Poker Night 295: Look Before You Leap

Professional poker tables are built so ten players and a dealer can sit comfortably, yet have a good look at the action.  At local free tournaments, things can be very different.  That made a difference for us tonight, during one hand at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 2-3 of spades

We're in the big blind, enjoying a fairly big start.  We won an early hand with two pair, moving us well above 10,000 chips.  So when a player adds 100 ahead of us, we don't mind giving this "lowball" connection a try.  We call.

ON THE FLOP: J-8-3 (no spades)

We must note at this point we're seated at one end of two card tables, set up next to each other and covered with a green felt tablecloth.  The cards are being dealt at the other hand, so we have to strain a bit to see the cards.  We want to check, but the original raiser bets 200.  Hopeful with bottom pair, we call.

ON THE TURN: J

We have to stand up to see this card.  There's no improvement for us.  But the entire table checks.

ON THE RIVER: 2

Herein lies the problem.  We know we have two pairs - 3's and 2's.  But looking from the far end, we thought the face card on the flop was a King.  So when a man to our immediate right bets 250, we feel confident and double the bet to 500.  He calls; everyone else folds.

"Two pair," we say turning over our cards.

Our opponent turns over 8-7 -- and he's awarded the pot.  Only then do we realize what the flop really was!  The board showed a pair of Jacks, so his second pair beat ours.

Our vision was a lot better the rest of the night -- winning two big pots when we hit first a full house on the flop, then a club flush.  We reached the one-hour break at more than 24,000 chips.  But we took a sizable loss in the second hour with K-J of clubs, when we suspected a player was making an all-in bluff and called it.  He actually had K-K -- but wound up getting topped by a second player who pushes with K-Q and made a straight.

We held on from there to reach the final table.  But the draw for dealer put us in the big blind immediately with our last 10,000 chips.  We were dealt J-10 and had some hope, but another player made a full house to take another player out along with us.  It was a satisfying evening, all in all -- finishing tied for eighth, our best showing since late December.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We took our "last supper" card protector tonight, and it reminded a man to our right of something he saw on The History Channel.  "They said Mary....."

"Mary Magdalene?" we suggested.  Yes, that was her.

"Mary Magdalene was at this," the man recalled hearing.  "There were women at that supper.... But I know you shouldn't believe everything you see on The History Channel."

We told the man we didn't recall seeing that detail from Scripture.  After the game, we went home and found this:

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. - Matthew 26:20

That same phrase "the Twelve" appears in Mark 14:17.  Luke's account makes clear who they are....

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. - Luke 22:14

Those apostles (called "disciples" elsewhere in the Gospels) included Judas Iscariot -- who left during the dinner and reported Jesus to authorities, leading to Christ's arrest and eventual crucifixion.  We don't think there were "holy seat-fillers" back then to take Judas's place, either male or female.  So based on the Bible evidence, we're led to conclude Mary Magdalene was not at this Lord's Supper -- but we must add the Bible does not specifically say where she was.

What should we make of this detail?  If this historic Passover meal was a "for men only" event, does it mean women are barred from taking the Lord's Supper today?  We know of no Christian group taking that approach -- as they all seem to follow the guidance of the apostle Paul.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.... There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:26, 28

So this "table of the Lord" is much like free poker tournaments -- open to all without regard for race, gender, economic status or nationality.  That's what real Christian unity should be all about.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 107 final tables in 295 nights (36.3%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 191 point wins in 832 games (23.0%), 66 final tables, 7 cashes.  Our online play is likely to diminish in March, due to other commitments including preparation for the Passover season.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $74,387, up $1,494.