Meditation on Moderation

We told you in our last post about the big man at our poker table -- who was very loud, seemingly very drunk, and pushed all-in when we tempted him with 500 chips on pocket aces.

There's a word that man needs to learn -- a word which applies not only to playing poker, but all aspects of your life. The word is moderation.

It only appears once in the King James Bible, but Paul is in favor of it: "Let your moderation be known unto all men" (Phil. 4:5).

We'd commonly understand that today in political terms -- not being extreme in your views. But the NIV surprised us by translating that word "gentleness." A couple of other translations put it along those lines as well. (A Greek concordance adds being "appropriate" or "mild.")

If you exercise moderation with your voice, fewer people are likely to be annoyed. If you exercise it in your drinking, you'll remain under control -- and probably play better poker. (Our big man scored a final-table finish the night before we played him, and he admitted he "played sober" then.)

Thinking moderately in playing poker can have advantages, too. For instance, don't overbet marginal hands -- because if your opponents hit something big, they could come back to haunt you with over-the-top raises.

(Or should we say: don't overbet them too often? Sometimes a little bluffing can pay off.)