Winner By a Hair?

Our last poker outing included a comment we hadn't seriously considered before. If the Bible says it's a shame for a man to have long hair (I Corinthians 11:14), how do we explain Samson?

You probably know the legend of Samson. It's the stuff of movies and grand opera. Even a few websites seem to have taken some inspiration from it. But is it Biblical and accurate? Did Samson get his might and strength from his long hair.... or was something else involved?

We went back to the Old Testament, where we learn why Samson had long hair in the first place:

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.... No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." - Judges 13:3, 5

Samson's long hair from birth certainly made him stand out - but for a purpose. It showed he was "set apart" by God. No one in New Testament times was under such a rule. The story continues....

Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother.... suddenly a young lion came running toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. - Judges 14:5-6

Did the power come from Samson's hair? No - it came from "the Spirit of the Lord!" That phrase is repeated in verse 19, as Samson kills 30 people at a wedding feast.

To be fair, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned when Samson causes agricultural terrorism with 300 foxes (Judges 15:3-5). But later, after he is arrested....

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands - Judges 15:14

Yet in chapter 16, Samson became too playful with Delilah. A series of lies led to this famous moment....

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." - Judges 16:17

Samson's seven braids of hair were shaved off while he slept, "And his strength left him" (verse 19). Yet look through the entire four-chapter story, and you'll never find a single place where Samson acknowledged God's Spirit at work in his life. Only in a dying plea does he ask God for one final feat of strength (verse 28).

We can draw many lessons from Samson's story. But this review was eye-opening for us, because the Bible gives the credit for his strength to the Holy Spirit and not his hairstyle. It's very different from the legend you may have heard!

So what does all this have to do with poker? Consider this: if you're successful at the table on a regular basis, it might not be because of your "lucky card protector" or what you eat before the tournament. Maybe God is trying to send a message to you through your success. Are you humble enough to realize it, acknowledge Him and listen to Him?

Poker Day 552: The Farm Hour

When you think of Catholics and gambling, what game comes to mind? Your first thought may be bingo. But today, we found a place where the Catholics tolerate poker.

While Cincinnati is considered a major league sports city, Dayton, Ohio about 50 miles north is considered "minor league." We headed north on Interstate 75 to see if the poker is "farm team" level as well, and found several tables set up at the Catholic Order of Foresters Hall in suburban Riverside.

On a Sunday afternoon, there was only enough interest for one tournament table. You can't blame the pricing; the $30 buy-in was the cheapest we've seen in years. Five of those dollars goes to a rotating charity; the supervisor couldn't remember if the heart or cancer society was benefiting right now. But one player left when that woman refused to turn a TV on for the opening Sunday of pro football season.

When the price of poker is cheap, the play sometimes can get wild. Take this example.....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Ace-King of spades

Arriving early and adding $5 for the "charity chips" allowed us to begin at 12,000. But a man named Bud sitting next to us has doubled that in a hurry. He had 2-4, made two pair on the flop and eliminated a big bettor with a strong pocket pair.

So now we're in the Big Blind, a bit wary by what others are doing. When no one at the table of seven raises, we add 500 on top with "big slick." Bud calls, but a man at the left end of the table re-raises to 1,500. We call, as does Bud.

ON THE FLOP: 7s-2d-Qs

We miss the flop, so we check. Bud doesn't. He goes all-in. The man on the far left pushes as well.

Now comes a big decision. We're one card from the nut flush, which could bring a huge payoff. But Bud by his own admission is on a roll; he's made a winning straight as well in the early going. This smells too good to be true, so....

"I'm going to fold," we say. We're not even 15 minutes into the tournament, and want to stick around a while.

Bud now shows.... 2-2! He has three of a kind. The man on his left reluctantly turns over pocket Aces.

"I had one of your Aces," we tell him. But was our hunch right?

ON THE TURN: 3h

So far it is....

ON THE RIVER: Kc

Indeed it was! We missed the flush, and our pair of Kings would have been cracked along with those Aces. The man on the left is eliminated, and we pretend to fan Bud because he's so hot.

A couple of big hands came our way as well, in a "turbo" tourney that moved so fast we were down to five players at the 30-minute mark. A-10 led to a winning full house (not shown). Then J-10 led to a flop of K-Q-8 which brought a double-up beyond 20,000.

With the one-hour break approaching, only four players remained (unless re-buys occurred during the break). We saw K-Q suited and raised pre-flop. Wouldn't you know it - Bud called. And when the flop came Q-7-3, he called our all-in bet of 14,000.

"I hit the 3," he said. "But I also have another 3."

YEOW! He did it again! The last two cards didn't save us, and we left in one hour with a fourth-place finish. It's officially a final table, and quite a memorable one at that.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We took our "Lord's Supper" card protector, which wound up fitting in well at a "Catholic" hall. It had the dealer (the supervisor doing double duty) interested.

"I don't think He looked like that," we said when she turned it over to show a depiction of Jesus Christ. "I don't think He had long hair."

If you're new here, we base that view on this section of the Bible:

Isn't it obvious that it's disgraceful for a man to have long hair? - I Corinthians 11:14(NLT)

This prompted some good Biblical thinking from several people at the table. One man remembered the following verse....

And isn't long hair a woman's pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. - I Corinthians 11:15 (NLT)

But one man to our right took issue with that view. "What about Samson? He had long hair, and it was the source of his strength."

That's a good question - and we admittedly didn't have a good immediate answer for that. After checking later, we think the best answer is embedded in the Biblical account of Samson. You'll find it in the Old Testament book of Judges. Please leave a comment with your thoughts - what do you think it is? We'll compare notes in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 203 final tables in 552 games (36.8%) - 36 cashes.