Poker Night 150: All Figured Out?

"I was open-ended the last two hands," we admitted at one point tonight at Lil Kim's Cove. "But I didn't get anything."

"That's God's way of telling you not to play poker," a man across the table said in a deadpan way. Then we heard him say something quietly to the player next to him about God and us. (We've talked with him about faith matters at the table before.)

We'll give that man the benefit of the doubt, and assume he was joking. But was he really right? Based on what we saw at times tonight, we don't think so....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 8-4 of clubs

The game is early, so the bets are light. We take a stab at these suited cards, and several players at the full table call.

ON THE FLOP: 9-10-7 (we think one was a club)

This open-end situation actually happened before our comment about two misses in a row. Here, a woman ahead of us bets 500. We call, and several players fold.

ON THE TURN: 5 (not a club)

Close, but not quite it. The woman bets 500 again, and we call again. We're now the only two players left.

ON THE RIVER: J

There's the right answer for us. But the woman is consistent, and bets 500 more.

"Raise -- 1,500," we respond.

The woman didn't want to hear that. "I fold," she grumbles.

"Why did you do that?" a player out of the hand asks.

"What do you think he had?" she answers. "He never bets unless he has something."

This comment sparks a short discussion about how we play -- by other people, but not by us. At least one man disagrees with her assessment. But a couple of hands earlier, the table folded when we bet 500 after a flop brought two 7's. (Yes, we had a 7.)

Having this sort of "reputation" could work in our favor at future tables. And it can be a good thing in life as well. I Timothy 3:7 says anyone desiring to have a high office in the church must "have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap."

Back at the table, a big early stack drained away -- but big hands came to our rescue after the one-hour break. An all-in bet with a 6 turned into a full house with 6's and Kings. Another with A-7 brought an Ace on the board, and a valuable double-up.

We endured to the final table for an eighth-place finish -- finally falling short when A-2 missed a straight, while the man who commented on God telling us not to play poker made one.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed a married man our "Jesus as your Savior" coin tonight. "Do you agree with that message?" we asked.

"I think God is my Savior," he answered quietly. "Jesus was a prophet," he added one hand later.

He's not the first man to reach that conclusion. "Jesus of Nazareth.... was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people," two people said long ago.

Which two people? Two disciples -- only they said those words to the resurrected Christ! You can read that statement in Luke 21:19. They continued in verse 21, "....we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel...."

Well, Jesus did accomplish that -- but not in the way they expected, with liberation from the Roman Empire. Through the Son of God, "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins," Paul writes in Colossians 1:13-14. That's what a Savior does. Will you accept Jesus holding that title -- an even more remarkable title than a prophet?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 60 final tables in 150 nights (40.0%) - 11 cashes. We told you we were due for a big night, and on a milestone night of sorts it came.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments -- 27 point wins in 182 games (14.8%), 10 final tables, no cashes.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $14,913, down $950.