Tight Vs. Might

If you gather with buddies for a friendly game of poker, that's one thing. If you try to be friendly in a big tournament, things might not always turn out well.

That's the position of poker pro and online coach Jonathan Little. He believes poker is a game of "aggression"- and the "tight straightforward" approach only works when your opponents aren't very good. Little recommends making a re-raise before the flop when your cards are in a "polarized range". And that includes hands as weak as 5-3 suited (check his chart).

Little says his approach will help you "steal pots that don't belong to you." OK, that might win - but is it right? Is there an ethical way to play successful poker? We don't mean cheating here - but doing things in a way that might set a good (and even godly) example.

Most Bibles don't have the word "aggression". But they do talk about fighting - and the verses admittedly might leave you confused. For instance….

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. - Psalm 144:1

King David of Israel wrote these words, and he wasn't bragging. One top song of his day proclaimed he killed enemy forces by the tens of thousands  (I Samuel 18:7) - and he praised God for being able to do it! So how do we explain that, in light of these words?

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." - John 18:36

Some Christian groups take this verse as a complete ban on serving in the military. They claim "conscientious objector" status, if they must. That's because Jesus was talking here about a future "Kingdom of God" - future on earth, that is.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

We'll stop right here and ask a probing question. When you play poker, which kingdom are you "fighting for"? Is it your own - your bank account, or your buddies in a league? Or are you putting God's kingdom and righteousness first?

So that still leaves the question: how do you reconcile what King David wrote and what some modern-day Christians do? Offer your thoughts in our comments section, and we'll get back to this in a future post.