We went to Kansas City for a delayed Memorial Day trip to the grave sites of relatives. But we wanted to at least cover the cost of the trip, so we took advantage of the casino's Monday noon tournament -- even if it cost $70 for full entry:
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: 9-9
See why we thought of Gretzky? That was his number. But we haven't been as successful during the day. We've won a couple of pots, but lost a bad beat or two. We start this hand with about 6,500 chips (from a starting 10,000), and hope to make a gain here.
The play checks to us at this table of nine -- but even though we're in late position, we don't feel comfortable raising because of those earlier beats. We call, and about four players are in.
ON THE FLOP: 2-5-6
Now we're feeling better, and wait to see what happens. A player across from us bets 800.
"I'll call 800," we say -- but only then realize the man to our immediate right has cards. We apologize and wait on him.
"I'll call," he says.
"I'll still call." Three players remain.
ON THE TURN: 10
Two hearts and two diamonds are now showing. Our opponents check, and we offer our own 800 on the theory no one has a 10. The player across from us calls, while the man to the right folds.
ON THE RIVER: 8
As best we recall, this is a third diamond. Our opponent checks, and we check out of caution.
"Gretzkys," we say as we show.
Our opponent looks at the cards, mutters something and throws his cards in face down. It's a big pot for us -- but at a price.
"You're going to have to leave the table," a man in a suit standing over us says. "You bet out of turn."
Ouch. It's a "one-lap" penalty, in racing speak. We can't come back until a round of blinds pass -- and the blinds go up to 300/600 while we're away.
Poker tournaments don't have penalty boxes -- like Wane Gretzky hardly ever visited in his career. So we step out to get a soda, while watching Australian rugby league action on a giant screen over the gaming room. Never have we been penalized at a tournament like this.
We count our chips on our return, and find we have 9,000. How ironic - we had 9,900 before the penalty.
We won a couple more pots after that, but rising blinds and lousy cards worked against us. We finally were forced to go all-in with 9-8 of diamonds. The board brought 10-Q, but not a saving Jack for a straight. The man we beat earlier with 9-9 eliminated us - and on a day with an overflow turnout of 86 players, we finished about 33rd. (The top nine won money, with more than $1,200 for first place.)
MINISTRY MOMENT: Three different dealers asked us about the reflector we used as a card protector. The table heard the same sort of answer three times.
"I brought it to remind me that I should reflect the light of Jesus Christ in all I do."
The players never responded to that statement. One dealer changed the subject after we said that, while another seemed to quietly agree.
"But hold on," you may be saying. "You got penalized during the game. What sort of example is that?"
Yes, we made a mistake. Yes, we were penalized for it. But to borrow an old church cliché, Christians aren't perfect -- simply forgiven. Consider....
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. - Romans 7:18-19
These words were written by the apostle Paul, who wrote more New Testament books than anyone else. Did he become perfect and sinless, once Jesus brought him to conversion? Based on these words, we don't think so.
For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. - Romans 7:22-23
Paul wrote elsewhere he "fought the good fight" (II Timothy 4:7) - and we think that fight was in his mind and nature, as much as anything. The same is true with anyone attempting to follow Jesus's example. Some days we win the fight; some days the battle can overtake us. Yet Jesus promises:
....But he who stands firm to the end will be saved. - Matthew 24:13
We'll have more to say about our table penalty in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 150 final tables in 424 games (35.4%) - 25 cashes.
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