Testing Time

We mentioned before Monday evening's poker tournament, we faced a test at a discount store near The Sports Page. It consisted of standing in line behind a woman who had bought a cart filled with canned goods, and wasn't able to load them onto the checkout counter very quickly.

What was the test we told a cashier at another aisle we would have flunked? It was the patience test -- and it certainly came in handy later at the poker table. We waited for the right cards and moments to make a move, and in most cases it paid off.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. - Ecclesiastes 7:8

A "race" occurs in Texas Hold 'em when one player is all-in, and at least two players show assorted cards (as in no pair) before the flop. But in most tournaments, you don't have to race to build up a big stack of chips. The rules are structured to allow for a certain amount of patient play -- although, of course, rising blinds can increase the pressure.

Phil Hellmuth writes in one of his poker books that if you try to play almost every hand, you are destined to lose. The "pride" of a big stack in the first hour can be broken by someone hiding a big pair in the second hour. So we take our time -- and lately we've been pleased with the results, both in person and online.

Hebrews 12:1 advises, "....let us run with patience the race that is set before us." That's good advice not only for a poker tournament, but the spiritual race which leads to eternal life through Jesus Christ.