Tight Vs. Might II

Our last post looked at the idea of playing poker aggressively - and whether a believer in God and Jesus Christ should do such a thing.

King David wrote psalms praising God for making him a strong fighter. And there were times long ago when God called on ancient Israel to go to battle against other countries. Here's one famous example....

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.... the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." - Joshua 6:2, 5

The walls "came a-tumbling down," to borrow from a classic song. But at least one fighter sinned against God in the process, so God did not grant victory in the next battle (Joshua 7:1-5). So one key issue in being aggressive (we're emphasizing poker here) is whether you're living properly under God's rules.

Another issue is self-defense. We go back to King David for this....

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. - Psalm 35:1

"I will defend the Big Blind," we've said in a poker room more than once - trying to sound noble as we do. This brings up a key point: letting God fight your battles....

With him [the king of Assyria] is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles"... - II Chronicles 32:8

Examine yourself and pray carefully, to be sure God is on your side. Leaders of ancient Israel did this often, before taking cities or countries.

The problem with aggressive three-betting is that other poker players might have watched the same video you did. They'll over-aggressively four-bet, leading to a game of (to borrow from the judge on the People's Court) "Quien es mas macho?" That can be devastating, if you don't have the best hand.

In a similar way, Jesus didn't fight His arrest because He knew He had ultimate backing - which was part of His purpose for being on Earth in the first place:

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? - Matthew 26:53-54

The death of Jesus was planned long in advance, in Heaven. So was His resurrection. So is His return, promised throughout the Bible. You don't have to fight for it now (something attackers on mosques and synagogues sadly don't seem to grasp). Wait for the moment in God's timing, then seize upon it - whether you're in the Big Blind or the big moments of life.

Tight Vs. Might

If you gather with buddies for a friendly game of poker, that's one thing. If you try to be friendly in a big tournament, things might not always turn out well.

That's the position of poker pro and online coach Jonathan Little. He believes poker is a game of "aggression"- and the "tight straightforward" approach only works when your opponents aren't very good. Little recommends making a re-raise before the flop when your cards are in a "polarized range". And that includes hands as weak as 5-3 suited (check his chart).

Little says his approach will help you "steal pots that don't belong to you." OK, that might win - but is it right? Is there an ethical way to play successful poker? We don't mean cheating here - but doing things in a way that might set a good (and even godly) example.

Most Bibles don't have the word "aggression". But they do talk about fighting - and the verses admittedly might leave you confused. For instance….

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. - Psalm 144:1

King David of Israel wrote these words, and he wasn't bragging. One top song of his day proclaimed he killed enemy forces by the tens of thousands  (I Samuel 18:7) - and he praised God for being able to do it! So how do we explain that, in light of these words?

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." - John 18:36

Some Christian groups take this verse as a complete ban on serving in the military. They claim "conscientious objector" status, if they must. That's because Jesus was talking here about a future "Kingdom of God" - future on earth, that is.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

We'll stop right here and ask a probing question. When you play poker, which kingdom are you "fighting for"? Is it your own - your bank account, or your buddies in a league? Or are you putting God's kingdom and righteousness first?

So that still leaves the question: how do you reconcile what King David wrote and what some modern-day Christians do? Offer your thoughts in our comments section, and we'll get back to this in a future post.

Fight Night at the Casino

Nevada may be famous for poker. But in Arizona, they take the game seriously. Sometimes dead seriously. And it's not simply "Wild West" history....

A fight broke out last weekend at the Talking Stick Casino poker room, outside Phoenix. (Warning: There's X-rated language on the linked clip.)  Several online reports indicate a man became upset with the dealer after he missed a big blind in a cash game. He became very loud - and moments later, someone jumped him from behind.

We don't know what happened from here, except that security personnel threw both men out. We don't know if anyone will face charges. But we do know both these people need to reveal one section of a well-read book:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. - I Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)

We can see plenty of violations of this "checklist of love" in this incident. Loudly bad-mouthing a dealer certainly isn't kind. Shouting/ranting about your chip stack seems rather proud to us. And horse-collaring the man to shut him up strikes us as an act by an irritable person.

It turns out there was a second fight last weekend, at a poker room in Las Vegas. It reportedly involved one player insulting another player's daughter. That seems rude - certainly not very kind.

To be fair: poker rooms we've visited have nothing like this. There may be occasional loud discussions about the rules, but things don't go beyond that. Most players are civilized and respectful, win or lose. But these cases may reflect a deeper issue - an internal one:

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires that war within you? - James 4:1 (NLT)

To tell the truth, we all have these desires in one form or another. We may keep things in check for a while. But sometimes they boil over - and they're ugly when they do. So here's a better approach....

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and the will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.... - James 4:7-8 (NLT)

Instead of letting your emotions overflow, think about good and godly things (Philippians 4:8). Be a part of the ultimate "resistance movement" - resisting sin, and being a loving example to others. Even in a poker room.