BLINDS: 25/50
IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs
We're under the gun early in the evening, and have lost a couple of promising hands because we missed the flop (including A-K). We get in small, and no one at the full table raises.
ON THE FLOP: 8c-8s-3c
A flush draw with "overcards" looks promising to us again. Except the woman in the small blind bets 400. We call in hope. One or two other players call as well.
ON THE TURN: As
Close, but not quite. The small blind bets 400 more. Feeling committed, we call in hope again. One other player call.
ON THE RIVER: 8h
The flush is missed, but there's still a little hope. With three 8's showing, our King would win the pot if no one paired. The small blind bets 200, suggesting to us she missed something -- perhaps a flush draw of her own.
"I've got to see," we say -- since 200 is a relatively cheap amount. The other player folds.
"I've got quads." Ouch!!! Our opponent shows the fourth 8 - and explains to other players she bet small "to keep everybody in." She certainly did in our case. We lose 1,000 chips, and she gains a 5,000-chip bonus.
That's a microcosm of how the night went for us, as opportunities kept falling short. We survived to the one-hour break at 1,750 chips -- but then we went all-in with 9-9 and won a pot to "triple up" to 6,000.
A second push minutes later with K-10 and a King showing on the flop didn't work, though. A man made two pair to knock us out. We were thankful simply to walk home with 13th place, making the semifinal table despite only winning one hand.
MINISTRY MOMENT: We jumped on an exclamatory moment at the one-hour break, when a man said (we assume in disbelief over something), "Jesus!"
We had to give our answer loudly three times before the man understand it: "He's my hope of salvation." Why do we say that?
For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! - Romans 5:10
You may have heard some Christians say we're saved by the "blood of Christ" or "by His sacrifice." Well, not exactly. The apostle Paul explains here we're reconciled to God by the death -- but actually saved by Jesus's life, as in the resurrection. So what does it mean to be reconciled? Your comments are welcome; we'll offer an answer in an upcoming post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 98 final tables in 258 nights (38.0%) - 15 cashes. This is our lowest final table percentage in a long time.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 154 point wins in 699 games (22.0%), 54 final tables, seven cashes. We went one-for-two in making points over the past seven days.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $49,843, up $2,765. We actually topped the $50,000 mark Sunday, by gaining $340 in our first "pot limit" Poker Stars game before falling back.
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