Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Remember As You Play....

Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. - Ecclesiastes 11:4


Some poker players get reputations as "rocks" or "tight," because they only get involved where they have a strong chance of winning.  Sometimes that approach gets results; sometimes it doesn't.

We were reminded the other night through Christian radio of an interesting section of Ecclesiastes.  It includes our verse above, which sounds like it relates to farming -- but one poker players might summarize this way: "Scared money doesn't win."

Wait for the perfect moment to make a move at the poker table, and you might run out of moments.  The odds of being dealt pocket Aces (or, for that matter, any card combination without regard to suit) are 220 to 1.  Since most tournaments have quick-rising blinds, the patient approach ultimately hits a wall of time and reality.  So what's a poker player to do?
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.... Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. - Ecclesiastes 11:1, 6


Despite the commonly-used phrase "Christian conservative," God inspires these words to encourage a certain amount of risk-taking.

Where do you draw the line with that?  Ahhhh - that's the hard part.  Different people set different lines which they don't cross.  Those lines about when to stay in and when to get out get drawn through years of experience.

So let's open this up for discussion.  Where do you draw lines in what poker hands you play -- either pre-flop or beyond?

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