Tonight’s episode centers around trust and self-control. We begin with Curtis and CJ informing Ella that they will have a guys’ night playing poker. Ella clarifies that they better not gamble in her home or anywhere on the property, because she does not mess with gambling. 

Ella’s dislike of gambling gets driven further home after Malik reveals he will meet up with a lobbyist who wants a casino to open in Georgia. Malik thinks a casino will bring new jobs and more economic opportunities into the state. But again, Ella feels like money is the root of all evil. 

Finally, we get to the big night. CJ and Curtis are hosting their friends for a poker game at CJ’s home instead. CJ is getting his butt whooped at first as Jasmine watches. He claims that this is part of his plan to make them feel comfortable until he flips the script, but when he asks Jasmine for $50 to get back in the game, it becomes clear that he might not need to be playing at all. 

Meanwhile, Malik never heard from the lobbyist he was supposed to meet up with, but his neighbor Glo knows the lobbyist and wants to hear Malik’s pitch so she can pass it on. She likes what she hears and joins Malik in trying to convince Ella that casinos aren’t the worst things ever. They also plan to stop by CJ’s place to observe the game. 

Speaking of, back to the poker night. The tides have turned, and CJ made good on his promise to flip the game on everyone. He’s on a winning streak now, but they find out he played them, and things escalate into CJ and some of the men at the table getting ready to throw hands. That’s when Malik walks in with Glo and calms them down. Glo is filming this, which was the plan, but she didn’t know she’d be walking into chaos. 

The episode winds down with Curtis sneaking into his house and getting caught by Ella, who wants to know why she’s getting hit by overdraft fees. She reveals he lost the money she would use to plan a surprise trip to Vegas. He’s obviously in the doghouse, and that’s where we end. 

Perhaps the lesson here is balance. Like, it’s not necessarily casinos or gambling that’s evil, but it’s what people do with both.