Poker Day 454: The Straight Edge

Since cash-game poker didn't work for us in Canada, we were back home today playing in a tournament at Arrowhead Poker.  Except this was "no-limit" Texas Hold 'em, where the betting can get wild -- sometimes to your advantage:

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 6-7 offsuit

We won the first hand of the day with A-Q, so we're a bit above our starting level of 52,000 chips.  These cards aren't much, but the blinds don't cost that much right now and no one raises. We're in for the minimum, as is most of the table.

ON THE FLOP: 4-5-J

Hopeful cards for us, as we have an open-ended straight draw. Someone across the full 10-player table from us puts out a feeler bet of 600, and we call it. About four players remain in the hand.

ON THE TURN: 8

Exactly!  The well-disguised straight comes, and now it's our turn to feel the pulse of the table. We bet 1,600, matching what a man did on the hand we won earlier.  A man across the way calls, but then someone else raises to 5,000.  Yeah, right.

"Re-raise - 15,000," we say.  The player in the middle of this folds, but the man who bet 5,000 goes all-in for around 50,000.  It looks like bad timing for him. Another man folds.

"I'll call," we say. "Do you have the straight?"

"The flush!" a man out of the hand speculates.  What flush? we wonder.  Only two hearts are showing.  We turn over our cards anyway, and show our straight.

"Nahh.  I've just got two pair."  He shows 4-5!  We have six potential full house cards to dodge....

ON THE RIVER: 7

...and we do!  That other man calls for a re-buy, while we make a huge gain to more than 130,000 chips.

Our take-home lesson here is that when other players want to throw around chips early in a tournament, let them do it - especially if you have a big hand.  You may wind up better for it.

That big win allowed us to try some marginal cards, but none of them paid off.  Our stack drooped until pocket Aces came, which allowed us to win a big sidepot while someone who was all-in stayed alive with three Queens.

But the blinds got bigger and our stack grew smaller.  Finally with six players left and three earning money, we went all-in for 50,000 with K-Q of hearts.  A caller with A-9 picked up an Ace on the flop, while no hearts came for us.  We finished sixth, which for a total 11-player day was only middle of the road.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One man at the table asked another how he kept getting good cards.  "Clean living," he said - with his tongue in his cheek, we presumed.

"Clean living is a good thing," we told the table.  "It sure beats dirty living."

Do you agree with that statement?  Some people think any card-playing constitutes "dirty living," as in sin.  We don't find any verse in the Bible to support that. But we do see this:

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. - Psalm 24:3-4

When it comes to "clean hands," we do NOT think that means cleaning off the potato chip grease before touching your cards.  One study Bible indicates that refers to "guiltless actions." Based on the rest of the verse, it means not worshipping false gods or supporting lies.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. - James 4:8

Countless children are taught to wash their hands before eating dinner.  But we really should keep ourselves clean from sin all the time.  But what if you've blown it -- and your life really is dirty in God's sight?

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. - Acts 22:16

If you've never confessed your sins to God before, you need to do that. Repent of them, and ask for God's forgiveness. Then be baptized to symbolize the washing away of sin, in the name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19) -- and God can grant you the gift of His Holy Spirit, to help you live a clean life (Acts 2:38).

We do NOT guarantee your poker hands will improve once you turn to God. But many other things in your life will -- and they'll be worth it.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 168 final tables in 454 games (37.0%) - 29 cashes.  Our final table percentage hits its highest point since November 2011, but we admit we've been helped a lot by one or two-table weekend tournaments.