenched my fists in silence.
I didn't have that kind of cash.
Suddenly, Molly spoke up.
"It's fine. We bet the wedding house."
Instantly, everyone in the room turned to stare at her in disbelief.
Uncle Don bit down on his cigar holder, forgetting to draw a card.
Brody stared at us blankly. He was trembling maybe from nerves, maybe anger.
This was too much. The elders stopped playing. They rushed over, muttering that the gambling had gone too far.
My dad panicked.
He ran over and grabbed my shoulder, shaking me hard.
"Is your brain broken?" he shouted. "Are you trying to make us homeless?"
He tried to peek at my cards while he scolded me.
But I slammed my hand down, covering them tight.
Anyone who plays cards knows: you can't let anyone see. One look, one expression, and you give away your hand.
I held Trip Kings.
Only Trip Aces could beat me.
Brody started this war. And the veterans knew: with Trip Kings, you either win big or die trying.
Molly looked Brody dead in the eye.
"The wedding house is worth two hundred grand. That's fifteen more than your cash. Do you call or fold?"
Uncle Don screamed.
"Are you all crazy?!"
04
Uncle Don threw himself onto the table, trying to push our chips back.
He roared at me.
"Stop provoking your cousin! He's a boss. He doesn't want to ruin you. Apologize to him right now! Don't you want him to help you out in the future?"
I grabbed Uncle Don and pinned him down.
"Put everything back on the table!" I roared.
Uncle Don didn't expect me to be so angry. He trembled in fear.
"When he bet five hundred, nobody said a word," I said through gritted teeth.
"When he was bragging at dinner, you let my father light his cigar like a servant. Now that he bet his car first, I'm playing to the end!"
Uncle Don stared blankly. "How dare you talk to an elder like that?"
I looked at Brody.
"Either you match the fifty grand, or you fold and lose everything. Or... we cancel the game right now, everyone takes their money back, and you get on your knees and apologize to my father!"
The room was dead silent.
Nobody dared to speak.
They had all seen it. Brody waiting with the cigar in his mouth. My dad striking the lighter.
Back then, nobody stood up for us.
I had even seen a smirk on Uncle Don's face.
Brody laughed in anger.
"You really think you can be this arrogant in front of the family?"
I shook my head.
"The moment you put your car keys on the table, we stopped being family."
Brody was silent for a few seconds.
Then he sneered.
"Fine. Fine. Don't blame me for hustling you. You wanted to follow, right?"
Suddenly, he flipped over two of his cards.
A pair of Queens.
The moment I saw his cards, a massive weight lifted off my chest.
But I kept my face serious.
Brody shook his head arrogantly.
"Take a guess. Is my third card a Queen? Do I have Trips?"
Showing half your hand. It's a classic intimidation tactic. He was trying to bluff me. He wanted to see if I would flinch.
He couldn't scare me.
Even if he had Trip Queens, my Kings were higher.
I had been worried he had Trip Aces. But now? My worry was gone.
Brody was trying to be cool. But he had just walked himself into a trap.
Of course, I stayed serious.
"I'm betting you're bluffing," I said. "Do you call or not?"
Brody stared into my eyes, trying to read me.
It was a game of guts and acting.
He was hesitating now.
Uncle Don whispered to him. "Don't bet anymore. Can't you see he's not scared?"
Brody's face twisted.
"If I don't bet, I lose everything on the table! He has to be bluffing!"
Usually, relatives love to give advice.
But right now, nobody dared to say a word.
Before the cards are flipped, nobody knows the truth.
Brody looked around nervously. He was the one who raised the stakes. If he folded now, he'd never be able to show his face in this family again.
Finally, he waved at his wife, Lana.
"Come here!"

05
Lana walked to the table reluctantly.
Brody told her to put all her jewelry on the table. Her set was heavier and more expensive than Molly's.
Unlike Molly, Lana didn't want to take it off.
Brody panicked.
He quickly showed her his hidden card.
Lana looked at it. Her face instantly lit up with joy.
She immediately stripped off all her gold and slammed it onto the table.
She smiled at me mockingly.
"Alright. We'll bet you to the end. No regrets, okay? Everyone here is a witness. If anyone tries to back out, may they rot in hell!"
"Are you ready to open?" I asked.
Lana screamed excitedly.
"No! We're still betting!"
She was greedy.
But both sides were out of chips.
Suddenly, Lana pulled the diamond ring off her finger and threw it on the pile.
"This is a DR ring. Five grand."
I shook my head.
"I don't want it. It's worth a hundred bucks to me."
Lana exploded.
"Are you stupid? Do you know brands? This is a DR ring! A man can only buy one in his lifetime!"
"Lana," I said coldly. "I don't care about the brand. I don't recognize it. To me, it's worth a hundred bucks."
Lana was about to curse me out, but Brody cut her off.
"Then I bet my house!"
The room gasped.
"Don't do it!" Uncle Don screamed. "That house is worth two hundred and fifty grand!"
Brody sneered.
"Dad, I'm not crazy. If I bet big, he has to match it. That's the rule. Each bet has to be higher than the last."
He looked at me.
"Cousin. Do you have the money to keep following?"
I went silent.
I really didn't have any money left.
Brody saw my hesitation instantly. He laughed loud and hard, reaching over to pat my shoulder.
"Sometimes, you just can't afford to play. I'll be honest. I'm bullying you because you're poor. But what can you do?"
"You can bet your life," he whispered. "But that's not worth enough either, is it?"