

We had figured out that the stakes in this game were going to be high when we suffered our first casualty of the night. Boone's recklessness had paid off for him in the past, but at this poker table the dangerous throwing around of the chips led to a quick, hilarious demise. Off to the losers lounge!

The next victim of the poker table was new to the game, but despite some early success Kate's criminal past caught up to her. The poker table is a place for redemption but just couldn't forgive a rare female participant for murder. If only there were a way to get another chance... Off to the losers lounge!

The next sacrifice that the poker table demanded was John Locke, one of its most loyal believers. Despite insisting that we couldn't tell him what he couldn't do that crippled old man was sent away faster than he could fall eight stories. He may have thought it was his destiny to win this night but bad cards trump faith in the poker table every day. Off to the losers lounge!

The poker table offered Ana-Lucia a chance to prove that female cops are more than just a sassy attitude with a gun, but her run came up short after a quick, sudden shot to the chest. She made a great run, but at the end of the day the poker table is a power struggle amongst men, and the final six candidates to control the table all carried a third leg into battle. Off to the losers lounge!

The next candidate to be banished from the poker table was Michael, who spent too much time trying to find his kidnapped son instead of concentrating on winning. He tried to make up for some early struggles but finally the poker table had had enough and blew him up into a million pieces. Off to the losers lounge!

Next to be eliminated was Desmond, who had spent years at the poker table, always doing his task every time in the hope that it would get him towards his ultimate goal: control of the poker table. But destiny is a fickle bitch, so see you in another life brother, indeed. Off to the losers lounge!

Things got off to a promising start for Charlie, who quickly found a Virgin Mary statue full of quad-2s to give him some early momentum. Unfortunately he would have to break his addiction to big hands and would finally have to sacrifice himself to 4th place. Off to the losers lounge!

Things seemed destined for the Monster to use the forces of evil to win control of the poker table, but alas the forces of good prevailed. The Monster used his deceptive ways to shapeshift into a dancer, poker player, and cookie chef but his antics would only get him a third place finish. Off to the losers lounge with the other seven!

So control of the poker table came down to the final two candidates. Ben came into the final battle with a chip lead and a bounty point from strangling John Locke in a cheap hotel room. Using his conniving bluffs and raises had taken him far, but the hour became late and defeat seemed certain...
MEANWHILE, back in the losers lounge the 8 candidates that had been eliminated were growing more frustrated with the hand that destiny had dealt them. Suddenly a white flash of light took over the room and the losers had discovered that they were in a dark, empty house. Confused, they tried to figure out what had happened. Bags were packed throughout the house and after checking their phones to see what the date was they realized that they had GONE BACK IN TIME exactly one week to the time when everyone in the group was away from the poker table. An idea came across the group: they could change the past so that the results of the game that was taking place would be forgotten and a new game could start anew next week, giving them all a second chance at control of the poker table. The Monster went back to its bedroom/bomb-making facility and emerged with a hydrogen bomb. "This snatch should do the trick," he told the group. He shifted his shape into an attractive blonde woman, knowing that that was the best way to go unnoticed among this group, and went in to destroy the poker room...
BACK AT THE POKER TABLE IN THE PRESENT DAY...

Finally after a long fight against nine other candidates, Jack finally fulfilled his destiny as ruler of the poker table. He struggled finding faith in the table early on, but after realizing that it was meant to be he accepted his role and realized that this was his life's purpose: to win this poker game.
FLASHBACK TO THE MONSTER IN THE PAST...
After sneaking into the poker room to destroy it, the Monster, still disguised as some blonde hussy, was getting ready to detonate the hydrogen bomb to reset the game. She tripped and fell, gravely wounding herself and failing to set off the bomb. Just when it seemed that Jack was going to win, she mustered her final ounce of strength:
The story resumes with the same group sitting around the same table next week, having the game of ultimate destiny reset by the power of the human spirit.
10. Dustin (Boone) - 2 points
9. Yippie (Kate) - 4 points
8. Jeff (John Locke) - 6 points
7. Lisa (Ana-Lucia) - 8 points
6. Bobby (Michael) - 10 points
5. Chris (Desmond) - 12 points
4. Justin (Charlie) - 16 points (bonus for quad-2s)
3. Ismael (Monster) - 16 points
2. Devin (Ben) - 22 points (bonus for Jeff's bounty point)
1. Adam (Jack) - 24 points
"Last week most of us were strangers, but we're all here now. And god knows how long we're going to be here. But if we can't live together, we're going to die alone."