After Vinny ended the call with Hao, he headed to the nearby market where Daniel worked to ask him if he wanted to join their team. Vinny arrived at the market, and Daniel was waiting for him outside.
Vinny: "Yo, slacking off at work?"
Daniel: "Idiot, I'm on break. I need to have a smoke sometimes. Want one?"
Vinny: "Sure, hand one over and give me the lighter too."
Daniel: "Here you go. So, what did you call me for? You said it was urgent."
Vinny: "Thanks. Listen, I came to ask if you'd like to join us in the Summer Basketball League. We currently have three players on the team, and we need five to register. You and I played together in high school, so it made sense to ask you."
Daniel: "Alright, I can do it. Who else is on the team, and what's the prize and start date?"
Vinny: "Right now, the team is me, Hao, and little Ace. The prize is that the best player in the tournament gets to enter the NBA draft, plus there's a cash prize for the winning team. Hao didn't mention the start date, but he said registration ends by the end of the week, so probably within a month."
Daniel: "Sounds interesting. I'll play since I don't have anything better to do this summer. But you said we need five players-do you have anyone else in mind for the last spot?"
Vinny: "We were planning to ask Kobbie, but we're not sure if he'll agree. If he does, we can hope for a better outcome."
Daniel: "It would be great if he agrees. Alright then, Vinny. My break will be over soon. Let me know if anything changes."
Vinny: "I will. Just so you know, you need to contribute around 50 euros for us to register for the league."
At that moment, Vinny received a message from Hao saying they would all meet tonight in the park near Vinny's place.
Vinny: "Hao just messaged me. We're meeting tonight in the park in my neighborhood. Bring the money then, and see you."
Daniel: "See you."
9 p.m. Park
Everyone began gathering in the park, although no one except Ace knew how they would make enough money for the tournament. Once everyone was present, Hao started the conversation.
Hao: "Alright, Ace, how are we going to come up with enough money for the tournament entry? You said you had an idea. We currently have 180 euros, so we're short 320."
Ace: "That's easy. We just need to hit black twice on the roulette. That's a 24% chance, which is simple. One of you needs to give me a Maximilan Bet account so I can place the bets."
Hao: "I don't have an account."
Daniel: "Are you crazy? Letting this idiot gamble our money? I have an account, but I don't want to lose our money in such a stupid way."
While Daniel said this, Vinny and Ace had already deposited the money into Maximilan Bet.
Ace: "Alright, we're going to bet twice on black because red is unlucky."
Ace went all in on black for the first spin. Daniel and Hao waited anxiously; for them, these were the longest few seconds ever.
The roulette started to slow down and stopped on number 29.
Ace: "It landed on 29."
At that moment, only Vinny knew that 29 was black, while Hao and Daniel were still confused.
Hao and Daniel: "What does that mean?"
Ace: "We've doubled the money, which means we go all in again. Now we have a 47% chance of landing on black, which is basically 100%."
Current balance: 360 euros
Without hesitation, Ace went all in on black again. Daniel and Hao didn't have time to stop him. Both were extremely nervous once more.
The roulette started to slow down again and stopped on 13. Ace and Vinny immediately brightened up. Hao and Daniel didn't know that 13 was black, but from their reactions, they understood it had landed on black.
Ace: "See, I told you it was basically 100% we'd win. I'll transfer the money to my account since I won it. I have to head home soon, so see you later."
Hao: "Okay, just don't spend it on anything stupid. See you."
Ace headed home to catch the last bus.
While Ace was riding the bus home, he pondered what to do with the remaining money. They had won 620 euros, but the entry fee for the tournament was only 500. This was the real reason Ace wanted to take the money with him-to spend the rest on something.
Ace thought, "Since I'll be playing in the basketball tournament, I might as well buy some basketball shoes. I don't want to break my ankle, and I can't show up without proper gear."
He then opened the Brave browser, searched for "Basketball accessories," and decided to buy an arm sleeve, Jordan 1s (since those were the only basketball shoes he knew), and a Miami Heat jersey. By the time Ace had found and purchased everything, he had spent a little more than 120 euros. He wasn't stressed, though, as he planned to sell his old computer components to make up for the missing money.
Current Balance: 380 euros
In the park, Vinny, Hao, and Daniel are gathered.
Daniel: "Alright, so who's playing which position?"
Vinny: "I'll be point guard, you'll be shooting guard. Hao will be center unless we find someone else, in which case he'll be power forward. Ace will be the sixth man or PF/SF if we don't fill those positions."
Daniel: "You really think that kid can handle those positions?"
Vinny: "Honestly, he doesn't know much about basketball, but we have to work with what we've got. He can set screens, but we have to consider he'll be a huge liability on defense."
Daniel: "Alright, but tomorrow after work, we need to ask Kobbie to play for us. I have to go now; I'm working early tomorrow. See you."
Current Team Roster
- PG: Vinny (6.3 ft, 18 years old, finished high school this year)
- SG: Daniel (6.4 ft, 18 years old, finished high school this year)
- PF/C: Hao (6.8 ft, 21 years old, third year of college)
- 6th man/SF/PF: Ace (5.7 ft, 15 years old, first year of high school)
After their conversation, everyone heads home.
Next Morning
Ace is woken up by a call from Hao early in the morning.