Lots of people have different approaches. But we ask this in the wake of Monday night's tournament, when a man suggested we don't know how to play. We'd bet on the flop, after a man went all-in pre-flop and a sidepot developed for three other players.
We'll let you comment on whether our approach was correct. But as that man grumbled, we chose to say nothing in response. And we think that "answer" was the proper one....
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. - Matthew 5:39
These are famous words of Jesus Christ - but it's very hard advice to follow. Some poker players love to engage in trash talk, perhaps to throw others off their game. It's only natural to join the, uh, discussion. And to be honest, Jesus sometimes did:
..."We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me.... You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire"... - John 8:41-44
Calling someone a child of the devil doesn't seem very nice, does it? Yet Jesus did it to "Jews who had believed him" (verse 31) - and by the time the conversation ended, that group wanted to stone Him (verse 59).
But at the end of His earthly life, Jesus practiced the advice of Matthew 5 - and in the process, fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy:
...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. - Acts 8:32
Perhaps better put, to borrow from an old hymn, "He never said a mumblin' word."
Jesus set an amazing example of humility in His death, as he submitted to the torture of His accusers. May we all try to follow that example - in a poker room, and in all walks of life.
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