This wasn't a perfect theory.
Or rather, in a place like the gambling arena, no such thing as a flawless, guaranteed-win theory existed.
What did exist… was logical deduction based on reason.
Both Kaiji and Kitami were using the card-buyout strategy. Kaiji was certain: if he were Furuhata, this is how he would arrange his deck — and Kitami? He was the same type of player as himself.
And based on just that flash of insight…
Kaiji bet everything his three-man team had.
And won.
What's more, he instantly spotted an even juicier opportunity.
While Kitami and his group planned to wait out the timer by trading ties with each other, their paper cards had become useless.
This was the moment — Kaiji approached them and bought out their remaining paper cards too.
Now combine that with the card distribution shown on the hall's LCD screen…
In this game, all cards must be used before the time runs out. Only then — along with having at least three stars — would a gambler be allowed to leave the ship.
Even if you held a hundred stars, if you still had cards left when the timer hit zero, you'd be thrown into solitary confinement and forced into the underground mines to repay your boarding debt.
Kaiji, holding a majority of both rock and paper, knew — as time ticked down, and more matches were played — the total number of cards would shrink.
Eventually, a point might come where all rock cards outside of Kaiji's stash were gone, and he held the only remaining ones — thirty in total.
At that point, all he'd need to do is play scissors — and he'd never lose.
Same principle: if all paper cards left in the game were in Kaiji's hands, he could just throw a rock and win — worst-case, a tie.
Current count:
Rock / Scissors / Paper: 53 / 26 / 56 remaining
Kaiji's hand (after buying from Kitami): 35 / 5 / 34 = 74 cards
At a glance, it's clear — with this many cards under his control, rock-paper-scissors was no longer a game of chance.
It had become a game of probability.
Only Kaiji knew the true card distribution on the field.
Li Ziping, watching the show, was completely floored.
You can play it like THIS?!
In under four hours of in-universe time, Kaiji had shifted through four entirely different strategies to win stars.
Which again made people ask:
How did this guy screw up so badly before getting on this ship?!
In the fan group chat, people were buzzing during the slower-paced interludes.
"Damn, there's this much depth to rock-paper-scissors?!"
"Draw strategy, balance theory, buyout strategy, double buyout… First, Kaiji used balance logic to win two stars. Then, thanks to his two dumbass teammates, he lost those stars. Then he used the buyout strategy to win three stars off Kitami. Now it's full-blown double buyout — he controls both rock and paper!"
"The gambling world is this wild?!"
"No, not at all — most gamblers are just lucky idiots."
"Idiots? More like victims. Most of them get scammed — setups and traps, like the one Kitami pulled, or like that balance-type Funai who conned Kaiji in episode one. There's no shortage of scumbags. But this drama? It's cathartic — because Kaiji always gets his revenge. Next episode guaranteed."
"Main and supporting characters all have IQs online. Forget finding plot holes — half the time I can't even understand the plot without rewinding."
"No joke, I still don't fully get how Kaiji figured out that Kitami's odd card would be paper."
"You still don't get it? Kitami's crew bought out paper to cut with scissors. Look at the card panel — scissors are way lower than rock and paper. That's because both teams were hoarding scissors and paper, so the rest of the matches involved scissors getting consumed. As scissors became rarer, Kaiji's side panicked. They bought rocks to counter scissors. But with scissors gone? Their strategy became meaningless. Ando and Furuhata panicked and lost two stars. So Kitami's team hoarded rock and scissors in even numbers — so they could safely draw matches. Meaning their odd card — the one they needed to use in matches — had to be paper. Not guaranteed, but the logic is solid."
"Still don't get it."
"Then I got nothing for you. IQ deficiencies can't be fixed with plot explanations."
Li Ziping kept reading the group analysis while watching.
Just as he thought Kaiji would coast to victory with the double buyout strategy, another twist hit.
By this point, everyone had gone through betrayal, setbacks, and was down to one or two cards. They were terrified that whoever challenged them might already know their exact hand — and no one wanted to risk being exploited.
But the same logic applied in reverse — if you wanted to challenge someone, they'd assume you were trying to exploit them.
Outside the field, there were only three paper cards left, not in Kaiji's hands.
Kaiji's team had six stars. Even in the worst-case scenario — where each of the three faced the three remaining paper holders — at least one of them would survive with a star. They wouldn't be sent underground.
And even if they lost stars, they could win them back.
Kaiji just needed people willing to match with him.
But no one wanted to play.
Time ticked away. The countdown approached zero.
Then… Funai — the man who had scammed Kaiji out of two stars in episode one — made his return.
He proposed that the remaining dozen gamblers pool their cards together, shuffle, and redistribute them — so no one could know anyone's deck anymore, and all matches would be fair again.
To avoid being tricked, Funai suggested they only match among themselves — those who participated in the shuffle.
That… struck directly at Kaiji's Achilles' heel.
If he joined the shuffle, his massive stash of 60+ cards would be exposed. Others would hate him for hoarding and refuse to play.
If he didn't join, he'd be excluded — and still left without opponents.
The air grew heavy.
Kaiji… once again plunged into despair.
'Kaiji' Episode 3 —
Ended right there.
Li Ziping was stunned.
You've got to be kidding me. They ended it HERE?!
"WHAT THE HELL?! The plot's peaking, and you cut it off now?!"
"My god — rock-paper-scissors can last into a fourth episode?!"
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they stretched this into five. But let's be real — this show's incredible!"
"This third episode completely redefined what I thought was possible with rock-paper-scissors. Gave me chills — I've never seen a show like this!"
"No wonder Jing Yu didn't play Kaiji himself. With his looks? No one would believe that he ended up in gambling hell."
"Seriously. A good-looking guy, gambling for a living? No way."
"Damn it, I'm dying for episode four now. Why can't Jing Yu just post the whole thing?!"
"Screw it — just cancel 'Clannad' and go all-in on 'Kaiji'. Two episodes a week, please!"
"Agreed. 'Clannad' isn't bad, but it just doesn't compare. I bet if this were airing on Yunteng TV, it'd be smashing 8% ratings right now."
"After tonight, all those trolls saying Jing Yu is washed up? They're gonna shut up."
"Even understanding the plot gives me a headache. How does Jing Yu write stuff like this?!"
"Don't forget — he's a screenwriter with pro-level chess skills. High IQ is just the base requirement. For someone like him, writing a masterpiece mind-game drama is just natural."
"All I'm saying is — after this show airs, no one in the industry is ever going to dare challenge Jing Yu in a gambling-themed script."
"Too bad 'Clannad' isn't nearly as good. What a waste of his talent… If all his focus went to 'Kaiji', this summer would've been pure gold."
After 'Kaiji' episode 3 aired, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
The score on Yindou Network jumped overnight from 9.2 to 9.4.
Turns out, Great Zhou's viewers love deduction-heavy, mind-game dramas — though they're notoriously difficult to write well.
Plot holes are a constant threat. But 'Kaiji'?
So far — flawless execution.
Fans who finished the episode on Qingyun Video weren't satisfied with just the group chat anymore.
They stormed major TV station sites and drama forums to rave about the show.
The media jumped on the bandwagon too:
"Best Drama of the Summer Season!"
"The Real Life of Gamblers!"
"The Hidden Depth Behind a Simple Game of Rock-Paper-Scissors!"
By the third week of April…
After just three episodes, 'Kaiji' had already become the most discussed and hottest drama of the entire summer season.