NLOP Senior Championship III: Break, Then Broken

We joined 836 other players tonight in the January National League of Poker Senior Open Championship -- and we stayed out in the open quite awhile! Here are the highlights:

:00 IN: We're dealt A-4 on the opening hand. The table is quite tight, and a 4 on the turn allows us to bet with a pair in win right off the bat.

:04 IN: After winning another pot, we have A-J of clubs in the small blind. A pair of 7's come on the flop, followed by A-J! We bet big on the river, face an all-in opponent -- but he has A-J too. Splitsville.

:29 IN: We have Q-J of diamonds. The flop is 3d-Kd-10h. The table checks. The turn is a 9, giving us a straight! Our $570 bet puts an opponent all-in, and A on the river gives us "Broadway" for a $1,370 pot!

:33 IN: Pocket Aces show up! Someone bets ahead of us, allowing us to simply call. The river brings a third Ace, and we gain $2,570.

At the first break, we have $3,900 -- good enough for 42nd place, with 323 players left.

:53 IN: We play J-4 of clubs. The flop is a hopeful 10c-7c-9s. The turn disappoints, with a 4s. The river really disappoints, with 3d. Yet somehow, our pair of 4's takes the $2,580 pot!

:59 IN: We're dealt 10-10. The third 10'er comes on the flop with 5-J, and we bet $900. That puts a player all-in, and 4-3 follow to raise our total to $5,490.

1:02 IN: K-J comes in the big blind. A King on the flop with no other pairs allows us to bet on the river, with an opponent folding. Up we climb to $6,565.

1:08 IN: We have K-7 of hearts. No hearts come after that, but a 7 shows on the turn. That's good enough to give us a $3,450 pot, putting us in 12th place at $8,940!

At the second break, we're in 35th place out of 90 with $7,140. But sadly, the pool starts draining from there....

1:40 IN: We have K-10 of diamonds. The flop is 6h-Qc-5d. A player bets with the blinds at 600/1,200. We're not comfortable with that dare, and fold.

1:55 IN: Antes and poor cards in the blinds have lowered us to a measly 340 chips. We're forced to go all-in with J-8 -- and a Jack comes on the flop. But a Queen on the river gives someone else a higher pair.

Final score: 43rd place out of 837. In a casino tournament, that would be well in the money -- perhaps earning us double our buy-in. But in NLOP, only the top three seniors get paid. This makes Social Security a much safer option.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Not only was the early table tight in terms of betting, most of the players were tight-lipped all night. When a player named Animal was eliminated, we tried to spark something by writing "Animal sacrificed" -- but it went nowhere.

But we can be thankful animals no longer have to be sacrificed to pay the penalty for our sins. That was the norm in the Old Testament, God eventually provided something much better.

"It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins," Hebrews 10:4 says. But Jesus came to Earth to do His Father's will.... "and by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (vs. 9-10)

Have you applied the sacrifice of Christ to your sins, to become holy in God's sight? It's a lot less messy, but a lot more meaningful.