Home / System / The Gambling System / Chapter 49: The Second Quarter
Chapter 49: The Second Quarter
Author: Sam Shelby
last update2025-03-26 18:51:34

The buzzer-beater still lingered in Peter’s mind.

Brendan Irving’s deep three had tied the game at 27-27, but it had done more than just even the score—it had shifted the momentum. The Hurricanes fed off the moment, walking to their bench with their heads high, their energy contagious.

Momentum was a dangerous thing.

And Peter knew it better than anyone.

Sitting in the Viewing Center, he let out a slow, controlled breath, his fingers drumming anxiously against the smooth leather of his chair. His bets were still alive, but this second quarter would be crucial. Across from him, Logan Fisher remained maddeningly composed, his posture relaxed, a faint smirk on his lips as he casually flicked a casino chip between his fingers.

He wasn’t watching the game.

He was watching Peter.

Peter clenched his jaw and looked away. Logan could play mind games all he wanted—Peter had bigger things to worry about.

On the massive 3D screen, the teams stepped back onto the court. The Hurricanes looked confi
Continue to read this book for free
Scan the code to download the app

Related Chapters

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 50: The Battle for Control

    The halftime buzzer had barely faded, yet the energy inside the arena had shifted. The first half had been an all-out war—a relentless, bruising battle between the Minnesota Frostfangs and the New Orleans Hurricanes.Now, the real game began.Peter exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders to shake off the tension. His gaze flickered to his betting slip. Everything was still on track—but that didn’t mean he was safe.The Frostfangs led 58-53, and his wagers were alive:✔ Anton Eldridge outscoring Brendan Irving? Still good.✔ Karl-Tanner Towers hitting over 20.5 points? On pace.✔ Minnesota securing the win? Within reach.But betting wasn’t about celebrating early.A lead wasn’t a victory.Momentum was everything.Across from him, Logan Fisher finally leaned forward. The first time all night.Peter’s stomach twisted. Logan wasn’t relaxed anymore. And that meant something.He wasn’t the only one who saw it.Coach Derrick Long had his Hurricanes huddled tight, his voice low but intense. The

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 51 – The Final Quarter: The Gamble of a Lifetime

    The moment the third-quarter buzzer sounded, Peter exhaled sharply, his pulse hammering in his ears. He leaned back in his seat, his fingers drumming against the leather armrest, but his body refused to relax.86-82.The Hurricanes had the lead.The Frostfangs were reeling.Towers was in foul trouble. Eldridge was carrying the offense alone. The Hurricanes had seized the momentum, and if they weren’t stopped soon, Peter’s entire bet would go up in flames.Across from him, Logan Fisher remained a picture of calm, but Peter saw it—that faint gleam in his eyes, the almost imperceptible twitch of his lips.Logan knew.He could smell blood.Peter clenched his jaw. Not yet.The fourth quarter was here.And everything was about to change.Peter pulled up his bet slip, scanning it with razor-sharp focus. The fourth quarter hadn’t started yet, but he needed to know exactly where he stood.✔ Frostfangs to Win → Still possible, but they needed a comeback. Fast.✔ Over 220.5 total points → The ga

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 52: Overtime

    101-101.The arena was shaking. Chaos. Pandemonium. Madness.Karl-Tanner Towers had just saved the Frostfangs.Peter was still gripping the edge of his seat, breath coming in short, ragged bursts. His heart slammed against his ribs, his body stuck in that limbo between exhilaration and sheer terror. The noise around him felt distant, muffled, like he was underwater. The scoreboard flickered. Five more minutes.Overtime.He fumbled for his phone, barely aware of his fingers moving as he refreshed the betting app.Bet Status:✅ Overtime bet hit – 12x payout.✅ Total points over 220.5 – With overtime, it was practically guaranteed.✅ First to 50 points – Frostfangs – Already won.✅ Towers Over 20.5 points – Sitting at 22 now. Safe.✅ Eldridge More Points Than Irving – Eldridge: 29, Irving: 28. Razor-thin.✅ Frostfangs win by 1-5 points – Still possible.❓ Frostfangs to Win – The biggest gamble left.Peter exhaled sharply. He was so close.He had already locked in a massive win. The overt

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 53: The Crushing Weight of Defeat

    The blood drained from Peter’s face.The noise of the crowd became a distant hum, like a muted storm raging behind thick glass.His breath caught in his throat.80 million.Logan had won 80 million.Peter’s body went ice cold.The high? Gone.The rush? Vanished.For a fleeting moment, he had felt invincible—he had beaten the system, outmaneuvered the odds, and turned one million into 47.5 million euros.And yet, across the table, Logan Fisher had done something even greater.His live bet parlay had taken real-time control of the game. He hadn’t just predicted events—he had reacted, adjusting his bets mid-game, sculpting his parlay like a master strategist moving pieces on a chessboard.And in the end, he had doubled Peter’s winnings.A victory so overwhelming it made Peter’s greatest triumph feel like dust.Across the table, Logan finally moved.He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the felt surface. And then, with the precision of a knife slipping into flesh—He grinned."Not bad,"

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 54 – The Second Round Begins

    They return back to viewing center.Peter mind completely consumed by Logan’s stats, yet he wasn’t fazed. He knew defeating him was possible, he knew he could do this.“Let the second round begin”The wheel spun.Peter’s fingers tightened around the armrests of his chair as he watched the golden selection wheel slow to a stop. The holographic display above flickered, processing the result before displaying it in bold, glowing letters:SOCCERA hush fell over the room.Peter exhaled sharply. Soccer. A game of fluid movement, tactics, and split-second decisions. Unlike basketball, where statistical analysis could create a solid betting framework, soccer was riddled with unpredictability. A single goal could shatter everything.Across from him, Logan let out a low chuckle. "Huh. Interesting."

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 55: First half

    The stadium was electric. Fifty-five thousand fans packed the stands, their voices merging into a deafening roar as the players lined up for kickoff. This wasn’t just any match—this was the UEFA Elite Cup semifinal, where history was written, legacies were forged, and careers could be broken.For Manchester Titans, it was a chance to reclaim past glory, their first shot at a major final in over a decade. For Madrid Imperials, it was about dominance—a step closer to cementing their reign over European football.But for Peter, the stakes were even higher.His 2-million-euro bet was riding on every second of this match. A Madrid Imperials win or draw kept him in the game. Over 2.5 goals meant he needed action, fast. Rafael Santi scoring? His pulse spiked just thinking about it.And then there was the wildcard—a red card. A high-risk, high-reward gamble. If the game boiled over and someone saw red, Peter was looking at a potential 95.6-million-euro payout.His fingers curled tightly

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 56: Half time

    The stadium hummed with an untamed energy, refusing to settle even as the players retreated into the tunnels. Fifty-five thousand voices buzzed, roared, and debated, creating a chaotic symphony of emotion.Manchester Titans’ fans were in full voice, their chants a rolling wave of confidence. Their team had clawed back from an early deficit, equalized with ice-cold precision, and now held the ultimate advantage—an extra man on the pitch. They could taste victory, and their energy infected the air, growing stronger with every passing second.On the opposite side, Madrid Imperials’ supporters were unnerved, restless. Their once-mighty chants had lost their rhythm, replaced by anxious murmurs. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Madrid, one of Europe’s most dominant forces, was staring at a brutal second half, outnumbered and under siege.The stadium’s giant screens replayed the first-half’s defining moments—Santi’s opener, Carlisle’s penalty, and the game-changing red card. The Titans' su

  • The Gambling System   Chapter 57: Second Half

    The second half was underway, and the air inside the stadium crackled with expectation.Down on the pitch, the ten-man Madrid Imperials braced for the inevitable onslaught. The Manchester Titans, already a powerhouse, now had the numerical advantage and the deadliest weapon in their arsenal—their star striker, freshly introduced from the bench. He was a game-changer, the kind of player who needed only a sliver of space, a fraction of a second, to punish a defense. And Madrid, battered and shorthanded, had to somehow hold the line.In the Viewing Centre, Peter sat frozen, every muscle in his body coiled with tension. The luxury around him—crystal glasses, velvet seats—was a distant blur. His world had been reduced to a single screen, to the flashing numbers that dictated his fortune. Every pass, every counterattack, every desperate clearance was a shift in probability, an invisible tug on the strings of fate.✅ Madrid to Win or Draw → Still in play.✅ Over 2.5 Goals → Already secur

Latest Chapter

  • Chapter 97: A Battle Beyond Money

    The crowd exploded again.If Peter’s bet had been a bomb, Viktor’s was a nuclear strike.People screamed.Chairs clattered against the floor.Someone in the back actually fainted."TWO HUNDRED BILLION?!""IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?!""WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!""THIS IS MADNESS!"It wasn’t just a gamble anymore.It was warfare on a scale none of them had ever witnessed.---And in the center of it all —amid the chaos and disbelief —Peter and Viktor locked eyes.No words.No smiles.Just two forces of nature colliding —and only one of them would walk away.The second Viktor’s voice cut through the air —"Two hundred billion." —the reaction was cataclysmic.The arena didn't just erupt — it detonated.It was as if the very walls trembled from the shockwave of noise.A thousand voices screamed at once, the sound bouncing off the ceilings and hammering into the floor.Some people laughed hysterically, others yelled in disbelief, and still more sat frozen, mouths gaping like broken machines."TWO

  • Chapter 96: The Battle Escalates

    For a single breathless moment, the entire arena froze.Then, dramatically — like an emperor descending into the gladiator pit — Viktor stood from his luxurious VIP seat and began making his way toward the stage.His every step echoed in the vast silence.A slow, deliberate, predatory gait — like a wolf circling wounded prey.The crowd instinctively parted for him, the sea making way for the storm.The overhead lights caught his sharp suit — dark as night — and made it gleam like polished obsidian.Every movement he made was smooth, precise, dripping with arrogance.He didn’t strut.He didn’t posture.He simply existed with an undeniable dominance.As he ascended the steps onto the stage, his smirk widened — the kind of grin you’d see on a man who already knew the ending of the story... and knew it ended in your ruin.---Peter’s fists clenched by his side.His mind scrambled to process what the hell was happening."What the hell is going on?!" he blurted, voice cracking with confusio

  • Chapter 95: Choosing Fire Over Safety

    Risk made Naomi feel real. It reminded her she still existed — that she could still touch the world, and it could touch her back. But even with all the dares, the bets, the adrenaline highs, the near-death moments she laughed through… Something inside her stayed hollow. A part of her stayed cold. Like no matter how hard she ran, some piece of her was still trapped in that silent house, under a mother’s cold hand, waiting for a father who was never coming back. --- Until she met him. Until she met Peter. --- It was a cold, gray morning. The kind that makes the whole city feel dead. The sky was heavy with low, steel-colored clouds. The streets were slick with rain from the night before, the air sharp and damp. Naomi had her headphones in, lost in the beat of some reckless song — one that made her feel like she was the only real thing in the world. She didn’t see the bus. She didn’t hear the shouts. Didn’t realize the screaming wasn’t part of her music. Until — Hands.

  • Chapter 94: Naomi

    The earliest memory Naomi could ever call happy wasn’t a birthday party or a family trip. It was standing on the edge of a rooftop. She was five years old. The air was crisp and wild against her cheeks, whipping her hair into her eyes. Her tiny sneakers teetered dangerously close to the ledge. Below her, the city stretched out in a chaotic mess of lights, honking horns, and life. She didn’t feel afraid. She felt free. For the first time in her short, confusing life — she felt truly, completely alive. --- Naomi was born in a city where gambling wasn’t just a pastime — it was a heartbeat. Lottery houses on every corner. Illegal poker games tucked into alleyways. Sports betting rings hidden behind barbershops. Risk and reward were the background noise of her childhood. Her father, Daniel, was a professional poker player. The kind of man who lived with cards always hidden up his sleeve and a crooked smile on his face. He played by instinct. By gut. He’d

  • CHAPTER 93– THE SECOND ROUND: PETER'S GAMBIT

    Peter remained composed, outwardly calm, but inside his mind was a roaring storm of calculations and possibilities.He ran through the most plausible reasons Naomi might have for discarding two Tens—a strong starting hand in almost any version of poker.First possibility:She could simply be aiming for a deliberately weak hand. Something like:> 10-Heart, 10-Diamond, 7-Clover, 4-Diamond, 3-Spade.If she were betting on weaker hands winning, that would make sense. But not entirely.Showing your weakness openly is suicidal, Peter thought. Especially when victory depends on betting more aggressively than your opponent.Second possibility:A more dangerous one.> A-Clover, 2-Diamond, 2-Heart, 10-Heart, 10-Diamond.Maybe she originally had two pairs—Tens and Twos—and was throwing away the Tens to trick him. Or worse:> 7-Heart, 7-Spade, 7-Diamond, 10-Heart, 10-Diamond.Maybe she had a full house and was bluffing to bait him into choosing "Stronger."In that case, if Peter misread the situa

  • CHAPTER 92 – THE SECOND ROUND BEGINS

    The dealer methodically shuffled the cards, the clean snap of the deck cutting through the thick, charged air of the auditorium. With careful precision, she dealt five cards to each player, her movements smooth, mechanical, and utterly without emotion.Another round.Another battle.Peter kept his gaze trained on Naomi, not missing even the slightest twitch of her face, the faintest flicker of her fingertips.“Playing with unfamiliar rules is quite the challenge,” Naomi said lightly, her tone almost playful.Peter narrowed his eyes.Don’t let her fool you, he thought grimly. She’s not nervous. She’s enjoying this.And now… now Peter understood her.Unlike standard poker, Choice Poker wasn't about bluffing your way to a fold.In this game, the real power came from winning the right to choose: stronger or weaker.Because of that, a rational player should only raise by the minimum—just enough to steal the choice without risking too many chips.Anything more was reckless. Stupid, even.Bi

  • CHAPTER 91 — The First Hand of Choice Poker

    The silence in the theatre-like hall was pierced by the sound of ceramic clinking against polished wood.The dealer—a poised woman with a professional grace and a face carved from calm—raised a single custom poker chip into the air. The chip gleamed under the lights, etched with the gold-trimmed insignia of Monte Carlo Gambling University. Its edges shimmered in hues of midnight blue and crimson velvet.“One chip will be worth ten million euros,” she declared, her voice smooth and clear, amplified just enough to be heard throughout the auditorium. “Now then…, how many would you like to start with?”Naomi didn’t hesitate. She smiled sweetly, folding her hands atop the table like a noble lady in court.“I currently have 310 million euros,” she said in a polite, almost too-innocent voice. “So, I’ll take 31 chips, please.”The dealer nodded, motioning to her assistants. A sleek black tray was brought forward, stacked neatly with thirty-one chips, each one glinting like treasure.Then the

  • Chapter 90 – The Odds

    “The odds are against Peter? How so?” Grant asked, narrowing his eyes at Logan, trying to hide the worry creeping up his spine.Logan leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms, his voice calm but serious. “In ordinary poker, the player with more money has the upper hand. That's just a fact. Whoever controls the chips controls the pace of the game. If you have the larger stack, you can keep raising—over and over—until your opponent either folds or bleeds out.”Grant frowned. “Right, but that’s just normal poker. Isn’t this game a little different? You don’t lose automatically just because you have less money, right? You still get to play. You just don’t get to choose between stronger or weaker. That’s it.”“That’s it?” Logan repeated, chuckling darkly. “That one thing—that’s the whole game, Grant.”Grant blinked.Logan leaned forward now, speaking low but sharp, like he was trying to cut through the tension with every word. “The right to choose between stronger or weaker? That’s every

  • Chapter 89: The Rules of the Game

    The stage lights dimmed as Peter and Naomi were ushered to their seats at the center of the circular platform. Two chairs faced each other beneath a low-hanging spotlight. Between them was a sleek, velvet-covered poker table. A hush fell over the crowd as the audience filled in around them, seated in rising tiers of deep crimson seats. It reminded Peter of a gladiator pit—only tonight, the weapons weren’t swords or spears. They were cards. And cash. Peter glanced out at the crowd. It was bigger than he expected—rows and rows of students, professors, spectators, and even masked officials from the gambling committee. Most of the faces were unfamiliar, but all wore the same expression: eager anticipation. Why the hell are they all here? Before Peter could gather his thoughts, a chime echoed across the hall. 9:00 p.m. Right on cue, the dealer walked onto the stage. She was a woman in her late thirties, with shoulder-length silver hair tied neatly in a braid that swung gently wi

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on MegaNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
Scan code to read on App