V: Sign of the devil...or is it?

Gentlemen, this much we can agree on: Despite the mark of the Beast everywhere, Jesus loves me the best.

While tweaking my smallball strategy in the micro-games, the devil pays a most unwelcome visit as I manage to run headlong into 666 not once but twice. Twice! Granted, I could have believed either or both of them when they refused to bend to my hammering the pots on the strength of top pair, but still, truly, we are a cursed people.

The first appearance of the Devil leaves me with about 2200 chips, or 1/2 my stack, and blinds at 25/50. Not great, clearly, but ok. His second appearance, though, is beyond crippling: Blinds are 100/200, and that's me in the big blind all-in with my remaining 125 chips. On the bubble no less, which makes it even more humiliating.

So...all-in with my 125 chips ... sadly they are riding on 54os ... which, when my 5 pairs, is good enough to beat the AJ and A4 callers. I am tripled up to 375.

Oh, but I think we all know where this is going.

Next hand: KQos. All in, of course. Mr. Second 666, the guy with all my chips, calls with pure rags - - either as an act of arrogance or charity, hard to say - and I doubled up again when my K pairs.

Two hands later: 44. All in, of course. Now determined to take me out, Mr. Second 666 calls me with Q6s. This time his 6 cannot summon any brethren at all, my pair holds up, and I am back in the blinds-stealing business with about 2000 chips.

A few more legitimate hands in which I am not only the favorite but my cards stand up, and I'm in the money.

Three handed - me against both Devils. While I should feel beleagured, I am actually quite smug. I am the goddamn chip leader and am having great fun cherry picking the blinds. I have more than a bit of trouble when my 22 runs into First Devil's 77, but I stay the aggressor despite losing chip lead: it's steal, steal, steal until I have the enormous satisfaction of taking out Mr. Second 666 when he himself tries a steal with an unfortunate 96os, and me sitting on JJ. Get thee behind me, Satan, and onto the rail, muthafucka.

HU bodes ill, as First Devil, as the 2:1 chip leader, is putting the pressure on me with heavy raises each time I call from the SB. I figure I have long exhausted any borrowed time anyway, so make good on my promise to him to start gambling. All in with A7, he calls with AQ ... Jesus, of course, sends a 7 my way, and the worm, as they say, has turned. On the next hand, my pimpslap of a reraise his attempted blind steal takes the wind and about 1600 more chips out of him out him, and two hands later I put paid to First Devil when I call his T6 all-in with J9 and the board misses us both.

From 125 to first place. Take a moment to savor it. The 13 bucks didn't do wonders for my bankroll, but we play this game for other reasons as well.

A chip, chair, and a tiny bit of intervention by Haysoo Christos himself: all a boy needs.