Blaze Has A Straight

Lois: Q♥ J♥ 9♣ 4♠ 4♣

Blaze: 5♦ 9♦ 8♦ 7♣ 6♣

The reporter felt herself deflate a little, though she dared not show it.

"Luck," Blaze said, as though reading her mind. For a moment, bright suspicion flared through Lois Lane as the scarlet succubus gathered the chips toward her. But no...Lois knew, all she had to do was win one hand, and she might well get all the souls at once. All she had to do was play smart...and when she did have a good hand, bet big.

"Luck changes," Lois replied. "Mind if I deal this hand?"

The devil quietly passed her the deck. The reporter shuffled, studying the backs. She had seen marked decks before—and there were none of the tell-tales here; the backs of the cards seemed identical. Not that Blaze would need to resort to such crude tricks if she was cheating...but somehow, a part of Lois refused to believe that was the case.

She bridged the cards and straightened the deck. Blaze held up a familiar-looking soul chip, and dropped it in the pot as the ante. The reporter looked down at her side...another chip was there. The thing that the demon wanted from her.

Unsurprisingly, it was another womb symbol. The word on this one was Fertile+++.

"Let me guess," Lois said. "Even odds?"

"You're currently sitting at about 1 in 3." Blaze said. "That would make it...more like 2 in 3."

"Right," Lois said, as she dropped the chip in the pot. She dealt the cards.

Lois: 10♠ 8♦ 8♥ 7♠ 3♥

A pair, at least. Blaze glanced at her cards only briefly.

"Check."

"Bet." Lois said. A chip underneath her hand. The reporter didn't even glance at it before tossing it in the pot. Another womb symbol. Gold letters read: Conception guaranteed.

A queasy sensation in the reporter's guts. If one chip gave her chances of conception-per-encounter up to 2 in 3, than two chips moved it up to 3 in 3—100%. Or near enough for government work. Still...the chips responded to her desires. There was still a game to play.

Blaze dropped another soul chip in the pot. She held three cards, and Lois dealt her two. The reporter held her pair and drew three.

If Blaze checked and held three cards, she hasn't got anything, the reporter told herself. Probably hoping for a pair or a straight. With a bit of luck...

Lois: 9♦ 8♦ 8♥ 3♠ 10♣

No luck. Or at least, no change. Lois still had her pair of eights, but there was the possibility that Blaze had picked up a pair. The smart move would be to check...if Blaze had nothing, she'd check too, and Lois would probably win the pot. If Lois bet, and the demon called, she could be digging herself in deeper with a hand she couldn't win. On the other hand, if she bet and Blaze still had nothing, maybe Lois could buy her way out of this...