"I found this gold chip behind your ear," the tournament director at The Red Barn said tonight. "You're not allowed to have chips behind your ears."
The director was playing a magic trick joke at our expense -- hiding a 5,000-dollar chip in his hand, as he tossed it into the third pot of the night. Considering the typical starting stack is 5,000, that's quite an incentive.
BLINDS: 25/50
IN THE POCKET: 5s-3s
We don't normally chase a big bonus prize with a marginal hand. But we're in the big blind, so our 50 is committed right off the bat -- and the table simply calls. Checking's free....
ON THE FLOP: 3-6-3
....and that flop potentially is priceless. The small blind checks, and we jump out with a bet of 600.
"600 on the 6," a man across the table says half-smiling. Not exactly -- but enough players think along those lines so that nearly the entire table folds. Only a young man who just turned 21 and is inside The Red Barn for the first time remains.
ON THE TURN: K
Why slow down now? We bet 700.
"Well, he could have a 3," the man across the table (who folded when we bet) now speculates. We say nothing. The young man still in the hand ponders it for a few seconds, then folds.
"I did have a 3," we say as we show. Gaining about 5,900 chips (including the gold chip) in one hand -- now that's truly a "big blind special."
We won a few early pots with good cards, then went dry for awhile. But a woman who quit the game in the second hour gave her large stack of chips for the table to divide, which helped us gained about 4,000. Then 4-4 turned into another three of a kind on the flop -- and we took out a man who pushed with two pair.
Those nice gains helped us cruise to the final table, but the cards ran out for us there. A desperation push with 3-4 of diamonds led to two diamonds on the flop, but no more. We were eliminated in sixth place -- but that was still satisfying, as it was our best tournament finish since Labor Day.
MINISTRY MOMENT: The tournament director noticed we wore a "WWJD" wristband tonight. "Where did you get that?" Rodney asked us.
We gave him a wrong answer at first, but corrected it after thinking for a while. LifeWay Christian Stores sell them for only $1.00 each. Perhaps one will help this director, who openly struggles to set a proper Christian example at times. We also plan to pray for Rodney; will you join us?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 85 final tables in 209 nights (40.7%) - 15 cashes.
Showing posts with label WWJD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWJD. Show all posts
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wearing It on Your Sleeve
In the World Series of Poker, the competition is about more than money. Win a tournament, and you receive a prized WSOP bracelet to wear on your wrist.
Wristbands can advertise or promote all sorts of things these days. In a post earlier this week, we mentioned a woman who wore a "Philippians 4:13" wristband in honor of a boy battling cancer.
Some trace the trend back to this -- a "W.W.J.D.?" band developed in the last 15 years or so. It asks the simple question: What would Jesus do?
We've worn this wristband to poker nights for several months, partly to help start a conversation about the things of God. But we were surprised at a recent church convention to hear a top leader of one association call WWJD bands "rather trite and rather meaningless, because they [evangelicals] have this on their arms, and it's certainly not something that we should do" (about 41:00 into the video).
The leader agreed with the principle behins WWJD. But the statement against the bands struck us as strange -- especially since we've attended Messianic conventions where worshipers wear added blue tassels on their clothes, and sometimes suggest you need to do the same....
We took off our WWJD wristband at the church convention, after we saw the video complaint about it. (We made sure people sitting on either side of it were witnesses.) But for now, we're still wearing it to poker nights.
Why -- to show we're "goody-goody holy rollers," while others around us are not? No. We wear it as a witness to the non-Christians around us. The WWJD wristband has brought a comment on one poker night so far -- and we're ready to talk about it, should others bring it up.
Let's be honest here: if some poker players at bars can wear T-shirts and hats promoting cigarettes and beer, why can't a believer in Christ wear something promoting that personal Favorite?
Or are we totally wrong about this?
Wristbands can advertise or promote all sorts of things these days. In a post earlier this week, we mentioned a woman who wore a "Philippians 4:13" wristband in honor of a boy battling cancer.
Some trace the trend back to this -- a "W.W.J.D.?" band developed in the last 15 years or so. It asks the simple question: What would Jesus do?We've worn this wristband to poker nights for several months, partly to help start a conversation about the things of God. But we were surprised at a recent church convention to hear a top leader of one association call WWJD bands "rather trite and rather meaningless, because they [evangelicals] have this on their arms, and it's certainly not something that we should do" (about 41:00 into the video).
The leader agreed with the principle behins WWJD. But the statement against the bands struck us as strange -- especially since we've attended Messianic conventions where worshipers wear added blue tassels on their clothes, and sometimes suggest you need to do the same....
Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear. -- Deuteronomy 22:12Jesus made a statement about such things, which can spark debate among believers:
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.... But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.... Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.... -- Matthew 23:2-5Supporters of tassel displays claim Jesus condemned the lengthening, not the tassels themselves. Critics say Jesus opposed any display of tassels -- and in this day and age, believers don't need outward reminders of their faith because the Holy Spirit dwells in them (II Corinthians 1:22).
We took off our WWJD wristband at the church convention, after we saw the video complaint about it. (We made sure people sitting on either side of it were witnesses.) But for now, we're still wearing it to poker nights.
Why -- to show we're "goody-goody holy rollers," while others around us are not? No. We wear it as a witness to the non-Christians around us. The WWJD wristband has brought a comment on one poker night so far -- and we're ready to talk about it, should others bring it up.
Let's be honest here: if some poker players at bars can wear T-shirts and hats promoting cigarettes and beer, why can't a believer in Christ wear something promoting that personal Favorite?
Or are we totally wrong about this?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Poker Night #64: W.W. K-Q D.?
Our apologies for not mentioning in advance we'd be out playing poker tonight. If you need to know, please tell us and we'll return to advance mentions. The Thursday night game at Lil Kim's Cove had a tense moment, but we wound up back at the final table with an eighth-place finish.
We started well, using slow-played pocket A's to win a nice pot and advance from a starting 5,000 chips to 10,500. But a couple of chases fell short, the blinds went higher, and we wound up in a pinch at semifinal time:
BLINDS: 1,000/2,000
IN THE POCKET: K-Q of spades
Our chip stack is down to about 4,000, so it's time to put up or shut up. We go all in, and two other players call us. A man to our left goes all-in as well, covered by a woman to our immediate right.
The man has K-8. The woman has K-J. It's a race, and we narrowly lead. The spades turn out to be a moot point.
ON THE FLOP: A-Q-10
"I like that," the woman says. Why not? She seizes the lead, because she has a straight.
ON THE TURN: A small card (we forget which). Uh-oh.
ON THE RIVER: J.
Now we like that. The woman -- well, not so much. It's a three-way "Broadway" straight, and we all split the pot. We gain about 2,000 when all is said and done.
"I was ahead," the woman tells us. Indeed -- and for awhile, so were we. But all they count is the order at the finish line.
The finish for us came after a color-up, which left us with one solitary 5,000 chip. We tried it on A-2, and 3-4 came up on the board -- but no pairs and no 5.
MINISTRY MOMENT: We took something different for a card protector tonight -- a little packet of salt, like you'd get at a fast-food restaurant. Someone asked about it early in the evening.
"I read in a book once that I'm the salt of the earth," we explained. No one commented farther. You might say we put out a bet, and no one called it.
Then at the final table, we showed the salt packet to a young man at our immediate left. We repeated the quote, then pushed the issue. "Do you know who said that?" He didn't -- but the answer to the question happened to be on his wrist.
"Jesus," we dared to add.
"Really? What book was that in?"
"The Bible." This is a "Jaywalking" moment waiting to happen, until....
"The Bible? That's my favorite. Which book is it in?"
"It's in Matthew."
"That's my favorite book!" Good for him. He simply hasn't memorized it all yet.
Moments later, we noticed the man was wearing a W.W.J.D. wristband. So for a nice change, the final table had two believers. We'll continue our conversation with him in our next post - and maybe spread some "salt" as well.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 26 final tables in 64 nights (40.6%) - 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $11,925 - up $43. (Spring cleaning is limiting our online playing time right now.)
We started well, using slow-played pocket A's to win a nice pot and advance from a starting 5,000 chips to 10,500. But a couple of chases fell short, the blinds went higher, and we wound up in a pinch at semifinal time:
BLINDS: 1,000/2,000
IN THE POCKET: K-Q of spades
Our chip stack is down to about 4,000, so it's time to put up or shut up. We go all in, and two other players call us. A man to our left goes all-in as well, covered by a woman to our immediate right.
The man has K-8. The woman has K-J. It's a race, and we narrowly lead. The spades turn out to be a moot point.
ON THE FLOP: A-Q-10
"I like that," the woman says. Why not? She seizes the lead, because she has a straight.
ON THE TURN: A small card (we forget which). Uh-oh.
ON THE RIVER: J.
Now we like that. The woman -- well, not so much. It's a three-way "Broadway" straight, and we all split the pot. We gain about 2,000 when all is said and done.
"I was ahead," the woman tells us. Indeed -- and for awhile, so were we. But all they count is the order at the finish line.
The finish for us came after a color-up, which left us with one solitary 5,000 chip. We tried it on A-2, and 3-4 came up on the board -- but no pairs and no 5.
MINISTRY MOMENT: We took something different for a card protector tonight -- a little packet of salt, like you'd get at a fast-food restaurant. Someone asked about it early in the evening.
"I read in a book once that I'm the salt of the earth," we explained. No one commented farther. You might say we put out a bet, and no one called it.
Then at the final table, we showed the salt packet to a young man at our immediate left. We repeated the quote, then pushed the issue. "Do you know who said that?" He didn't -- but the answer to the question happened to be on his wrist.
"Jesus," we dared to add.
"Really? What book was that in?"
"The Bible." This is a "Jaywalking" moment waiting to happen, until....
"The Bible? That's my favorite. Which book is it in?"
"It's in Matthew."
"That's my favorite book!" Good for him. He simply hasn't memorized it all yet.
Moments later, we noticed the man was wearing a W.W.J.D. wristband. So for a nice change, the final table had two believers. We'll continue our conversation with him in our next post - and maybe spread some "salt" as well.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 26 final tables in 64 nights (40.6%) - 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $11,925 - up $43. (Spring cleaning is limiting our online playing time right now.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)