The Tell Overture

If you can figure out when your opponent is bluffing, you're far more likely to succeed at a poker table. But we never imagined there are so many ways to do it.

One man is making a living by telling about "tells." He has at least 16 videos, along with books about things to spot that could tip off a player's hand. For instance: if a player waits for you to act, it usually "will indicate nervousness and hence weak hands."

Maybe so - but here's our question about this. Do videos revealing potential tells actually make some players more likely to include those "tells" as part of their bluffing strategy? The game becomes more than simply a reaction to your cards - it becomes how well you sell that reaction.

Perhaps this is why some professional actors like Don Cheadle have done well in tournaments. They know all about "Hollywooding", as it's called in poker. Some of us call it an acting job. And it's been used to fool people for a long time:

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. - I Samuel 21:12-13

This occurred before David became the Bible's "King David." He was on the run from the then-ruling King Saul (verse 10), who wanted him dead (chapter 19). David apparently was concerned about King Achish as well, so he did some "Hollywooding" to avoid staying long.  Some might call this kind of acting a form of lying....

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. - Deuteronomy 5:20

....But consider what happened to David. God didn't punish him for what he did. In fact, he gained a total following of about 400 men (I Samuel 22:2) - although we'd note they weren't necessarily the cream of the crop, described as "in debt or discontented".

So we're led to think a little "acting while you're acting," if you know what we mean, is OK. But we'd add this....

Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. - Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

There can be such a thing as "ham acting" - going so far overboard that you're not simply telling, you're screaming.

So what do you think? Are tells that common at the poker table? Have some people "shown a tell" to throw you off the track? And what's the top thing you examine, in considering an opponent's hand?

Poker Day 451: Hooray for Hollywood

The second day of our BPPT (see below) took us to a familiar place where we've had some problems.

Hollywood Casino in Kansas City has moved its Monday midday poker tournament time up 45 minutes, to 11:15 a.m. This time we made sure we arrived plenty early, to register without dealing with a waiting list. We watched every move carefully, to avoid "one-lap penalties" next door to a NASCAR track.  And with some very helpful cards, we started well....

BLINDS: 150/300 (as best we recall)

IN THE POCKET: 5-7 offsuit

We've won a couple of early pots at a full table, including a diamond flush where we had Ad-Kd.  Our stack is a good bit above the starting 10,000.  But let's face it: these cards only look attractive to drivers of classic Chevrolets.  Yet we're in the Big Blind, and practically the entire table has folded. Only the Small Blind called, so we get a free check.

ON THE FLOP: 4-6-8

Aw, c'mon!! This should have been a sign to us of how good our day would be.  And if that's not enough, the Small Blind playing first goes all in!  Of course we call, and the Small Blind turns over what he considers a comfortable 6-8 for two pair.  Now comes the big announcement.

"And our Big Blind Special today is the Steak Sauce Straight."

Our opponent understandably is stunned to see this, as are a few others at the table. (Others aren't really paying attention.)  Who could have possibly expected us to hit that jackpot?

ON THE TURN: 7

Now our opponent has better hopes of surviving with a full house - if a 6, 7 or 8 come.

ON THE RIVER: 9

Not quite.  He's out; we gain several hundred more chips.

We were above 33,000 chips at the first break - but this tournament had a record 121 entries, so there was a long way to go.  Good cards dried up in the second term, and we took a big loss when pocket Queens lost to an all-in opponent with a King who matched that card on the flop.  By the second break, we were in a danger zone -- about 13,000 chips with rising blinds and antes.

We said to ourselves during the break God would have to provide a third-hour comeback.  But we've seen it happen before -- and it did again!  Timely A-A gave us a big gain. Then A-10 beat A-8.  And A-K beat A-J. Our stack went back above 40,000 as the field whittled down.

Then came another slump -- but A-K brought us another big win as the field dropped to 12 players. That put us in the money, and minutes later we were at the final table with more than 100,000 chips!

We won another couple of pots at the final table, thinking about the first-place prize of nearly $1,900. But the casino's poker scoreboard also showed a "Chop Value" -- and with seven players left after more than five hours of play, there was talk of taking the chop. All the players voted for it, and we wound up with a record payday of $749!  (Seventh place would have paid $208.)

Considering several players in the tournament talked openly about entering a Heartland Poker Tour stop in the Kansas City area a few days later (which our work schedule did not allow), our finish felt especially gratifying. We were paid in casino chips -- and as we stacked them at the cashier's window, we said: "I've had a very, very, very good day!" Thanks to God for that!

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Lord's Supper" card protector to a man next to us during a break.  He told us he considered Jesus "a great man, a great teacher.... He certainly changed the world."

If that's your answer when it comes to Jesus, it sounds like a safe answer....

You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and rightly so, for that is what I am. - John 13:13

But Jesus went on to show that's also a very incomplete answer. This section of the book of John is a "communion night" conversation between the Lord and his disciples -- and the Lord revealed much more about Himself.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

It might sound intolerant in 2015, but Jesus declared you cannot come to God the Father except through Him, the "Son of Man" (John 13:31).

Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. - John 14:10

God was in Jesus as Jesus walked the earth - and somehow, Jesus was "in the Father." We think that means they were both God.

There's much more we could quote here. But we challenge you to read it for yourself. Go through John 13-17 and note carefully what Jesus says about Himself, and His relationship with God the Father. Your simple view of the Lord may become a lot deeper.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 166 final tables in 451 games (36.8%) - 29 cashes.  That's three cashes in a row at poker tournaments, with total winnings a bit above $1,000!

Poker Day 424: 99, In the Box

The Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers tonight in Game 3 of hockey's Stanley Cup Finals.  Wayne Gretzky played for both the Kings and Rangers, but never won a cup in either place.  Yet Gretzky crossed our minds earlier in the day, during an unusual Monday afternoon match at  Hollywood Casino.

We went to Kansas City for a delayed Memorial Day trip to the grave sites of relatives.  But we wanted to at least cover the cost of the trip, so we took advantage of the casino's Monday noon tournament -- even if it cost $70 for full entry:

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 9-9

See why we thought of Gretzky?  That was his number.  But we haven't been as successful during the day.  We've won a couple of pots, but lost a bad beat or two.  We start this hand with about 6,500 chips (from a starting 10,000), and hope to make a gain here.

The play checks to us at this table of nine -- but even though we're in late position, we don't feel comfortable raising because of those earlier beats.  We call, and about four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 2-5-6

Now we're feeling better, and wait to see what happens.  A player across from us bets 800.

"I'll call 800," we say -- but only then realize the man to our immediate right has cards.  We apologize and wait on him.

"I'll call," he says.

"I'll still call."  Three players remain.

ON THE TURN: 10

Two hearts and two diamonds are now showing.  Our opponents check, and we offer our own 800 on the theory no one has a 10.  The player across from us calls, while the man to the right folds.

ON THE RIVER: 8

As best we recall, this is a third diamond.  Our opponent checks, and we check out of caution.

"Gretzkys," we say as we show.

Our opponent looks at the cards, mutters something and throws his cards in face down.  It's a big pot for us -- but at a price.

"You're going to have to leave the table," a man in a suit standing over us says.  "You bet out of turn."

Ouch.  It's a "one-lap" penalty, in racing speak.  We can't come back until a round of blinds pass -- and the blinds go up to 300/600 while we're away.

Poker tournaments don't have penalty boxes -- like Wane Gretzky hardly ever visited in his career.  So we step out to get a soda, while watching Australian rugby league action on a giant screen over the gaming room.  Never have we been penalized at a tournament like this.

We count our chips on our return, and find we have 9,000.  How ironic - we had 9,900 before the penalty.

We won a couple more pots after that, but rising blinds and lousy cards worked against us.  We finally were forced to go all-in with 9-8 of diamonds.  The board brought 10-Q, but not a saving Jack for a straight.  The man we beat earlier with 9-9 eliminated us - and on a day with an overflow turnout of 86 players, we finished about 33rd.  (The top nine won money, with more than $1,200 for first place.)

MINISTRY MOMENT: Three different dealers asked us about the reflector we used as a card protector.  The table heard the same sort of answer three times.

"I brought it to remind me that I should reflect the light of Jesus Christ in all I do."

The players never responded to that statement.  One dealer changed the subject after we said that, while another seemed to quietly agree.

"But hold on," you may be saying.  "You got penalized during the game.  What sort of example is that?"

Yes, we made a mistake.  Yes, we were penalized for it.  But to borrow an old church cliché, Christians aren't perfect -- simply forgiven.  Consider....

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. - Romans 7:18-19

These words were written by the apostle Paul, who wrote more New Testament books than anyone else.  Did he become perfect and sinless, once Jesus brought him to conversion?  Based on these words, we don't think so.

For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. - Romans 7:22-23

Paul wrote elsewhere he "fought the good fight" (II Timothy 4:7) - and we think that fight was in his mind and nature, as much as anything.  The same is true with anyone attempting to follow Jesus's example.  Some days we win the fight; some days the battle can overtake us.  Yet Jesus promises:

....But he who stands firm to the end will be saved. - Matthew 24:13

We'll have more to say about our table penalty in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 150 final tables in 424 games (35.4%) - 25 cashes.

The Lonely Old Man at the End of the Bar

The first two parts of our road trip had gone well.  We attended a memorial concert for a college music instructor, then took spring cleaning to one of the very few places in our area which accepts styrofoam for recycling.  But then....

Hollywood Casino was only a few exits up the highway from the recycling point.  So we dreamed of making quick money playing poker there, even on a Wednesday morning.  The casino was a largely-empty place, with only one full-looking table active in the poker room.

So we sat down at the slot-style Texas Hold 'em machine where we'd won money several weeks before.  But alas, not many good cards showed up for us -- and only in one hand did we hit a successful-looking flop.  In this heads-up format, our $50 investment evaporated to nothing in only a few minutes.

As we drank a free consolation soda before leaving, we pondered why we'd done this.  Money to pay for the trip would have been nice.  But there was no engagement with anyone, no moment of interaction about the gospel or the things of Christ.  We'd simply drained our wallet quietly, then walked out as quietly as we walked in.

This isn't really why we started playing poker several years ago.  Instead of using it as a tool for evangelizing, we'd become simply another small-scale gambling junkie.  We only visited casinos on occasion and with a set limit on losses, but we still were not being the sort of light Jesus wants believers to be.

Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)

We've visited casinos more in the last 12 months than we ever have before.  There have been moments of success - but more often times of loss and defeat.  The lesson for us is clear: resist the urge to stop and play, unless we don't mind throwing money away.

It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile.  That's why officials must have a good reputation.... They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved.... they must be kind and gentle and not love money. - I Timothy 3:1-3 (CEV)

We do not hold an official title in the church group we attend.  Yet a similar standard should apply to us.  We shouldn't be "greedy of filthy lucre," as the King James puts verse 3. We should realize the chances of losing money in casino games, instead of drifting toward expensive habits.

Our apologies for making this post a confessional.  But as we mark one year in our new home this week, we think it's important to share some of the lessons we've learned from playing poker more often for real stakes.

Not everything has been bad (an upcoming post will get into that).  But as the annual "Lord's Supper" service approaches for us, we see a need to shake ourselves away from the trend we've been on with poker.  What about you?  What is your experience - past or present?

Man Vs. Machine

It's probably not good for a casino when its ATMs aren't working properly -- especially on your busiest night of the week.

That's what we encountered over the weekend when a family road trip led us to stop at the Hollywood Casino.  It's not located in Hollywood, but next to a Kansas City racetrack -- and it has a Hollywood movie "theme" to it, somewhat like a theme amusement park.

We didn't want to risk all our cash at a table game, so we tried using our ATM card.  And tried.  And tried.  All the machines turned us down, and apparently turned down other players as well (although not all).

We could have taken it as a sign from God, watched some Saturday night college basketball on a big screen and gone on our way.  But then we saw it -- a "Texas Hold 'em Heads Up" electronic machine, somewhat like a slot machine.  You play poker one-on-one against the machine's computer.

Suddenly we were back in college, when a crude computer version of this was set up at one of our workplaces.  The computer wasn't random at all, so we figured out a pattern to beat it with ease.  How much more difficult would the 2014 model be?

We inserted $20 into the slot to find out -- and quickly won a few hands.  We reached $49, then dropped to around $33.  Then came this hand:

BLINDS: $2/$4 (it's set up technically as a limit game)

IN THE POCKET: Q-8 offsuit

The machine tends to raise pre-flop more often that not.  We play along, and call with $4 invested.

ON THE FLOP: A-Q-Q

Ooo - this looks like fun!  We didn't write down every detail -- but as we recall, we checked here.  The machine bet, and we called.

ON THE TURN: 4

No harm done.  Now as best we remember, we bet the standard $4.  The machine was "thinking" for a moment -- then raised to $8.  We called, of course.

ON THE RIVER: 8

Our house is full, and we think our wallet will be as well.  We check here, to lure a bet.  It does.  We raise to $8. (The machine is smart enough to check-raise from time to time as well.)  It calls.

The computer has.... A-10!  Our boat beats its two pair, and we claim a massive pot.  Our $20 investment is now at a high for the night of $69.

And at that point, we press the white "cash out" button.  We tripled our investment in less than 15 minutes.  How easy could that be?

Of course, we had to find out how easy.  So on the way out of town this morning, we stopped by the casino again (a casino with lots of open space at 8:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning) and went to that very same machine.  This time the tables turned on our $20 bill.  We won one all-in hand to get above par, and reached a high of $33 -- but the computer made a couple of big hands to top us.

We cashed out in less than 10 minutes for a $2 consolation prize, and drove home realizing we still had a $31 gain for the weekend.  That's still a profit of better than 150 percent.

But even as we drove to our weekend lodging Saturday night, we realized something was missing from our poker experience.  That something was people -- and these days, that's a main reason why we play poker at all.

A poker ministry (and for that matter, most ministries) requires interaction with people.  You can't ask a machine if Jesus is its Savior.  In fact, you couldn't even type a text message to this machine at all.  Yet Jesus said....

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:19-20

You can program a machine to play poker.  But can you really program it to obey the words of God?  You might fix it to shut down for the Sabbath, or not "lie" (as in bluff") during a hand.  But machines can't do this....

Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. - Deuteronomy 5:16

If you want a quick poker experience, and perhaps some fast cash for other tables, the Heads-Up machine is worth a try.  But table games are far better for sharing things with other people  -- especially the deep things of God.