Poker Night 543: Bunker Mentality

In our first-ever ten live poker tournaments in 2007 in Georgia, we made three final tables. In our first ten in southern Kansas, we made seven and cashed three times. Wednesday night marked tourney #10 in our new home area. Could we keep succeeding at Hollywood Casino Indiana?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: J-J

It's another small, late-arriving Wednesday night crowd. The tournament started with six players, but now has a full table of ten. We took a loss betting A-Q early, and still are a bit below the starting 12,000 chips.

This nice high pair in late position inspires us to raise to 1,000. Only two players call.

ON THE FLOP: 4-J-J

Well, what do you know - quads! We're last in line to bet, and are ready to wait for our opponents to take a dare. Only they check this flop. So do we, of course.

ON THE TURN: 2

Now do we have any takers? Sadly for us, no. The two opponents check. We do the same.

ON THE RIVER: 8

Now who wants to be daring? The first man checks once more. But a man down the table from us takes a stab at the pot, betting 1,100. Can we entice more?

"How about.... 2,500?!" we say as we raise.

Player #1 gives it up. The man who bet quickly does the same. He probably concludes he was trapped. But we don't tell him so; in fact, this blog is first to reveal that we had quads at all.

On a night with 14 total players, we had no big breakthrough pots - and no huge losses, either. A-Q in our pocket eliminated one player, and we strolled to the final table with about 13,000 chips. Then we won more modest pots, to stay alive while the field dwindled.

An all-in bet with two hearts was rewarded with a flush on the river, and we were in the final five.... then four! But as blinds went up, we had to push with anything hopeful. Our last stand was with K-10, but they lost to pocket 3's.

Final result: Some remarkable deja vu. We finished fourth in Lawrenceburg for the third tournament in a row - and fourth in six nights there! And because the turnout was small, we missed the money again; only the top two were paid.

MINISTRY MOMENT: As the final table dwindled, a woman across the table received a "walk" in the Big Blind - meaning no one at the table called. The very next hand found her in the Small Blind, while we were in the Big Blind. No one else called - but she did.

"You see, he gave you a walk," we said tongue-in-cheek. "You can do the same. It's called paying it forward."

Then we mentioned a radio station in our area which actually encourages the "pay it forward" approach at restaurant drive-through lanes. It's a way for people to show the love of God to others - even to complete strangers:

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

It's one of many traits Christians are expected to have, to be a light to others around them....

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. - Colossians 3:12 (NLT)

This may seem like a hard thing to do at first. After all, poker is a game built on taking (or more politely, "winning") chips away from other players. But if you try it, you might find it's a hidden specialty you've had all along:

If your gift is serving others, serve them well.... If it is giving, give generously.... And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. - Romans 12:7-8 (NLT)

The late Glen Campbell put it well in a song, which is still sung in some churches: "You've got to try a little kindness." There are creative ways to do it, even to fellow poker players. What suggestions would you make? Write a comment if you have some.
.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 200 final tables in 543 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes. After ten tournaments in the Ohio Valley, we have eight finals and one "bubble boy" payoff.