Poker Day 435: Running Down Chicago's Line

The crowds have been sparse at the Sunday poker games we've attended lately  Then again, we've been sparse at those games.  Today's tournament at Arrowhead Poker was our first in four weeks, due to vacation and things surrounding it.  But only seven players were at the table when it started - so anyone could come in late, sit right down and do what they pleased....

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: 3-9 offsuit

The day has been going very well, thanks to big gains from a full house on the river and a surprise win with pocket 5's.  We're near our high of 50,000 chips.  But there's only one reason we'd play these cards -- and we're in that reason: the Big Blind.  The table of seven checks to us, and we get in for free against three other players.

ON THE FLOP: 9-4-6

Top pair and early position gives us a chance to seize the pot right now.  We offer 6,000.

Two players fold -- but a young man who showed up late wearing a big "Chicago" hat (White Sox colors) says, "I'll look at one more card."  He calls.

ON THE TURN: 6

Now we have two pair, and have the feeling our opponent is looking for something bigger than this.  We try 10,000.

"Raise it to 30,000," Mr. Chicago says.  "Do you think a train's coming?"

At most tournaments in our area, this would qualify as a major-league tell.  But if he's going to be talkative, we might as well try for more details.  "Is a train coming?"

"Yup, a train's coming.  You want to get out of the way."

"What's the engine number on this train?" we ask.

"Number 6-6-6."

"Oh - that's one beast of a train, if you've got that."

"I know.  And I don't like the devil."

"I don't like the devil, either," we admit.  "So I'd better get out of the way."

We turn over our two pair and fold.  Mr. Chicago them slams down a 6.

"I don't go riding on that long black train," we tell him.  This draws a laugh from two people around us, including the poker room manager.

"Did I tell the truth?" Mr. Chicago asks.  Yup, he sure did -- to our loss.

This ranks our most humorous and fun poker moments since moving to our current location - if only because most of the players don't have this man's boisterous personality.  But we never recovered from that loss, as our stack slowly diminished from poor cards and rising blinds.

Finally forced to go all-in with the Big Blind and 10-7, a 10 came on the flop -- but a Queen on the river gave the Small Blind a better pair.  He won the race, and we finished fifth; only the top two players were paid money.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Let's go back and analyze that conversation.  We've noted the "beast" number here before....

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18

 Why should we avoid the beast's number?  This chapter of the Bible explains....

The beast.... opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. - Revelation 13:6

Verse 8 adds in the future, "all inhabitants of the earth" will worship this beast -- unless your name is "written in the book of life."  That book belongs to "the Lamb," as in Jesus....

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" - John 1:29

This is way believers consider Jesus "the lamb of God".  He gave His life like a sacrifice, paying the death penalty of sin in our behalf.

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth".... The Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. - Acts 8:32, 35

Have you accepted this "lamb's offering", by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to take them away?

(There's more to analyze from this conversation; we'll do that in a future post.)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 155 final tables in 435 games (35.6%) - 25 cashes.  Today was our best finish since mid-June and our fourth final table in a row, but the last three were one-table tournaments.