The Gift of Gold

A man stayed in the hand with weak cards, but caught the exact right card on the river to take a nice pot.  The Tournament Director was playing at the table, and was stunned.

In response, the Director pulled out gold chips worth 5,000 -- and proceeded to give one to everyone at the table except the big winner.  "This is for sucking out," the Director explained.  "Don't tell the other tables I'm doing this."

We were playing at this table, so we received one of the valuable gold chips.  But something didn't seem right about this.  "This doesn't seem very fair," we noted to the Director with an innocent-sounding voice.

"If you'd like me to give a gold chip to everyone at the other tables, I will," the Director offered.

Talk about a sudden ethical dilemma.  This Director was offering us (along with about four others) a competitive advantage over the rest of the tournament field -- a "leg up" we seldom have, since the other players tend to outspend us for bonus chips, in terms of food and drinks.

How would you have responded to this situation?  Before we share our answer, let's get some Biblical guidance.  Would Jesus pull this kind of stunt?  There are plenty of Scriptures to indicate He would not....

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. - Deuteronomy 10:17

We fear there are some believers who think they gain special favor or protection from God because they give more than ten percent of their income to a church, or attend services every week for years.  But the Bible record suggests otherwise:

....Your Father in heaven.... causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. - Matthew 5:45

And yet there are times in the Bible when God clearly selected a few people for doing something special.  It occurred in the Old Testament....

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."  And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence  I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." - Exodus 33:18-19

God also chose to speak "face to face" with Moses -- a privilege not granted to his siblings, even though they complained about it (Numbers 12).  What makes the difference in these cases?  The New Testament offers a clue:

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." - Acts 10:34-35

In this week of U.S. and Canadian patriotism, is it simply a case of "God Bless America"?  No - it's more about God blessing the worshipful and obedient, no matter where they live.  Peter grasped this concept long ago, because Jesus accepted him back after denying the Lord three times at a crucial moment (John 21:15-19).

So what did we finally decide to do, regarding that 5,000-chip bonus?  Read the answer.... in a future post.

Climb Every Mountain

"If you have a three-to-one, four-to-one chip lead," a man said at our live tournament the other night, "you'd better win."

We responded by telling him about what we'd accomplished only hours earlier -- winning an online poker tournament, after going to heads-up play with a substantial deficit.  The margin was in the neighborhood of 48,000 to 10,000, yet we came back to win.

Seemingly ridiculous comebacks can happen in poker.  They even can happen in life.  One of the greatest examples of that occurred in the Bible -- to one of Jesus's loyal disciples.

Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."  "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." - Matthew 26:33-34

This disciple vowed to be loyal to the bitter end.  But by the end of this chapter of the Bible, Peter was the one in bitter tears.

Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."  And he went outside and wept bitterly. - Matthew 26:74-75

Yet to his credit, Peter did not do what another disciple did on that fateful night.  Judas Iscariot admitted he sinned by turning Jesus over to be arrested -- then "went away and hanged himself" (27:4-5).  Peter instead lived to see the resurrected Christ, receive compassion from the Savior (John 21:15-19) and go on to do great things for God.

Then Peter said, "Silver of gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. - Acts 3:6-7

Before his life ended, Peter even wrote two books of the New Testament.  All hope might have seemed lost for him.  But he didn't simply throw it "all in" in emotional frustration -- and that proved to be a big difference between Peter and Judas.  It could be a difference in how your poker games (and other things) go as well.

One on One

It seemed a little different for us today -- "Resurrection Sunday" (others call it Easter) without any poker to watch (and blog about) on TV.

For several years, NBC started the annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship broadcasts in early April. But there was no weekend tournament in Las Vegas in March 2012.  The event was called off, apparently due to a lack of sponsorship -- another aftershock from the federal crackdown on online poker almost a year ago.

So we can't watch poker pros and amateur celebrities staring down each other across the table.  How about developing another kind of personal relationship instead?  We're talking about a relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"... - John 21:15a

Jesus asked Peter this question not once, but three times -- matching the three times Peter denied knowing Jesus before the crucifixion.  Each time, the Lord's question cut a little bit deeper.

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?"  He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."  Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." - John 21:17b

The Greek word for love is different in verse 17, than in the verses before.  Strong's Exhaustive Concordance indicates Jesus changes from a social or moral love to an "affection" or "personal attachment."  That's the kind of love Jesus wants us to have toward him -- a love from the heart, not simply the head.

So how many times does Jesus need to ask you this big question?  Are you simply "heads-up" with the Lord of the universe -- or are you going farther?

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. - Ephesians 3:17-18

Poker Night 298: Approaching Royalty

Poker tournaments can be a bit like the children's game "King of the Mountain."  And at The Red Barn tonight, we played at a table which seemed that way -- with the felt board placed atop three uneven tables.  It was appropriate for our evening as well, because we had plenty of ups and downs.

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades - King of clubs

We won a couple of early pots, but lost a few as well.  After reaching the one-hour break at 5,100 chips, a failure with a pocket pair has dropped us to 2,500.  Now we're dealing at a table of six, and see no other option.  We go all in.  Three players call to take us on.  That's not exactly comforting for us.

ON THE FLOP: Ac-Qc-Jc

But that's a bit better -- top pair with top kicker.  Two players check, but a woman to our right bets 5,000.  That runs the other two away, and that 5,000 is hers to keep.

Then she shows K-7 -- not even a pair.  Then we realize we have not only the lead, but huge potential.  If the 10 of clubs comes, we'll hit a royal flush!

ON THE TURN: 8c

"Good enough," we say.  That's a nut flush, and we clinch the pot.  But a 5,000-chip bonus still is at stake....

ON THE RIVER: 6h

"I'll take it," we say.  But another player asks us to prowl through the deck for the jackpot card, just for fun. The 10 of clubs is near the bottom.  But that's OK; we're back in the action at about 11,500 chips.

We won another big pot minutes later when A-Q turned into a full house, and jumped to 27,000.  Then came a setback, including a big loss with A-2.  Then came another all-in win, which moved us to the semifinal table.  Then we had A-9, saw a flop of A-9-7 and went all-in for 11,000.  But an opponent holding A-10 caught a 10 on the turn, and that finally did us in.  He took out another player along with us, so we finished tied for 11th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A woman to our right said an expletive during the first hour, then quickly corrected herself.  Other players wondered why she did that -- and her explanation sparked an interesting discussion.

"He doesn't curse," the woman said while gesturing toward us.  "He's a Christian, so...."

"I'm a Christian," answered the man two seats to our left.

"I'm a Christian," echoed the woman to our left.

"But if you come to a bar, you can expect to hear swearing," the man added.

"That's true," we admitted.  "But you don't have to join in it."

The man agreed, but repeated his earlier point.  "If you walk into a bar, you should expect to hear swearing."

"It's like joining the Navy," another man said.  "You might be the only person who chooses not to curse, but you're going to hear cursing."

There's a lot wrapped into this discussion of about 90 seconds.  We'll start by pointing out the woman to our  right was correct: we don't use profanity at the poker table (or anywhere else, for that matter).  We follow the instructions of Jesus in this regard....

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. - Matthew 5:34-37

The Hebrew word for "swear" here is more along the lines of taking an oath, perhaps to assume a political office or testify in court.  But swearing and cursing were combined in a dramatic moment of the New Testament:

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."  Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed. - Matthew 26:73-74

Jesus's loyal disciple Peter denied the One he earlier called "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16) -- and he did it by invoking curses on himself.  We're not told exactly what Peter said, but the rest of chapter 26 indicates he felt utter humiliation moments later.

With all that said, we must add something else.  While we introduce matters of God and Jesus Christ in poker rooms, we do not make a point of bragging about how we don't use "blue language."  We don't think that sets a good Christian example, either.  So we simply say other words -- but we've noticed over the years if you don't curse or swear, some people pick up on it without you  making it an issue.

So what do you think of this discussion?  Which of the people at this table (excluding us) do you think acted most like a Christian?  We'll explore this much more in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 108 final tables in 298 nights (36.2%) - 17 cashes.

This. And That. And the Other Thing.

So there we were Sunday night, in an online weekly poker championship we didn't plan to attend.  And another project was underway simultaneously, which had been on the schedule for weeks.  In the end, we "sacrificed" a good poker result for that other project.

This situation reminded us of advice written nearly 2,000 years ago - long before "multitasking" became part of the vocabulary:

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. - James 1:8 (KJV)

We played chess in our youth, and marveled at how grandmasters staged exhibitions walking around a room and playing 30 or 40 games simultaneously.  Thanks to the Internet, some poker players pull a similar stunt today -- playing three or four games at once, even at different websites.

Perhaps those people have the brains to accommodate such things -- but we think many people work at their best when they focus on one thing at a time.  That's what we do, when it comes to poker.  And we think Jesus supports that idea....

No man can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.... - Matthew 6:24

We've heard ministers say Jesus's disciple Peter went against this principle when he attempted to walk on water toward the Lord, and "saw the wind" instead of Christ (Matthew 14:25-31).  So let's....

Oh, wait a second.  We got distracted for a moment (giggle), and didn't finish that verse with some more important words of Jesus:

You cannot serve God and Money. - Matthew 6:24b

Now this deepens the issue -- especially for poker players.  Are you so fixed on winning cash games and tournaments that you've pushed God aside?  What is your top priority in life?  We recommend learning from Peter's sinking feeling....

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2

While poker can be fun, challenging and even a career, life has a "final table" -- and you can't drag chips from this life to the next.  Jesus offers something more valuable than money: the opportunity for eternal life in His Kingdom.  Isn't that worth putting God first?