Dependence Day

Happy Fourth of July to you. And do you know what they call the Fourth of July in Australia?

The answer should be obvious.... the "fourth of July." It's that day, everywhere on Earth!

But in the U.S., of course, the day is different and special. It's Independence Day, marking the declaration away from British rule in 1776.

As we suggested in a recent post, few things show personal independence as much as a poker game. As far as we know, only the World Series of Poker has come up with a "tag-team" tournament format. The rest of the time, you succeed or fail on your own.

But have you ever asked if it's right or wrong to be "independent"? Can anyone really be - in this life or beyond? A well-known book mentions the word only in one place....

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. - I Corinthians 11:11-12 (NIV)

We can understand these words on many levels. God created the first woman from the side of a man (Genesis 2:20-23). Both a man and a woman (traditionally) are required to develop a family.

But note the last part - that "everything comes from God." Despite what evolutionists might claim, you wouldn't be here without Him creating humans a long time ago:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:27

Yet God created humans with brains and "free will." To that extent, we're independent - free to play poker, free to fold or raise pocket Jacks, and so forth. But God expects us to ultimately admit our lives depend on Him:

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die in the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. - Romans 14:7-8

This idea goes quite against the flow of this holiday, and even the "American spirit" itself. But will you be humble enough to admit to God you need Him - not only now, but in order to live eternally in His Kingdom?

Poker Night 572: Well AJ-usted

Our last trip to Hollywood Casino Indiana was a confusing mess, with a "six game mix" tournament. Wednesday night, it was back to basic Texas Hold 'em. Maybe that's too boring for some people....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Ace-Jack of spades

How slow was it Wednesday night? So slow that cards weren't even dealt until 18 minutes were off the clock! Not enough people were at the two tables for play. But the usual latecomers eventually arrived to get things going.

Now we've folded a blind, and have our best cards so far. But we see these nice cards sitting in the leadoff seat. We limp in, and a couple of people at the table of five call.

ON THE FLOP: Jh-10x-Qx

A high-end flop gives us a pair and a big draw. Other players check, so we don't wait. We bet 400. One man calls, while the other folds.

ON THE TURN: 5h

This card seems harmless, but what is our opponent holding? We check for a clue. He checks. So much for that.

ON THE RIVER: 6h

This complicates matters, because now three hearts are showing. We could keep it slow, but decide aggression is the better response. We bet 500, and get a call. If he has a Queen....

"Jack with an Ace?!?" we say hopefully.

"You're good," he answers! He never shows his cards, and we take a nice pot.

Patient waiting for good cards paid off after that, as our stack grew - to 13,825 at the first break, then a near-high of 25,800 heading to the final table! But then big cards turned back for us - as A-K lost to a woman with 6-6, and A-J lost when the same woman with 608 caught an 8 on the river.

With five players left and our stack down to only 3,800, we saw 2-2. One player was all-in for much more, but we decided we couldn't wait for something better. We made it two pushes at the same time - but a man with (we believe) Q-8 hit a bigger pair, and took us both out.

Only the top two made money in a night with 16 entries. Bbut we finished strongly in fifth place (officially; by our reasoning tied for fourth).

MINISTRY MOMENT: At one point, we pretended to cool off a man who was winning hand after hand. "He's on fire," we said.

Surprisingly, that led the dealer to mention the recent devastating fire at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Something's been on our mind about that.

"What surprised me about Notre Dame Cathedral was how many people acted like their grandpa had died," we told the table.

"It's like if the Washington Monument caught fire," another player explained. He pointed out that monument is a symbol of the U.S., as the cathedral apparently is to France. (We visited Paris years ago, and don't recall anyone ever mentioning it as an icon for tourists.)

We understood the man's point. But we responded, "It's a very nice building - but ultimately, it's just a building. It's going to be rebuilt. They're worshiping the creation more than the Creator." That comes from the King James Version of this verse:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. - Romans 1:25

We've heard ministers apply this version in a number of ways - going after environmentalists and animal rights supporters, among others. But religious people can do the same thing, if they aren't careful. God's hand can be seen in nature or great art - but that does not mean the nature or art should become our god.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.... Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's design and skill. - Acts 17:24, 29

The other poker player seemed to understand our point as well. "But try telling that to the Catholics," he replied. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church seems to put a lot of emphasis on icons - such as the "crown of thorns" in the Notre Dame Cathedral that the ministers there presume came from Jesus Christ.

Our point is simply this: put God first. Not a minister. Not a church building. Not a national or local politician. As Jesus put it....

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Mark 13:31

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 218 final tables in 572 games (38.1%) - 46 cashes. We're currently at six finals in nine tournaments this year!

Faith at Work

We mentioned to a table at a recent poker tournament how everyone should be a "person of faith." No one asked about it then, but perhaps it a question with you: what is a "person of faith," anyway?

Baptist preacher Charles Stanley said years ago, "Everybody has faith.... in something." You may have faith in your poker-playing skills, and how they can make you money. Perhaps your faith is in your money - that you have a big enough bank account to survive a personal or national trial.

The Bible offers several definitions of faith. Here's a common one:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1

Come to think of it, doesn't that rule out faith in money? You can pull that out of the bank or investments and stash lots of dollar bills under your mattress.

But the Bible is talking about a different kind of faith here....

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. - Hebrews 11:3

Not even the strongest believer in reincarnation would dare say he/she remembers what happened at creation. It admittedly takes faith to believe that happened, although there's some scientific evidence to support it.

But here's the biggest "faith matter" for you and me....

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

God actually wants you to come to Him, as Jesus encouraged (Matthew 11:28). But it takes faith to believe Someone you've never directly seen.

Many poker players ought to know a little about faith. How many times have you called bets with a straight or flush draw? You have faith (or, better put, hope) that the key card will come to give you a winning hand - even if the mathematical odds are against you.

 It may seem like even more faith is needed to believe God. But what other hope do you have of advancing past this life?

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. - I Corinthians 15:14, 19

Yet the Bible records the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from several reports. Put your faith in them, and by extension in a God who raises the dead. After all, He wants to raise you to eternal life.

No Skills Required?

It's a classic debate in the world of poker. Does success in the game require skill? Or is it all "dumb luck"?

It's a debate that's gone to courts more than once. Now the latest ruling has come - and skill is a big loser.

A court in India ruled Friday that the head of Spartan Poker was guilty of violating gambling laws by holding an apartment game in 2016. Nasir Patel argued the skill involved in successfully playing poker made him exempt from those laws. But the court ruled:

“How can poker be a game of skill? You simply get the cards and open it, and if chance be, you will win.”.

We've played poker long enough to know that's only true to a certain extent. If you're dealt pocket Aces, you're admittedly far more likely to win a pot than if you're dealt 2-3 offsuit. But the hands in between are where the "skill" comes in. Players set traps, make big bluffs or try various other stunts to claim as many chips as they can.

Other walks of life require a great deal of skill. For instance, if we need brain surgery, we'd rather have a surgeon who knows what he or she is doing. That takes years of study and training. But when it comes to the things of God, you might be surprised....

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? - Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT)

The more we learn about our solar system, the more we see how predictable and orderly it is. Astronomers knew when the sun would rise this morning, and when the full moon would occur this weekend. They can calculate to the minute when the next eclipse will happen. If there's macro-evolution, shouldn't these things all come as a surprise?

It took a genius God to arrange all that - with no chance or luck involved at all. Yet you don't have to be a genius to accept these things, and have a relationship with God:

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. - I Corinthians 1:27-28 (NLT)

If you believe in God and Jesus Christ, many "smart" people will scoff at you. Yet the late Stephen Hawking, who was considered a genius of our time and called an atheist by some, is being buried on church grounds - and near Sir Isaac Newton, who not only was expert in science but wrote a Bible commentary.

And does it take skill to start a relationship with God and Jesus Christ? Not really....

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9 (NLT)

As someone once put it: Are you just dumb enough to believe God, and do what He says? Even if that means admitting God has more skills than you'll ever have?

The Human Element

We've played a computer in heads-up Texas Hold 'em at a casino a few times. Sometimes we've won. Sometimes we've lost. But imagine having to take on three computers at once.

The Texas Hold 'em table at the family-friendly game site Pogo.com is set up that way. Unless you're a member, you sit down to play for free against "Computer 2", "Computer 3" and "Computer 4." If you fold, the computers take on each other like an old Japanese monster movie - and they're programmed to be aggressive at times, with pre-flop raises and bluffing pushes.

It took us four tries to figure out a winning formula against these guys.... uh, machines.... and Saturday night it worked. By ignoring the prodding voice who says, "Let's play some poker!" we were able to knock out #2 and #4 at the same time with an all-in bet - then eliminate #3 on the fifth round of blinds with a full house.

For doing all that, we won.... 60 tokens, which we could use if we had a paid membership. That's not exactly what we're looking for online these days.

For one thing, how can you talk about the things of Christ with a computer? Even God realized this long ago....

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil.... - Hebrews 2:14

Verse 11 makes clear this is talking about Jesus - the God-Being who created humanity:

He is the image of the invisible God.... For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. - Colossians 1:15-16

Jesus created human beings. Then He came to Earth to "share in their humanity." Why would a God-Being lower Himself and do such a thing?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

Jesus the Son lived a perfect, sin-free life to defeat Satan the devil, and open the way for us to have eternal life with Him. You don't have to become a mechanized "bot" to do that, either. It starts with confessing how human you are, repenting of your sins and turning to God's way of living.

Jesus shared Himself and went "all in" for you. Are you willing to respond to that love, and do the same thing toward Him?

Hope and Faith

At our last poker tournament, we brought up our hope at one point of making a big hand. That hope fell short. But we have a hope of receiving something much bigger, and more important....

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from the bondage of decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. - Romans 8:20-21

There are some big concepts here, so let's simplify things a bit. We're all God's creation, if you're humble enough to accept it (Genesis 1). But we face the frustration of eventual death....

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. - Genesis 3:19

Yet the good news and the hope of believers is that we can be liberated from death's bondage! That takes something beyond mere hope, though. It takes faith in Someone bigger than us, who can make it happen.

Having faith in God making a flush or full house for you is asking for something relatively insignificant. God wants you to have faith for something much bigger....

Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. - Romans 8:17

You can become a child of God by putting your faith in Him (the Father) and His Son, Jesus Christ.

....So that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. - I Corinthians 2:5

If you need help in developing this faith, please leave a comment. We might be able to help. In the meantime, express your faith in God by walking in a godly way (James 2:26) Sometimes the best message you can send is the example you set.

Poker Day 487: Royals, Baseball

We should explain that title right away. The Kansas City Royals' baseball season is over. They missed the playoffs. But playoff baseball was on TV at the Kansas Star Casino poker room Friday. And the royals? Well, keep reading....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We split an early pot with a full house, but haven't done much else so far. Yet these are cards that could spark a comeback. We start the hand with about 3,000 chips from a starting 3,500. When a player across the full table raises to 250, we call. Four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: Kd-8h-Qd

We have a piece of the flop, but not the best piece. That man across the table makes a continuation bet of 250. We sense this is a "feeler" bet and he doesn't have a lot. Considering our kicker, we want to stay in - so we call. It's still a four-horse race.

ON THE TURN: 8s (suit may not be precise)

Now we have two pair - and if that bettor is using the King as a "kicker" card, we have him topped. He offers 250 again.  Of course, he could have a King - but he's not betting big like he does. So we call in hope. It's still a four-horse race.

ON THE RIVER: 10d

A third diamond potentially complicates matters. That bettor tosses out another 250. We've committed this far, so we're prepared to go all the....

But wait a minute. A man wearing red ahead of us goes all-in - for 1,250. That extra 1,000 is too steep for us.

"We were doing fine, until you did that," we joke as we fold. The other three players fight on.... only to see the man in red turn over Ad-Jd!!! It's not merely a flush. He made a royal flush!

He wins big, of course - but because it's a tournament, he doesn't win a "high hand" or "bad beat" jackpot. He tells us later that was the first royal flush he's ever had.

That loss hurt, but we mounted a comeback near the first break. An all-in bet for 925 with two pair helped. Going all-in again with A-K and winning a race with J-10 thanks to three Aces helped even more. We reached the break back at the starting line of 3,500. But a third all-in try with J-7 and a Jack high on the flop lost to A-J. We wound up betting our last 300 on the Big Blind and failed, finishing about 37th on a day with 75 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Are we having a séance?" the first dealer asked when he saw our card protector. We brought an old, well-worn candle - but of course, the occult had nothing to do with it.

"I brought it to remind me," we explained, "that I need to be a light for Jesus Christ."

"Sounds like a plan," the dealer said.

"It's a very good plan," we assured him. We should have clarified that remark. Our candle may not have been a good plan - but God's plan involving being a light is.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. - II Corinthians 4:6

This verse speaks of a plan that goes all the way back to creation. The world was a dark place then....

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.... - Genesis 1:2

There's one school of thought based on the original Hebrew that the earth became that way, because Satan rebelled against God.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness." - Genesis 1:3-4

Much later, Jesus Christ came to Earth to be "the light of the world" (John 8:12). And until Jesus comes back, believers are to be "lights" in their own right. That means having "knowledge" of God's glory through Christ. And we think it means sharing that light with other people.

For you were once darkness, but now are you light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)... - Ephesians  5:8-9

Feel free to read on in that section of Ephesians; we plan to come back to it in future posts. But that little candle opened a way for us to share the light of God with others in a poker room on Friday. What can you do when you play poker, to be a positive light to others?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 180 final tables in 487 games (37.0%) - 35 cashes. Our next live tournament probably won't be for several weeks; we'll explain why in an upcoming post.

High-Volpe

As we start writing this late on Sunday night Las Vegas time (even though we're not in Las Vegas), the World Series of Poker Main Event has 30 players remaining. And there's one "breakout star" who could be in line for Player of the Year honors.

Paul Volpe is still in the running for the final table, after making the money in not two, not four.... but seven earlier WSOP events! That includes two final tables and one first-place bracelet, with total winnings so far in the $400,000 range.

We had to put "breakout star" in quotes because Volpe actually is down a bit from last year's WSOP. All he did there was cash six times, but he made four final tables and finished second twice. Total winnings: around $560,000. And in 2014, Volpe cashed five times with one win at the WSOP.

He's easily a WSOP millionaire. Yet to be honest, we didn't know about Volpe until we prepared this post. The "star power" doesn't seem to be there in the poker world these days, unless you hit it big in the Main Event - and we doubt a place in poker's Hall of Fame can be yours, either.

You may be a big name in your local poker community. You may be an also-ran. But there's One who ultimately is the most famous of all....

"We are your servants," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where did you come from?" They answered, "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God."... - Joshua 9:8-9

Joshua was talking to a group of Hivites. Even though Joshua is a big name for Bible students, the Hivites didn't come to marvel at him. The things God had done made Him famous - as in God.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known....  - Habakkuk 3:2

Many people today don't think God exists - much less performs any deeds. But here's the thing: the Bible expected those people to show up.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.... But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. - II Peter  3:3, 5

The perfection in creation, such as Earth's rotation around the sun, stands as evidence of God's great work. So are the small blessings that may come every day to a believer.

As we finish this post (it didn't take that long), Paul Volpe has just been eliminated from the WSOP''s biggest tournament. He finished 29th, and will add about $216,000 more to his bank account. The fame of a Main Event bracelet eluded Volpe. But are you giving thanks to the most famous One of all?

Poker Day 477: Passive? Aggressive?

The British vote on leaving the European Union came up during our Friday poker tournament at Kansas Star Casino. But of course, no one was there to make a "Brexit" - they wanted to stay and win:

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-10

We've made it well past the first break, as a few good pots ballooned us from a starting 3,500 chips to a high of 6,125. We start this hand with 4,900, and a player at our table of eight raises to 1,500. With some people already showing they're making desperation shoves, we sense it happening again. These cards are high enough that we call; two players are with us.

ON THE FLOP: A-Q-J

This is a flop that can produce fireworks well before Independence Day. We have top pair and a nice kicker - and we're first to act. What would you do? We decide to move toward winning the pot right now, matching the 1,500 bet an opponent made pre-flop.

"I'm all-in," the man sitting to our left says.  He's been one of the pushers since the break, so that's not really a surprise. But then a young man with a strange-looking hairdo calls, and that concerns us. Did someone hit a two-pair jackpot - or better? Or are they both dreaming with big draws?

We don't think about this long, primarily because we started all this. "I've committed this much," we say, "so I'll call." Our last 1,900 goes into the middle, and it's time for the explosion.

The man to our left shows - K-10! He hit the jackpot, all right - a straight on the flop.

The weird-hair guy doesn't like seeing that. He has J-J - three of a kind on the flop! We moved forward with the weakest hand of all. We need a King to escape with a straight and a split.

ON THE TURN: A

A is for Arrrgh - anything but that! The three-Jack man now gets a winning full house.

ON THE RIVER: 3 (for the record)

So the bulk of the chips go to Mr. Full House. "Do I get some back?" we ask the dealer.

"No, they go to him" - as in the man who pushed first. His straight gets a consolation prize - and we simply get a walk to the door, in about 35th place.

Looking back at it, we realize some poker experts don't consider A-10 strong enough to push at a time like that. We probably should have held our fire on the flop, and checked to see what others would do. But we thought we were in a strong position - much to our sad surprise.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "What time does the game end? Around 4:00-4:30?" asked a man to the dealer's left during a break. He admittedly preferred cash games, and had entered only his second tournament.

The dealer indicated that timing was correct. It was great timing for us. "I can stick around till about 8:55. For those of us keeping a seventh-day Sabbath, it's a great time of year."

Longer days mean longer "preparation days" for people who keep the Sabbath. But the dealer seemed a bit stunned by our comment - and perhaps you are as well.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God... - Exodus 20:9-10

The Sabbath is one of God's ten commandments - and it's considered so important that the word is capitalized in many Bible translations (curiously not in the King James). Sabbath matters so much to God that it was part of His creation:

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:2-3

The Sabbath is a holy time - and it's supposed to be a rest time, to take a break from your work. That's why you'll never see us playing in a tournament on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. If we're trying to make money, we consider that work. Besides....

...On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. - Exodus 20:10

We admit we played "fast and loose" with this part of the command for years - going out to dinner on Friday night after sunset, or filling the gas tank on the way home from a Saturday worship service. We don't do that anymore, because we don't want other people working on Sabbath, either. That includes the staff at a poker room or casino.

Of course, we realize the dealer was probably stunned by our comment for another reason.  Can you figure out what that reason is? We'll explain it in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 177 final tables in 477 games (37.1%) - 33 cashes.

What's the Good Word?

A man across the table said something about God (we don't recall now exactly what) - so we asked him if Jesus was his Savior.

His answer was yes, adding: "I read the good book every day."

Those words may reveal the man's age.  Not many younger people refer to the Bible as "the good book" nowadays -- and that phrase is not in the King James Version.  But we would note a few things about the Bible along these lines....

1. The Lord who gave it is good.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. - Psalm  86:5

2. God's creations are good.

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. - I Timothy 4:4

3. The Bible offers good news.  That's what the word "gospel" means.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." - Mark 16:15

4. The Bible helps define what is good.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humble with your God - Micah 6:8

What other good things can you find in the Bible?  Probably much more.  But you need to take time away from the poker table to open, read and study it. Only then can you learn how good a book it really is.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. - Psalm  40:8

Multiple Main Events

For many poker players, today is one of the biggest days of the year. The World Series of Poker's "Main Event" begins in Las Vegas - the most prestigious tournament, with perhaps the biggest top prize at stake.

No, we're not entering the Main Event again this year. Our schedule does not allow us to play - not to mention the $10,000 buy-in, which is a bit over our budget.

Instead, we want to ask a question. What would you say are the biggest "Main Events" in history? Not in poker - but in general?

We don't think they're moments on a military battlefield, or from a court bench. We think they're bigger than that.  For starters....

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

Now this event was big. Without God creating these things, where could humans live?

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:27

Without that main event, you would not exist. And while there may be famous portraits of poker-playing dogs, we can't name any animals who actually play - much less write blogs about it.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife, But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son And he gave him the name Jesus. - Matthew 1:24-25

The birth of Jesus was another main event - because God brought His Son Jesus into the world, that we might have eternal life (John 3:16).

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19:30

Jesus came, and then He died. Why is that a main event? Because of what happened shortly thereafter:

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! - Romans 5:10

Jesus was resurrected from the dead (Romans 8:11), giving us hope of being resurrected as well. In fact, that's the next big main event - one that many believers long to see:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. - I Thessalonians  4:16-17

The return of Jesus is the next "Main Event" of history - and it offers a reward for far more than the "top ten percent" of all players.

If you have doubts about any of these events, we invite you to review them carefully. Then ask yourself: are you looking forward to the main events that really matters?

The Unlikely Order of Being

Have you ever been at a table where a player called for a card to come out of the deck, perhaps for the river -- and that very card came out?

We've seen it happen a few times at poker tournaments.  But we only realized recently that you can do something like that every night to win big money.

Oklahoma's state lottery has a "Poker Pick" game.  You buy a card with five playing cards from a standard deck on it.  If it makes a good poker hand, you win an instant prize -- and you can win a second time if the cards drawn by the lottery every night match yours.

But there's a big catch.  You apparently CANNOT pick the cards you play; a machine gives you something randomly on a ticket.  And you can't use cards on your ticket to supplement the cards drawn by the lottery, to improve your winnings.  Perhaps that's why Poker Pick only seems to have a few hundred winners every night.

If your ticket matches the five drawn by the lottery, you can win $100,000 - and you defy some pretty huge odds.  The state lottery website actually shows you the chances of doing that: one in almost 2.6 million.

Would you enter a lottery with unlikely odds that high?  Plenty of people do it when games like Powerball have a huge jackpot.

But here's the thing - you're living on a place which defies those odds right now.  It's called Earth.  Wherever you're reading this on Earth.  That's because our solar system defies logical odds -- with the Earth making a constant regular orbit around the Sun, and turning in a predictable way so that a day lasts 24 hours with slow adjustments for seasons.

Why doesn't our orbit go out of control, and go more "on tilt" than it normally does in a year?  We dare to think we know the answer:

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heaven and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. - Psalm 19:4-6

King David wrote this psalm, and noticed the regular pattern of sunrises and sunsets.  So did other Biblical writers.

The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. - Ecclesiastes 1:5

You might argue things on this earth have "evolved" over millennia and centuries. But how do you explain this orderly pattern of the days, seasons and years in the heavens?  Why doesn't that "evolve," with the sun rising earlier and earlier year-round?  Again, we think we know the answer.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. - Psalm 113:3

Scientists and writers smarter than us have noted this Earth could not sustain life without the orbit it has, and the location it holds related to the Sun.  Astronomers can chart what will happen - day by day, year by year.

Unlike cards from a deck of poker cards, the paths of the solar system are sure.  And they lead us on only one logical path for an explanation.

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.... his understanding no one can fathom. - Isaiah 40:28

We know of no better explanation than this - an explanation that defies human logic and odds.  Do you?

My Millions of Sons?

We're going back to our last poker day and a chat we had about Jesus with "Gramps."

The man told us he considered Jesus the "Prince of Peace."  Then he said, "I think we're all sons of God."

Is that an accurate statement?  We can see how he might draw that conclusion, based on a few Bible verses:

The God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:26-27

So we're made in God's image. That means we look to some extent like God.  But does that really make us His children?

Lots of people are poker players.  But only a few are really considered, if we may, Poker Players.  You know - the skillful pros who compete for big money on circuits, winning cash games and tournaments.

God may have called His creation "sons of God" for awhile, giving them the benefit of the doubt. But....

....The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.  Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be 120 years." - Genesis 6:2-3

Bible scholars debate what the phrase "sons of God" means here -- perhaps people, perhaps fallen angels.  But Genesis 6 clearly shows God wasn't happy with what they were doing, so He decided to wipe them out (verses 6-7).  The phrase "sons of God" only appears a few times in the Old Testament after that, clearly referring to angels (see Job 1:6 and 2:1 in KJV).


But in the New Testament something changed -- when Someone special came to this earth:

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.... - John 1:12

To all who received whom?  The One John calls "the Word" (verse 1) - then One who "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (verse 14).  The One we know as Jesus Christ.


The Bible shows that title "children of God" is not as wide-open as you might think.  It's reserved for those who receive Jesus and believe in His name.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. - Romans 8:14 (KJV)

Does this really describe you?  Or does this seem too elitist and far-fetched to be believed?  Please leave a comment with your thoughts about it, and we'll come back to it in a future post.

Favorites or Longshots?

Since we've been talking about numbers lately here, try this one: 2,598,960.

That's reportedly the total number of five-card combinations possible in a 52-card deck.  We learned this from a Business Insider article on poker odds.  It's an article that's pretty clunky to us, with lots of photos -- and we're not sure it's helpful for players, because it doesn't figure in two-card combinations you might be dealt.

But here's another number to ponder: the odds of a single card turning into a straight flush are 0.00154%.  That statistically is a longshot.

And to be honest, the odds of you reading this may be even higher.  You have to be alive.  You have to be at a computer, tablet or smartphone.  You have to have this blog called up, out of millions of websites.

We thank you for defying those odds and reading this entry.  But how about even bigger odds than that?  You're on a planet that isn't too close to the Sun, so you melt - or too far away, so you die from extreme cold.  In fact, you may be on a part of the planet that has a range of seasons and temperature changes.

The odds of that happening are so ridiculously high that we think there's only one sound conclusion for it:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

The odds of everything evolving into the position you're in probably are even higher -- because there's no guiding hand to put everything in a proper place.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree than will never pass away. - Psalm 148:5-6

So far as we know, the Earth and other planets have kept the same orbit around the Sun for thousands of years.  Can any evolutionary theory really explain that?  Consider what "wisdom" poetically proclaims:

"I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep...." - Proverbs 8:27-28

This is Thanksgiving week in the U.S.  We hope you take time not only this week, but every week, to thank God for all he's provided you -- whether it be a big win at the poker table, a living body for playing poker, or a world where it's physically possible.  Make God your favorite, and show it in living a life that's pleasing to Him.

Just Another Day?

We've been away from this blog for vacation time - and that allowed us to finally watch some of ESPN's World Series of Poker coverage.

Everyone seemed to be struck last week by the player (sorry, we didn't catch his name) who reached Day 5 of the Main Event, yet told the interviewer it was simply another game.  He treated poker's biggest contest like another day at the office.

We can understand having that kind of mental approach -- but at some point, you'd think the "thrill of the moment" would kick in.  We'd guess it's like reaching the 20,000-foot mark in a climb up Mount Everest.  It's a big milestone, even if you don't make it all the way to the top.

How do you approach a poker tournament -- or for that matter, the dawning of a new day?  Has it become ho-hum and "old hat"?  If it has, maybe you need a fresh perspective....

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

Believers realize God has made every day.  And one of the background dramas of life is that we don't know how many days He's given us.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

Have you ever stopped to count how many days old you are, as opposed to years?  We've done the math -- and by the time you reach "age 55," you'll have lived more than 20,000 days.  We should be thankful for each day God gives, and live as if that daily gift is valuable.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.  Each man's life is but a breath. Selah. - Psalm 39:5

Our only hope for a breath beyond this life is through God resurrecting us -- and he offers eternal life to those who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Is that offer so valuable to you that you'll accept that great prize?  Or is it nothing special?

Quest for the Best

A recent post asked you two questions.  One was about your perfect starting hand in poker.

We recall a group of pros being asked this question in the NBC National Heads-Up Championship -- and most of them gave the most obvious answer: pocket Aces.  After all, it's in the lead before every flop.

But anyone who's played poker can tell you Aces get "cracked".  In fact, some tournaments offer bonus prizes if you crack them -- even if a lowly 2-3 in the Big Blind is followed by a 3-3-2 flop, for a full house.

Our second question was a bit more thought-provoking.  We noted God's creation is never called "perfect" in Genesis 1.  The best praise it receives is "very good" in verse 31.  So why didn't a perfect God form a perfect creation?

After thinking it over, we think the answer involves the creation of humans.  They proved they were imperfect when they disobeyed God....

"....But God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'".... When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband. - Genesis 3:3, 6

Disobedience was considered a sin, which led to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden (verse 23) -- much as a poker player can be removed from a table for breaking house rules.

We conclude from this that perfection involves obedience.  Obey the rules of poker, and you can win a big pot.  Obey God's instructions, and you can gain salvation and eternal life.  Even Jesus had to do that:

During the days of Jesus's life on earth.... Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he came the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.... - Hebrews 5:7-9

Did you notice that?  Jesus had to be "made perfect"! He was the sinless Son of God - yet He had to become perfect, just as Matthew 5:48 shows we must.

A tough task?  Absolutely.  Yet it's what believers in God are supposed to do....

Finally, brothers, good-by.  Aim for perfection.... And the God of love and peace will be with you. - II Corinthians 13:11

Falling short of that goal can be frustrating, and even depressing.  We know, because it's happened to us.  If it's a problem for you, please review the Bible study we wrote on perfection years ago.  Oh, and if you see something imperfect about it, please let us know.

Good Enough For You?

You meet all kinds of people playing poker.  Consider the name of someone we played online recently....

Dealer: 　Genesis1 wins Main Pot ($1,770) with Three of a kind, deuces
Me: 　Lo it was very good
Me: 　(Gen. 1:31)
Our conversation with "Genesis1" didn't get much beyond this.  But his/her name comes from the first book and chapter of the Bible, where we find this:

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning -- the sixth day. - Genesis 1:31

An interesting phrase -- "very good."  Why didn't God make the creation of heaven and earth perfect?  After all, don't we read in other places....

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.... - Psalm 18:30

Not to mention:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

Plenty of poker players dream of getting "the perfect hand."  But of course, the definition of that hand probably varies by player.  So let's ask a couple of questions, open for your comments:

1. What is the "perfect hand" in poker to you - and why?

2. Why do you think God only made the creation "very good"?

Our answers will follow yours, in a future post.

Odds Are....

We heard a thought-provoking radio commentary recently which can relate to poker, and many bigger things.  It started with a look at probability.

Flip a typical coin, call heads or tails, and you have a 50-50 chance of making the correct call.  If you flip the coin twice, the odds of it landing "heads" twice are one in four.  Flip it three times, and the odds of three "heads" are one in eight.  And on it goes.

If you play a thinking person's style of poker, you may compute your "outs" as you go.  An open-ended straight draw (let's say 3-4-5-6) gives you eight outs -- as four 2's or four 7's could come up on the turn or river, to complete the straight.  Four cards of the same suit provide nine outs for making a flush, as each suit has 13 cards (13 - 4 = 9).  That's a 9-in-46 chance for a flush on the river, or 19.6%.

So what's our point, you ask?  We'll answer with our own questions: have the odds for making a straight or flush changed over the last 20 years, since the online poker boom began?  Have they changed since the World Series of Poker began in 1970?  Have they changed at all from the days of "riverboat gambling" and the Wild West?

Unless there's cheating, the obvious answer is no.  Decks of standard playing cards still come in 52's, with four suits with an order of Ace-through-2.  The chances of completing big hands have not changed.  That's why they're called laws of probability -- they're constant, like the law of gravity.

If believers in evolution are right, shouldn't those laws have changed at some point?  The only way to improve your chances for a flush is to change the rules of the game.  But the creators of poker (we really don't think Jesus was among them) set "laws" in place, which apparently have been constant for more than 100 years.  God's Law works the same way, too:

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I gave you. - Deuteronomy 4:2

Moses was given a set of laws by God. including the Ten Commandments mentioned in chapter 5.  He said again for emphasis in his farewell address....

See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. - Deuteronomy 12:32

The U.S. Constitution can be amended; it's happened 27 times.  A world governing board over poker could change the rules of the game as well.  But we don't know of one, and "house rules" at each individual poker room deal more with details such as how you bet or claim a pot.  Yet despite what even some ministers claim, God's Law has not changed.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. - Matthew 5:18

Those words came from the mouth of Jesus.  He was the Son of God -- but yes, He was a real "game-changer."  We'll explain what He changed in a future post.

Poker Night 378: Gimme a Break

Who said gift-giving season was over?  We received several during the Wednesday night poker tournament at Soho Bar and Grill -- and we never asked for any of them.  First a bartender sprayed us a Diet Coke "on the house," and threw in a 1,000-chip piece to boot.  Then the Tournament Director handed us 5,000 chips, seemingly for no other reason than he likes us.  And then....

BLINDS: 2,000/4,000

IN THE POCKET: Q-9 of spades

We've survived to the semifinal table largely through folding.  We haven't won a pot outright all night, and split one with a woman in the first hour due to matching straights.  But after being moved here, a debate developed over who took out whom to gain "bounty" bonus chips.  The Tournament Director wasn't sure whom to believe, so he gave 5,000 chips to everyone - including us!

But after folding 2-2 pre-flop and missing a big win when a third 2 came on the turn, we're down to 6,000 chips.  And now we're in the Big Blind, committed to two-thirds of our stack before things even start.  We're thankful simply to see the table call ahead of us, with no one raising.  We're tempted to push right now, but check instead.

ON THE FLOP: A-2-9, all clubs

Wrong suit.  But it's middle pair, and we see little choice but to act on it.  The Small Blind to our right checks.

"I've got to do it.  I'm all-in," we say as we commit our last 2,000 chips.  "Now or never."

In an online tournament, a few players at this point would have written "now" and rooted against us.  And the way this table is playing, we fear callers with Aces.  But an amazing thing happens.  The big stack to our left folds.  Then another.  Then another.  That half-sized desperation push works!

But the dealer shows the remaining cards, anyway.  The chip leader holds out his King of clubs.  But no club appears for a flush on the turn or river.

"I couldn't do it," the chip leader says.  "He's got an Ace.  I know how he plays."

Another man reaches for our cards, trying to confirm that.  But they're lost in the discards, and we say nothing.  It brings to mind a word mentioned a few times in the Bible....

Here is a trustworthy saying: if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer.... He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. - I Timothy 3:1, 7

In this case, our reputation for "playing it safe" kept us in the game -- and we made it into the third hour of play.  But a night when good cards were scarce eventually did us in.  Forced to go all-in with K-6 in the Big Blind, the flop was A-K-Q.  A man with a King topped us, and took out another man with us.  We finished tied for tenth place -- tantalizingly close to the final table again.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Jesus as your Savior" coin to a young man, and asked if he agreed with the message.

"No," he said.  He explained he grew up in a "quasi-Christian" home, but finds his spiritual thinking complicated now.  "Buddhism, atheism...." are some of the views he's considering.

We offered one of the reasons why we're not persuaded of atheism.  "I see too much evidence in creation that there's a designer.  The sun and moon and orbits being in precise timing...."

You may have a 2013 calendar with the phases of the moon noted on particular days.  Astronomers are able to compute the next new moon (Friday U.S. time) right down to the minute   All the way through December.  Not simply for this year, but for years to come.

Unless Jesus intervenes and returns, those times should be accurate -- proving of God....

The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.  It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. - Psalm 74:16-17

We're not sure how supporters of evolution explain such precise time patterns in the heavens.  Believers in God don't try - they simply praise God for making it so.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 131 final tables in 378 nights (34.7%) - 20 cashes.

Poker Night 376: Color Me AQ-A

Call us scared if you wish, but we try to avoid driving on the night of New Year's Eve.  We take the warnings about drunk drivers seriously.  And since our usual Monday night poker stop is a bar, we had even more reason to be wary.  So we delayed our first live poker game this week to Wednesday.  Soho Bar and Grill has live bands, but we "faced the music" much earlier....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We won an early pot with a pocket pair and good betting.  But after a few misses, we start this hand in the Big Blind with 6,300 chips.  Several players at this table of six have shown a tendency to raise pre-flop, but no one does it here.  So we do: "500 more."  Our raise attracts about three callers.

ON THE FLOP: 9-Q-A

"Big Blind specials" don't come much better than this!  But as we recall, two of the flop cards had matching suits.  So we get right to work, making a continuation bet of 1,000.  The remaining players call.

ON THE TURN: K

That's potential trouble, in terms of someone making a straight.  But we decide to keep our foot on the proverbial gas pedal, until someone indicates otherwise.  We bet 2,000.  That's too much for two players, who fold.  A man across from us calls.

ON THE RIVER: A

This gives us a full house, and an easy play to make.  "I'm all in," we announce -- for "1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue."  (Call it a White House?!)

"Here's your chance to take him out, and get a bounty," a man to our immediate left recommends.  Bounty tournament rules are in effect, with a 5,000-chip reward for eliminating a player.  In fact, the man who made the suggestion wound up taking an astonishing four bounties in the first hour of play.

But our opponent has some doubts about that suggestion.  "I know he's got an Ace," he says.  After pondering the decision for several seconds, he folds.  Our chip stack doubles to more than 11,000.

"I want to see what you had," the man at our left says.

"No, that's OK," we tell him politely.  Always looking for new blog readers, you know.

Our stack stayed firm until late in the first hour, when we had Ace of clubs and saw three clubs on the flop.  Chasing the flush cost us 4,000 chips -- but we missed.  That left us with 5,800 at the break.  Then in Hour 2, we saw A-J of hearts and decided to go all in again.  But the board didn't pair, and a man made a pair of 6's to knock us out.  We begin 2013 with an 18th-place finish.

MINISTRY MOMENT: For the first time in a long time, we brought our "Jesus as your Savior" coin for a card protector.  The young man to our immediate left said he agreed with the message.

"Is Jesus your Savior?" we asked.  The man said He was.  "What's He done for you lately?"

"I'm here," the man said.  "It's 2013, and I'm here."

That's a simple way to look at it -- but an accurate way:

The God who made the world and everything in it.... is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.... For in him we live and move and have our being. - Acts 17:24-25, 28

To borrow a quote from the last U.S. Presidential race: if you have eyes to read this blog, you didn't build that.  You might have the technical skill to build a computer for showing this screen, but human eyes are a testimony of God's amazing creation.  So is your life.

The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. - I Samuel 2:6

Even that far back in Old Testament times, some believers in God (in this case a woman named Hannah) seemed to have an understanding of a coming resurrection.  Revelation 20 provides details of how that process will work.  Read it carefully and ask yourself: have you secured a place in the "first resurrection," by giving your life totally to God?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 130 final tables in 376 nights (34.6%) - 20 cashes.