Poker Night 222: At the Controls

We've learned from watching poker on TV that the first player to bet in a hand usually "controls the pot." The earlier in line you are, the easier you can do that. We think it worked to our advantage tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: J-8 of spades

We're in the big blind, and lost a big early pot. So we have about 5,000 chips. The woman to our immediate left raises to 200. A couple of players call, and we decide 100 more isn't too much to ask.

ON THE FLOP: 4-J-2 (suits inconsequential)

We make top pair, and are first to play. We bet 200 -- in part to send a message, in part to probe for what everyone else has. The woman who doubled simply calls; everyone else folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

This seems like a meaningless card to us. We have a hunch our top pair is best, but we're wary of something bigger -- so we bet 200 again. The woman calls again.

ON THE RIVER: 10

Still acting cautiously, we bet 200 again.

"I was chasing," the woman admits as she folds. She shows "big slick" A-K.

If we had checked our top pair, our opponent could have followed with a big scary bet which might have run us off. But small betting (perhaps combined with our reputation at the table) worked to our advantage.

We gained a larger pot after that when 3-3 brought a third 3 on the turn. But after reaching a high of 11,075 chips, the hands went dry for us. We advanced to the semifinal table, then was forced to go all-in with A-6 of diamonds with blinds approaching -- but we fell one diamond short of a flush, and lost to a man with two pair. We matched last Thursday night's outcome, finishing 14th.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Lord, have mercy," that woman to our left said at one point in the evening. We forget exactly why she said it, but we remember our response.

"May the Lord have mercy on us all. I hope He does." But stunning as it may sound, the Bible indicates God might not have mercy on everyone.

For he says to Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." -- Romans 9:15

This quote by the apostle Paul goes all the way back to Exodus 33:19. Events in life show us God sometimes shows mercy on people in distress -- but at other times, He seems very distant. It's the stuff that can make some people angry at God. But at those times, we need to examine where we stand compared with God.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. -- Hebrews 4:16

We think it's vital to approach that throne in prayer early and often -- even before the trials come which call for God's mercy and compassion.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 91 final tables in 222 nights (41.0%) - 15 cashes. (We're approaching six months since the last time we won money in a local tournament.) Heads-Up: 8-15.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 104 point wins in 554 games (18.8%), 40 final tables, 2 cashes.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $33,952, down $557.