Poker Day 571: H.O.R.S.E. Play

"All I need is your card and $200."

That was easy for the cashier to say. The $200 buy-in Sunday at Hollywood Casino Indiana was the biggest buy-in we've ever made. But it was our least inexpensive and most convenient way of being part of the Heartland Poker Tour, which was making its first-ever stop in Lawrenceburg.

The buy-in put us in an unusual tournament - a "seven-game mix." Five kinds of poker spell out the word "H.O.R.S.E.," then Pot Limit Omaha (with no high/low) and No Limit Hold' Em are thrown in. The version changed after every eight hands, in a rotation.

About half of the table had played H.O.R.S.E. before. We never had, and finding places to practice online proved impossible. So we took our chances, learning as we played. It was admittedly confusing and a bit dangerous, but we had plenty of company.

GAME: Omaha 8 (high/low)

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: Kc-Qs-10s-5h (fourth card not precise)

We've already won our first hand, by making a full house of Kings and 10's (never shown) in Seven-Card Stud. Now we have several high cards - but by rule, we can only use two of them (and we must use two of them) to make a winning hand. We call, and no one raises. About four players at the table of six get in.

ON THE FLOP: Jh-7d-Ks (Suits on first two cards not precise)

We have top pair. But if everyone has four cards, the chances of someone making two pair go up sharply. We bet 200 to gauge interest, and two players (as we remember it) call.

ON THE TURN: As

This is a hopeful sign, because we now have a draw for the best flush. We check, and a man bets 200. We call, and we're heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: 7s

Victory!? Well, maybe not. We could be burned by a sneaky full house. We bet a cautious 500. Our opponent raises to 1,000, and we call. Our old line for this moment is revived.

"You can call me Planters, 'cause I've got the nuts."

The nut flush wins, because our opponent could do no better than Jacks and 7's! It's a healthy pot for us.

But the first 90-minute segment had more down moments than up. Mandatory antes for some games became a drain, and feeler bets failed. We were concerned with our 6,500 chips (from a starting 12,000) at the break. The drain continued in Segment 2 - and we finally were first to make an all-in bet, with 575 to go. But we had A-K, made two pair on the river in Seven-Stud and jumped back to 9,000!

A "low win" or two in Stud and Omaha proved handy after that, and we stood at 9,050 at the second break. But then we missed a few hands of Razz while the casino "Eatery" forgot about our simple order of a cold chicken sandwich while focusing on bringing out pizza slices. Yet we won a couple more pots, to hit a high of 13,800.

A critical moment came in Segment 3 when we had pocket Aces in Seven-Stud, and a man down the table made three Jacks. That loss left us with only 1,200 chips, entering an Omaha hand with blinds at 600/1,200. We were dealt 5-6-7-8, but our hope of a low hand failed when another man had a 3 for something lower.

Our final result: about 40th place in a field of 58. At least we can say we tried it - but we plan to find a place to practice those unusual games, before daring to enter that kind of tournament again.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Breaking news occurred as the tournament began, as the U.S. Attorney General provided Congress with a summary of "The Mueller Report" on President Trump and possible connections with Russia.

"There's Someone who knows everything that happened there," we said as the table assembled. "And when Jesus comes back, He's going to judge the world."

A player across the table from us seemed shocked that we brought up that name. He said nothing, but the dealer discussed it further with us.

"What do you think of Jesus?" we asked him.

After a moment of thought, the dealer answered, "I believe in Him."

"Is He your Savior?"

Another thought moment for the dealer. "Yes, He is."

"I can't count on any politician to save me," we continued. "Only Jesus can do that."

The dealer quickly agreed on that point. We hope you can, too. If you're counting on political leaders to save this world from destruction, your faith is in the wrong place. And if you think things are bad now....

Immediately after the darkness of those days "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." - Matthew 24:29

These are words of Jesus Christ, after disciples asked Him for a sign of "the end of the age" (verse 3). Things will become so bad that....

If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. - Matthew 24:22

That's "the elect" - not necessarily the "elected" office-holders. A time of what some Bible translations call "great tribulation" will lead to the Lord's dramatic intervention:

At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. - Mark 13:26-27

Jesus is coming to the rescue, for his "elect!" But what do we mean by that word? We'll explain in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 217 final tables in 571 games (38.0%) - 46 cashes.

Poker Day 566: Flop-House

We arrived at Hollywood Casino Indiana today for an unusual (for us) Tuesday midday tournament, then discovered we could pick up a nice consolation prize.

A snack shop across the hall from the casino was offering free dessert, to mark National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! This was a $4.95 value - and c'mon, how many casinos offer free ice cream? If only we could survive to the first break, and not have to wait around for the coupon….

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

At this point, the ice cream coupon is secured. It's the middle of Hour 2, after we overcame an early setback with pocket Kings to close Hour 1 at 13,475 from a starting 12,000 chips. We tend to fold K-10 when blinds go up and things get risky. But these are suited, so we try them. Two other players at the table of eight call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-K

No clubs. But no problem! We build an instant full house! A man to our right plays first, and offers 1,200. This reminds us of our last tournament in Kansas City.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly. The third man can't; he folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. This time he checks. We want him to stick around and keep feeding our beast, so we make a hesitant-looking bet of 1,500. He calls. We're glad about it.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We should have the TV "check-mark" at this point. Now our opponent is ready to bet again - but backs off a little, to 1,100.

"No," we say. "Not enough." Forgetting it's an ice cream day, we raise to 3,100. Will our opponent take the dare? After a moment.... he does!

Then we remember the famous words a man said to oust us at a Alabama poker night years ago. "I flopped it," we say. When we show the full house, our opponent folds without showing.

"Was it that ice cream?" another player asks.

"I haven't eaten the ice cream yet," we answer with a smile.

Thankfully, the ice cream had to wait a long while. Big timely cards kept coming our way - never pocket Aces, but several winning A-K's and a couple of successful flushes. We ballooned to 36,200 after two hours of play. then reached the final table at 42,200.

Marvelous moments kept happening there. Even though we fell to 32,200 at the three-hour break, we won a sidepot with A-10 and made a big flush with 6 of hearts. Then we had three hands of 3-3 4-4 and 3-3! The first pocket pair was blown up for a full house on the river, but the other two led to double-ups - and we survived to the final three, to make the money!

After a few hands of chip shuffling, we asked a question. "Is it time to say 'chop'?" The other two men agreed to that. We wound up with $360 - seven times the $70 buy-in! We were thankful for God's guidance in making money. And since it's January, we were able to drive the free ice cream all the way home to enjoy later.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we turned over 6-6 at the final table, one talkative opponent declared: "Satan's hand."

"Actually, that's three sixes," we said in correction.

"You'll need three sixes," he predicted in response.

That man turned out to be wrong, as the 6 of hearts led us to a winning flush. But this is a reminder that some people don't know the Bible as well as they think. Let's review his reference....

Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18 (NLT)

Many people have made guesses about what 666 means. We will not do that here. But the prophecies of Revelation indicate the future "beast-man" will require everyone to worship it, and receive some kind of mark for trading (verses 15-17). But believers in the true God should do something else....

….This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. - Revelation 13:10 (NLT)

You don't have to wait for an end-time beast to come to do these things, you know. The best time to start practicing these traits is now:

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. - II Timothy 2:12-13 (NLT)

By the way, there's one other 666 in the Bible - the size of a Israelite family (Ezra 2:13). We didn't find any 66's in the text. But there's one big overarching one - as the standard Bible has 66 books! Can you name all of them? And even more importantly, have you read through all of them?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 214 final tables in 566 games (37.8%) - 46 cashes. Since we crossed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've had 31 finals in 66 tries.... not far from 50 percent!

Poker Day 559: Krispy Kremed?

Go to the poker room during the morning at Jack Casino, and a gift will be waiting for you. Two boxes of iced donuts were on a table near our tournament. Perhaps they were a Veterans Day holiday special.

The donuts were OK, but not spectacular - which describes how our tournament went as well. A key moment came when....

BLINDS: 800/1,600

IN THE POCKET: K-K

We don't know who provided today's donuts, but we call this hand "Krispy Kremes." They're the best starter cards we've seen, on a day when we've won or split a few pots while stumbling at others.

We start this hand slightly above the 15,000 starting chip counts. A man with much more sits across the table, and raises to 2,200 ahead of us. Others at the table of eight are folding, so what should we do?

• We could "smooth-call", prepared to strike with a push if the flop is right.
• We could go all-in, but we want to maximum our potential gain. A push could bring more folds, while we want players to take us on.
• We could make a big raise, as a "shot across the bow" that we're serious. Call us if you dare.

We decide the "middle" approach is best, so we raise to 7,200. If our opponent goes away, that's OK - but he calls. We're heads-up, with a lot riding on this flop.

ON THE FLOP: 3-8-A

That's the last thing we wanted to see! An overcard means if our opponent entered with an Ace, we're topped. Daring players might keep betting, to make at least a show of force and strength. But we fear the worst - afraid we'll have to shift from maximizing gains to minimizing losses.

So.... we check. Sure enough - our opponent bets 4,500.

"That was not the flop I wanted to see," we say quietly. And we fold.

Our opponent doesn't reveal what he had. But we think he had an Ace. He raised in the first place - and wouldn't he have been wary, if he had lower cards?

Hands like this one are why many poker players can't stand pocket Kings. We found ourselves in a no-win situation with them. If our opponent had called an all-in bet with Ace-anything, he still would have hit the flop and potentially knocked us out. Please offer your suggestions - what would you have done here?

That stumble knocked us down to about 8,200 chips, and we never recovered from it. We survived to the first break with 4,325. But then we pushed with K-J, and lost to pocket Queens. Our final table run ends at seven, as we finished 13th on a day with 27 entries.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We switched to a wall-plug card protector today, and it received a lot of notice at the table for being "unique."

"I brought it to remind me that I receive power from God's Holy Spirit," we explained at least three times.

When we called the plug a "converter," another player took issue with that word. "What it really does is allow you to use a grounded device" in places with only two-pronged outlets. "Doesn't that destroy your analogy?"

This is where we need to check eHow about our props. We're not an expert electrician. But after thinking it over.... no, we still think the analogy works. For one thing, the plug still lets power go through - and the Spirit can be displayed through believers in God the Father and Jesus Christ.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - II Corinthians 12:9

Jesus said this to Paul, after the apostle appealed three times for relief from "a thorn in the flesh" (verses 7-8). Despite being turned down, the apostle still allowed that power to flow in his ministry....

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. - I Corinthians 2:4-5

That plug provides another Biblical example - and the man who corrected us at the table hinted at what it is. Can you figure it out? The answer will be in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 210 final tables in 559 games (37.6%) - 44 cashes.

Poker Night 555: The Hunt for Green October

A surprising sight awaited us as we climbed into the car for work today. Red stains were on the passenger's seat and steering wheel. A check of the wheel confirmed.... ketchup from a cheeseburger.

Why were they there, and what does this have to do with poker? The answer to the latter - everything. We'll explain the other part, as we review a memorable Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana....

BLINDS: 600/1,200 (hand is from memory, as best we recall)

IN THE POCKET: King of clubs-King of spades

It's been an evening with more ups than downs. After winning two of the first three hands, our starting stack of 12,000 chips went to 15,025 - but a big loss late in Hour 1 left us with 9,025 at the break. Then we had a "two-hand slam" (as we call it) in Hour 2, with unshown K-K and a revealed A-K gaining us huge pots.

We reached the final table with 48,900 chips. Now it's Hour 3, with eight players remaining. Nice cards like these call for a raise, and we make it 3,000 to go. Two other players call.

ON THE FLOP: 6h-2h-10c

It looks like the coast is clear. We offer a continuation bet of 3,000. But across from us sits a man who looks amazingly like a church friend from our Wichita years. He has a huge stack - and he goes all-in. The player between us folds.

"Wow," we say. We didn't expect that move, and now we wonder what's up. Does that man have pocket Aces? Did he somehow make two pair out of that flop? A call to find out would take us from a nice stack to the rail.

"The book says to play these," we add.

"I haven't read the book," our opponent responds. Which may explain what he did.

We're in a position to make the money (top three), and don't want to blow it at a moment like this. So....

"I may regret this. But I'm going to fold." We take a moderate-sized loss, to avoid a huge mistake.

Then that man surprises us again. He shows.... 6-6! He bet big, because he had three of a kind. "I had to be careful, with hearts out there."

"Did you have hearts?" another man asks us. We reluctantly admit we did not.

We seldom do this, but we question our opponent's strategy here. If he had called the flop, he could have persuaded us to bet bigger on the turn - and potentially drain us a bit more slowly. But the push was a red flag, and we heeded it. (And another thing: would you have shown your 6-6 afterward?)

Playing it safe and steady worked for us from there. Our stack never became dangerously low, and we had 43,000 chips when the fourth-place player was eliminated. That meant we made the money for the first time in Lawrenceburg.... and the second tournament in a row!

At that point, our strategy changed. We had a regular job to do at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, so we were in a rare situation of attempting to give our chips away. After an "aggressive" gain or two (as that big-stack man put it), we finally pushed with K-J. The big stack had pocket 3's, and they won the race. (He wound up winning the tournament minutes later.)

Our $70 buy-in resulted in a $197 payoff. We drove home at 11:00 p.m., thankful to God for what's turning into a huge October at the table. And we stopped on the way to the freeway at the McDonald's drive-thru - for two victory cheeseburgers we could devour during the drive. So those ketchup stains developed in the dark - and are an unusual sign of poker success.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One man who made the final table was visiting from the Cumberland Lake area of southern Kentucky. He was in our area for the funeral of a friend he made while serving in the Vietnam conflict.

"That's why I have hope in the resurrection," we told him. "The dead will rise again."

The man didn't respond to our idea, and continued to tell war stories. But is that your hope? Do you want to see friends and loved ones again - people who may have died this month, or even decades ago?

Atheism offers no such hope. You're born, you die, and that's that. There was even a branch of Judaism in Jesus Christ's day which lacked that hope....

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. - Mark 12:18

Their influence apparently remained on some people, even after Jesus was resurrected. An apostle had to reassure believers....

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. - I Corinthians 15:19

But the good news (otherwise known as gospel) is that a resurrection is coming. It was promised by Jesus while He walked the earth:

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. - Matthew 16:27

Why would Jesus hand out rewards to people who are dead? The only way we can appreciate them is by living again.

But here's the thing: the Bible says there will be more than one resurrection of the dead. How can that be? See if you can find it in the Scriptures, and we'll explain in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 207 final tables in 555 nights (37.3%) - 43 cashes. Since marking 500 tournaments last year, we've won money seven times in 55 tries, or almost 13 percent of the time!

Slot, Pop and Play

Casinos are filled with them. We tend to walk right by them. But this evening, we were challenged to be successful at them - for two minutes.

Jack Casino invited us to its August "Birthday Bash". (Now you know our birthday month.) The main event was a free-entry slot tournament, with $2,500 in free play at stake. All we had to do was post one of the five highest scores in a two-hour span.

Our game time was 6:20 p.m. We stood behind the early leader, who racked up more than 100,000 points at 6:05. Doris's strategy was simple: pound the "play" button on the slot machine as quickly as you could, and watch the screen to touch balloons that occasionally appeared for thousands of bonus points.

"May the best button-pusher win," we said to a man next to us when our turn came.

Our tongue was only partly in-cheek. This tournament reminded us of why we avoid slots and prefer playing poker. Slot machines tend to be mindless, with no real skill involved. If you think religion is that way as well.... well, it really shouldn't be. Consider what Jesus told one man:

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'....." "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." - Luke 10:27-28

Jesus was talking about how to obtain eternal life (verse 25). It's an "all-in" process - and that includes loving God with "all your mind." Does that mean turning your brain off at the church door? We believe it's exactly the opposite....

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

For instance, it means thinking over whether poker players are telling "true stories" in the way they play their hands. It also means thinking carefully about what God really expects of your life....

...But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. - I Thessalonians 5:21 (NLT)

Sometimes the "gospel truth" well-intentioned people bring you is really "fake news." You can prove fact from fiction by comparing those comments with the Bible. If you're not a Bible reader, we recommend doing it daily to understand God properly.

But we digress....

The countdown went to zero, and our "two-minute drill" was on! We pressed the slot machine's "play" button with our right hand about six times a second, while saving our left hand for balloons to pop. We saw "second place" on our screen at one point early, and noticed we were above 60,000 points at the one-minute mark (everyone starts with 10,000).

"We want balloons!" we said to the machine several times, changing hands for the "play" button to avoid slowing down. To our knowledge, we didn't miss any balloons. But were we strong enough to win?

"You beat me!" we said to the man on our right after the clock reached zero. Our final score: 82,035 points. He was above 88,000. Based on the early results, 100,000 or more probably would be required to "make the money" - and we were only sixth in our group.

With our daily exercise (as we called it) completed, we walked over to the birthday party area. Jack's email promised cupcakes, but Jack topped that (for a change) with a full two-flavor cake, cookies and punch.

"If I had eaten the cake before the game, I might have done better," we joked to people around us. Perhaps a "sugar rush" would have made us press buttons faster. Instead, we settled for a consolation prize of a small win at a blackjack table.

In contrast to this, Hollywood Casino Indiana awarded us $15 in "birthday comps" on our card - good for a couple of free meals at one of the restaurants. Which deal do you think was better? Use your mind to comment - and even to worship the God who makes these moments possible.

Poker Night 541: Steal a Pot, Steal a Taco

Did you take advantage of Taco Bell's giveaway Wednesday? It was called, "Steal a win, steal a taco" because Golden State won on the road during the pro basketball finals. We claimed our free taco(s), then drove to Hollywood Casino Indiana hoping to claim something bigger....

BLINDS: 400/800

IN THE POCKET: A-J offsuit

The first hour of play was mostly lower for us, although we turned pocket Jacks into three of a kind which eliminated a player. We reached the final table with 8,900 chips out of a starting 12,000.

Now we're down to 5,000 chips in the Small Blind, with nine players left. We have pretty good cards and no one has raised, but we play conservatively and simply call. We recall four players being in the hand.

ON THE FLOP: 10-4-Q (middle card not precise)

That's why we played cautiously. We miss the flop, although we have a big straight draw. We check, but the Big Blind bets 2,000. Other players bail out, leaving us with a big decision. After pondering a moment, we decide on a power play.

"All of it," we declare - raising to 4,200. As a small stack, we don't have much to lose. If the Big Blind calls, we have about 10 outs. If not, at least we made another final table.

Our opponent spends a good deal of time thinking about this. Did we read a bluff correctly? When we think he's about to fold, he calls.

"Do you have a pair?" we ask with a bit of concern.

"Yeah," he says, "but not much of one." He turns over 2-2! So yes, he bluffed - but we have two very live cards.

ON THE TURN: 4

No, that wasn't it. One chance left.

ON THE RIVER: K

"Yes!" we say and pump our arm in victory. But for a moment, the female dealer doesn't grasp it. We're sitting to her immediate left, and she's hard of hearing in her left ear!

Other players point out the straight we made. We stay alive, and return to more than 10,000 chips.

The final table was relatively tight, and it took a long time to whittle down the field. But we took a player out with K-J, and received a 9 in the Big Blind which turned into quads!

We held on until four players were left. But after more than three hours of play, rising blinds finally were too expensive. We pushed in the Big Blind with Q-2. A woman called with K-6, and won the race when two more Kings hit the board. We finish fourth out of 14 players - the third time in six tournaments there that we've finished fourth! Too bad only the top two earned money.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man sitting to our left won a pot with an A-5 straight, known in poker as the "wheel."

"There's an old song about that," we told him. "Ezekiel saw the wheel.... in the middle of the air."

The man seemed intrigued for a moment, but then became distracted by other players and hands. But are you familiar with that song? It's a "spiritual" that we sang in our youth, and it has its basis in the Bible....

As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with his four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. - Ezekiel 1:15-16

What's going on here? The prophet Ezekiel is having "visions of God" (verse 1) - and he sees "what looked like four living creatures" (verse 5). Another section of his account helps explain....

The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, "Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city." And as I watched, he went in. - Ezekiel 10:2

So Ezekiel is watching "cherubim" in action - what our old hardbound dictionary calls "the second order of angels." It's quite different from the traditional pictures of cute angels. And one thing more about those wheels....

Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. - Ezekiel 1:18

Who needs "dash-cams" inside your car when you have eyeballs on wheels? And more to our point, what could all this possibly mean for us? Offer a comment if you'd like, and we'll get back to this section (and that song) in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: Tonight we mark 11 years of playing live tournaments - and we stand at 198 final tables in 541 games (36.6%), with 40 cashes. Since moving to our new area, the final table count is six out of eight!

Poker Day 529: She Persisted

If the "Time's Up" movement needs something to show how gender equity can work, we recommend checking poker tournaments. Women and men pay equal amounts to enter. Women and men have an equal chance to win the same amount of prize money. We faced what they used to call a "Battle of the Sexes" today at Kansas Star Casino....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 9-8 of clubs

The first hour of play started slowly, but then we won two nice pots - one of them with A-K. Our chip stack reached a high of 5,400 (starting from 3,500), and reached the first break at 4,925.

Now, after an attempt to hit it big failed with K-J of clubs, we have more clubs. Our stack is down to 3,800, but we hope mid-range suited connectors will give us an opportunity to make something sneaky and big. So we call, and four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 9-K-8

Clubs, flubs. We make two pair - and with two pair showing, we're going for the pot right now. We bet 1,000. An older woman sitting to the dealer's left calls. Two other men bail out, leaving us heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 4

We can't imagine that card helped her. So we decide to be a hard-driving man. "All in," we say for our last 2,600. The woman ponders for only a moment - then chooses to call, with only 2,200 to offer.

"B", we say dramatically.... "98." We borrow from a local radio station. She turns over K-10 (the second card was so far away, it was hard to see) - top pair, but no more.

Let's analyze this. If the river is a 9 or an 8, she'll make a second pair BUT we'll make a full house. She can win the hand with either a 10 or a 4 to gain two better pair, or a third King. So she has eight outs - a lowly 18-percent chance.

ON THE RIVER: K

Ouch!!! For the second time in three weeks, a longshot river card comes up to bite us! She doubles up with change.... and we're left with a mere 400 chips.

After that loss, we were compelled to push with A-8. The board didn't pair for us, and someone made a pair of 9's to eliminate another man with us. We wound up tied for 22nd, and shaking our head again.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Kansas Star Casino has a nice deli conveniently located next to the poker room. We used points earned on our "Lucky Star" card to buy a free chocolate-chunk brownie. But we had to show not only our card, but a driver's license for identification.

"I'm legally old enough to eat this brownie," we joked to the server.

"I know," she answered, "but it's the dudes in the sky we have to answer to."

We thought about that statement a moment, then had a response. "It's God in the sky that I answer to."

Another woman behind the counter laughed at that comment. We think she got the point. We're not sure if our server heard it - but she obviously was talking about her casino bosses. We used the moment to think bigger....

This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?" - Isaiah 66:1

The throne of God the Father is in heaven - but He's not alone there:

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

The Father and Son are together in heaven. But we hope that deli server doesn't refer to the Godhead as "dudes." They are much more than that....

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.... ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. - I Chronicles 16:25, 29

After all, this is the God who created you and me. He created the tongue and vocal cords for us to speak. Instead of dismissing all that with a casual word or two, shouldn't we give Him respect and honor?

Tremble before him, all the earth!.... Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" - I Chronicles 16:30-31

You may work for "dudes," but God is divine. Be careful not to misuse His name, by taking it lightly (Deuteronomy 5:11).

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 191 final tables in 529 games (36.1%) - 39 cashes. Experiment update: down $175.

Poker Day 492: Worth the Wait?

"Did you take it all?" a complete stranger asked as he passed us in the parking lot this afternoon. We were leaving Kansas Star Casino, heading for our car. We'll reveal our response in a moment, but first let's see how things went today in our first poker tournament there in six weeks:

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: J-J

We arrived at the casino 20 minutes early, but almost didn't play at all. We were 14th on the tournament waiting list, and entered 75 minutes into the event. After folding in the blinds, we start this hand with 3,200 chips late in the order. When other players merely call, we go for it with our high pocket pair.

"Raise - 500," we say. We get three takers.

ON THE FLOP: 7-3-K

Uh-oh. A bigger face card is not what we wanted to see. And if that's not enough, a player ahead of us bets 500. We're not sure what he has, but we fear what it might be. Still, we call in hopes of improvement. So does a third player.

ON THE TURN: 9

There's no flush threat. But the players in front of us check. We're rather happy to check as well.

ON THE RIVER: 3

Now we have two pair - but one of our opponents might have the same thing, only better. He bets 1,500. That's more than half our stack. And with that King looking fierce, we decide not to risk it. We fold, and the bettor takes the pot without showing what he has.

Looking back, we wonder if we should have bet more pre-flop. We've seen other players push with pocket Jacks, to scare everyone away. But we tried to maximize our profits, and wound up losing 1,000 chips.

With 1,700 chips left, we tried again with A-K of spades. This time we raised to 700, and a player to our right called. The flop was something like 8-2-9, and his bet of 200 was answered by our going all-in for the last 1,000. The man called, and showed 8-6. "Big Slick" was dominated by a relatively junk hand. And when the board didn't pair for it, we were knocked out in 44th place out of 64 players. Late in, early out.

Oh yes - about the man in the parking lot. We showed him a brownie we bought from the casino deli. "This is my consolation prize," we said, "and at two dollars, it's a pretty good deal." We both laughed at that. It beats crying about our losses.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our second dealer has come to "know our works," to borrow from a Bible verse (Revelation 3:8). So when he saw our small bottle on the table, he asked.

"What does the bottle of hand sanitizer signify?"

"It's to remind me," we answered, "that I need Jesus to clean me up. Clean up all my sins. That's why He came."

We personally don't keep Christmas, as we've discussed in other posts. But we do believe Jesus was born - and born with a purpose:

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Sovereign Lord.... my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people...." - Luke 2:28-31

We can't recall a December where we've heard more messages on radio about Simeon. This "righteous and devout" man (verse 25) somehow was given a special promise:

It had been revealed to Him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. - Luke 2:26

"Christ" is not really Jesus's last name. It's the Greek word for "anointed" or "Messiah." The baby Simeon held about a week after Jesus was born was (and is) the Messiah, who came to bring salvation.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's Power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. - I Peter 1:3-5

The "coming salvation" ultimately will occur when Jesus comes back to Earth. Believers will have now "spirit bodies," and not need to be cleansed of sin any more. That's good news at any time of year. But are you asking God to clean up your life now, to get the process started?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 181 final tables in 492 games (36.8%) - 36 cashes.

Poker Day 482: Osage, Can You See

"The main reason I'm here is for a birthday burger," we explained to the man who prepared our registration card. He asked why we took a trip of nearly three hours today to the edge of Tulsa, Oklahoma And it was true: a restaurant chain which offers free burgers on your birthday isn't located in our city.  But we decided if we going to make a day trip, we might as well try to win our money back.

So before the burger, we played poker for the first time at Osage Casino. It's a nice, relatively small tribal complex with a poker room that's a nice distance away from the main floor of noisy slot machines. And its daily afternoon tournaments are downright cheap, at a $30 buy-in. Would a Thursday with a small turnout work to our advantage?

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 7-6 of clubs

Everyone starts with 3,000 chips, and this is the first round of blinds. An early trial balloon failed for us, so we start with about 2,800. A player raises to 150, and we join about three other players in calling.

ON THE FLOP: 5-8-9

If we were a slot machine, a lot of noise would happen right now. We hit the straight jackpot - but we notice two of these three cards are hearts (we forget exactly which ones). So when a player bets 150, we pounce with a raise to 550.

"I'm probably gonna regret this," says a man on the opposite end of the table. He calls; no one else does.

ON THE TURN: 7s

OK, that's not a heart - but that's not necessarily the best card for us. Our chances of a unique straight have gone down. But we sense our opponent is on a flush draw - so when he checks, we bet 550 again.

"I've got to stay for one more," he says as he calls.

ON THE RIVER: 10c

 No flush there - yet four numbered cards in a row actually are more trouble for us. Perhaps our opponent senses that, because now he bets 1,500. That practically would put us all in.

"After all of that...." we say aloud in a bit of frustration. We invested a lot in this hand, but all he needs is a Jack for a superior straight.

"I can't go there," we finally conclude as we fold. We take a big loss, and the winner doesn't show his cards. But there are post-mortems.

"Did you have pocket Jacks?" another player asks the winner.

"Something like that," he vaguely answers.

"Should have gone all-in," we overhear someone else saying - apparently toward us. We don't respond, but we thought we'd bet enough to run the opponent off. As it turned out, we were at a rather loose table where pushing might have been in order - but all the players were new to us.

That loss put us in a tough position for most of the day - but the looseness of the table worked in our favor. Players pushed and failed, while we waited for good moments. Then those moments came: a double-up with A-5, followed minutes later by another double-up with A-10. A measly 1,250 chips were enough to get us to the final table on a two-table 19-player day.

Once we got there, another push with A-5 paid off when an Ace came on the turn. But rising blinds and a couple of small losses kept us short-stacked. Finally with seven players left, we pushed again with 10-10 - but a young man across from us slow-bet pocket Aces and called. The board didn't save us, and we finished tied for sixth due to a double take-out. We left satisfied, knowing things could have turned out much worse.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that a dollar?" the man to our right asked when he saw our card protector. It was actually the one with the Lord's Supper on one side and a depiction of Jesus on the other.

"What do you think of Jesus?" we asked the man. "Is He your Savior?"

"Most certainly, yes," he answered. "I'm number two; He's number one."

That's a good answer - and we hope he means it. But is it true with you? Who comes first in your life?

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves.... - II Timothy 3:1-2

This is an issue we've admittedly battled internally for many years: is it wrong to love yourself? Whitney Houston sold a lot of records declaring, "Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all." But Jesus indicated there was a love much greater than that - so great it was commanded:

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this.... 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:29-31

God indeed should be our #1 love. But notice Jesus did not say we personally are #2. Our neighbors should be. That can include your family, to borrow from a famous sports memoir. But how about including fellow poker players - especially if you play with some people on a regular basis, and come to know them well?

We can love our neighbors in many ways. It can start with polite words at the table, and extend as far as praying for players with serious problems. But let's go back to that internal question, and ask for your comments. Is it wrong to love yourself? We'll dig deeper into that issue in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 179 final tables in 482 games (37.1%) - 34 cashes. Only the top two players won money today. Oh, by the way: the "free birthday burger" was pretty good - even if cheese on top cost us 50 cents.

The Sweet Life

This past week we marked nine years playing live poker, mostly in tournaments. We've had some modest successes, reached a large percentage of final tables and won money from time to time.

Most recently, we've won a few small pieces of candy. The Tournament Director at Yvie's throws them on the table every time the blinds go up. Whoever wins the next pot takes the candy as a bonus.

We're not sure why he was inspired to do this. After all, a mini-candy bar at a place serving burgers and beer doesn't amount to much. For us, we're looking for a reward that's far sweeter than that:

In fact, Christ thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death. - II Corinthians 2:15-16 (CEV)

This is NOT about wearing cologne to the poker room. This is about setting a proper example to people around us - and that example can rub different people in different ways.

Take the example of Jesus Christ. He attracted a following, as He told off religious leaders and performed miracles. But it also led some people to conspire for His death.

...But we preach Christ crucified: a stumblingblock to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - I Corinthians 1:23-24

We try to be a sweet example for God wherever we play poker. And we realize that might annoy some people - especially when we dare to bring up the things of God and Christ. Yet....

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - I Corinthians 1:18 

Given the consequences of that verse - "perishing" vs. "being saved" - how "sweet" are God and Jesus to you?

A Little or a Lot

One of our posts this week examined the success rate of online gamblers.  We found it interesting that the people who wager the least wind up winning most often, in terms of percentage.

If you think about it, that concept is true with many things in life.  Working during the week is a good, profitable thing -- but working non-stop in extra-long shifts can lead to burnout, disconnected family relations and other problems.  Here's another example, which comes from a surprising source....

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. - I Timothy 5:23

Yes, you read that correctly - a Bible verse actually recommends drinking wine.  And this was recommended to an evangelist (II Timothy 4:5)!  But note the wording: "a little wine."  Not a lot.  The Bible indeed warns against that:

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. - Proverbs 23:20-21

Go too far with alcohol, and you risk big trouble.  Have a little, and there can be benefits -- something in fact medical research has shown with wine on a "Mediterranean diet."  The research with online gamblers indicates the same kind of thinking applies there as well.

There's a church-sounding word for all this....

Let your moderation be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand. - Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

Other Bible translations use "gentle" instead of "moderation."  Yet it's along the lines of the same principle - not going to extremes in the things we do or say.

We know from personal experience that if you sit too long at a cash game poker table, you're asking for trouble.  The odds can turn against you, and big losses can come -- or you can become so tired that you make bad decisions.  So moderation matters in poker as well.  As a beer company put it well years ago: know when to say when.

Poker Night 399: If You're H-AA-ppy and You Know It

Did you know Wednesday was the first-ever International Day of Happiness?  But sadly, we're not happy with the alleged misconduct by a manager at Lil Kim's Cove.  So we chose to stay away this week, and instead went to Soho Bar and Grill.  When poker night comes, some hands make players happier than others....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-A

Why yes, we are happy to see these "pocket rockets."  But we're sitting "under the gun" -- first to act at this table of seven.  So we play by our usual approach: limp early, bet late.  We simply call the blind, and wait for big bettors.  Only problem: no one raises.

ON THE FLOP: A-9-6 (third card may not be precise)

A third Ace suggests our patience may be rewarded.  A quiet young woman to our right starts things off, with a modest bet of 100.

"Looks like she wants to play," a man across the table says.

"We're going to find out," we respond -- and raise to 600.  This convinces several players to fold.  A man across from us calls, as does that young woman.

ON THE TURN: 9

Now we have a full house.  We're sure a reward is coming -- but how much?  The young woman checks.  We really don't want to scare our opponents off, so we settle on a bet of 1,000.

"I'm all-in," the man opposite us says.  He has about 9,000 chips.  Then the young woman goes all-in as well, for 325 more!

"I have to go all-in," we say with a bit of resignation in our voice.  We have about 11,000 chips after winning a couple of earlier pots, so we have the other players covered.

"So it's 325 over here?" we ask about a sidepot.  "And I think I'm going to get a lot more."

We flip over our Aces, and the table is stunned.  The only hand which could top ours is 9-9, to make quads.

ON THE RIVER: 3

The young woman shows A-8 -- only two pair.  We're not sure exactly what the man had, but it fell short.  We eliminate two players, capture a massive pot in the range of 30,000 chips -- but never even think of doing a "happy dance."  That would show up the losers, you know.

The first hour brought more success, and we reached the one-hour break at 37,500 chips.  But then things looked weak, as strong hands such as A-Q and Q-Q lost to two pair.  With the blinds rising, we dealt ourselves another pair of pocket Aces.  Going all-in with 10,500 worked for us, for a "triple-up" rebuilding -- and after two hours, we were back to the 37,500 we had before.

Patient play after that brought us to the final table -- but then we called a bet of 25,000 with A-J, only to see things escalate from there.  We dared to put in our last 15,000, only to see other players with A-9 and A-Q.  A man with K-K had the lead, and won it all when the board didn't pair for anyone.  We finished tied for eighth (eighth in points) -- a satisfying night, at a room with more than 30 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One man at the final table was puzzled about our long nail, which we used as a card protector.  We wound up explaining to three people how it reminded us of the price Jesus paid for our sins.

"Do you believe in Jesus?  Is He your Savior?" we asked one man to our immediate right.  His answer was yes, so we asked what the Lord has been doing for him.

"Keeping my head above water," the man answered.

That's been the case for us in recent months as well.  The days have not been easy, when it comes to finances.  But the Bible promises....

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. - Psalm 111:4-5

The key words in this promise are "those who fear him."  If you fear God, blessings such as food will follow.  Jesus reinforced this point:

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?".... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:31, 33

Don't give in to the temptation to take "short cuts," when tough times come.  Walk honorably and morally before God, and have faith He will honor you in return.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 138 final tables in 399 nights (34.6%) - 21 cashes.

As of now, it appears next week will be a "spring break" for us from live poker.  A busy schedule may not allow any trips to tournaments.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 283 point wins in 1,399 games (20.2%), 92 final tables, 10 wins, 12 cashes.  No-River Hold 'em - 30 point wins in 116 games (25.9%), 25 final tables, 1 win, 2 cashes.

Sunday night was very good for us in a tournament with 1,180 players.  We finished 38th - easily in the money at a poker room, but awarded no points or money at NLOP (only the top seven won cash).

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $85,160, down $617 (total corrected).

Thanks for Nothing?

Since today is U.S. Thanksgiving Day, we took this small "thank you" card to our live poker tournament this week -- provided to us by a bank.  We've found one sure way to make people stop in their tracks and think is to ask: "What are you thankful for this year?"

But this week, a man at one of our tables had a quick answer for that question -- an answer we never expected to hear.  "Not a G** d**n thing."

The man went on to explain his goal was to move away from our area this year.  "That prayer wasn't answered," he said.

Some people might have stopped right there and condemned the man for his words.  And they'd have good Biblical support for it....

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy....  - II Timothy 3:1-2 (KJV)

Many ministers probably have preached in recent days about how an "attitude of ingratitude" has swept over too many people -- and perhaps even over some believers in God.  Paul went on to warn people in such a condition are "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" of God (verse 7).

But in the case of the man at our poker table, we focused on his claim that God didn't answer his prayer.  Have you concluded if God doesn't give you what you want, He must not exist at all?  A dramatic example from the life of Jesus may change your thinking:

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.  "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will." - Mark 14:35-36

This occurred on the night Jesus was arrested, leading to the crucifixion less than 24 hours later.  Jesus, who was sent by God from heaven to Earth, prayed for relief from the torture.  BUT He trusted God the Father, putting the outcome of the matter in the Father's hands.  God answered the prayer, all right -- by telling His firstborn Son no.

Are you surprised by God turning down Christ's request?  Then maybe we shouldn't be surprised if our human-based requests sometimes get turned down by God as well.

You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:2-3

Do we trust God enough to accept His answer to prayer as the right answer -- even if it's not our desired answer?

We'll get back to that man's allegedly "unanswered" prayer in our next post.  In the meantime, consider this online poker chat which developed Wednesday night after we wished the table a happy Thanksgiving eve:


uPeaKn: anyone have an extra pecan pie
Me: Don't even have one. :-(
sissysmurf won Main pot 1,315
uPeaKn: hummmmm not sure what 2 think
uPeaKn: no pecan pie no ThanksGiving
Me: Well, no.
Me: I can give thanks without it.
Me: Thank God for free poker. :-)

A lot of traditions (food and otherwise) are associated with Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.  But we've followed a contentious debate within church circles over the last couple of weeks, over whether all those things make the day "pagan" - something Christians actually should avoid.

After studying our Bible on the issue, we concluded giving thanks can include food -- and it did in Old Testament times (Leviticus 7:11-15).  But far more importantly, it should be directed toward God.  And that gets back to the aspect of prayer....

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

It's thanksgiving without a capital T, without a formal holiday and Presidential proclamations.  May you be thankful every day for what God provides -- even if you only finish in the money at poker tournaments a couple of times a year.

Poker Night 312: K-9 Bites

Things even up eventually in poker -- don't they?  If your Aces get cracked in one hand, shouldn't they win the next time you have them?  Most players probably would tell you Texas Hold 'em doesn't always work that way.  But we hoped it would Monday night at The Red Barn....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: K-9

Remember "The Rodney" -- the hand which can win you a 5,000-chip bonus at the Barn?  The hand which dealt us a fatal blow last Monday night?  Here it is again, as we sit in the Big Blind.  A man to our immediate left raised 200 right off the bat.  Most of this table of six is calling, so we do the same.

ON THE FLOP: 5-9-J (Not absolutely sure about the first card)

Middle pair puts us halfway there.  We check -- but the man next in line makes a continuation bet of 1,000.  Most of the table folds.  We decide to be tenacious (or is that stubborn?) and call.

ON THE TURN: 8 (Not exactly sure about this, either)

That didn't help much.  We check again.  The man to our left bets 1,000 again.  What if he's had an overpair all along?  Still dreaming of that Rodney bonus, we call again.

ON THE RIVER: J

This gives us two pair -- but not quite the way we wanted.  We check once more, a bit resigned to our fate.  But our opponent gives us hope, by checking himself.

"Two pair, with The Rodney," we say as we show.

Our opponent shows.... 9-10 suited!  He had an open-ended straight draw which missed.  Our King is a better kicker -- and this time K-9 wins!  With the bonus, we jump to about 15,000 chips.

Surrounded by players who "bought" much larger stacks through food and alcohol, some costly chases failed after that.  But in a rematch with that man to the left, we dared to call his all-in challenge with A-7 of spades near the one-hour break -- and caught him bluffing with a weaker hand and no pair.  That lifted us back above 15,000 chips.  More timely cards came in the second hour, while several big spenders pushed each other all the way to the rail.

A patient approach helped us reach the final table.  Once we got there, Q-Q improved us to 55,000 chips.  But we folded Q-5 in the small blind in an "all-in" decision, which cost us a winning straight.  A final push with A-Q lost to a man who actually made a straight.  It wasn't a win, but it was a satisfying evening -- as finishing fifth as a "David" against chip Goliaths is a bit of an accomplishment.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Genesis 1:12," said a man across from us before the game began -- a man nicknamed "Buddha" who's struck us often as a skeptic of anything Biblical.  He went on to quote part of the verse, then declared: "D****t, I'm enjoying it!"

What was he talking about?  It's a passage from the creation account....

The land produced vegetation; plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.  And God saw that it was good. - Genesis 1:12

For the second time in recent weeks at The Red Barn, marijuana use had come up.  But Buddha's quoting of this verse wasn't quite accurate, as he transplanted some of God's later instructions to Adam and Eve:

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food." - Genesis 1:29

Some Christian groups use this verse to explain why they practice vegetarianism.  But "food" refers to something you eat.  We've heard of people smoking marijuana, but not putting leaves atop their hamburger patties.

"Marijuana is not addictive," Buddha insisted.  We were skeptical about that.  Do a Bing search for "marijuana addictive" and you'll find web pages with multiple views on that issue.  We'd point out as we prepared this post, ABC News Nightline aired a report on something else psychologists haven't officially classified as an "addiction" -- even though some counselors say pornography among teenagers really is.  This is clearly a topic for a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 110 final tables in 312 nights (35.3%) - 17 cashes.

Ham Fighters

So what did you find, when it comes to food in the Bible?  We went carefully through the book of Amos, as the man across the table from us suggested last week.  But in all nine chapters, we found NO mention of pork products.  Here's the closest possible reference we see:

Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more.  Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.  Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings -- boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do, declares the Sovereign Lord.  "I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet have you not returned to me," declares the Lord. - Amos 4:4-5

There's nothing here about eating animals, but the passage mentions a couple of things ancient Israel was instructed to do while it was in the wilderness: give tithes and present offerings.  But those are topics for another post.  During the time of wandering, God also gave these instructions....

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat.... the pig, tough it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.'" - Leviticus 11:1-2, 7

Animal rights groups might not like it, but God said people could eat animals.  Yet the poker player who didn't want ham in his grilled cheese sandwich was correct in noting the Bible warns against it. (In fact, the warning is repeated in Deuteronomy 14:8.)

On the other hand, some Christians might raise objections to this command -- especially in a city like ours, which loves Southern-style barbecued pork.  They're more likely to turn to a New Testament book, instead of Amos....

One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.  The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. - Romans 14:2-3

We've seen this section of the Bible turned and twisted in several directions.  We think Paul's point is that the foods we eat should not become things which divide believers in God.  And note these additional words....

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.  All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything which causes someone else to stumble. - Romans 14:20

We personally stopped eating pork products many years ago.  We worship with friends who have made the same decision, so we still avoid those products.  But we think the final yardstick for Christians when Jesus comes back will not be their supermarket or restaurant receipts -- it will be whether they've repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Poker Night 293: Who's Got the Nuts?

The price of poker must be going up everywhere -- because as of tonight, a 12-ounce can of big-name soda cost $2.50 at Lil Kim's Cove instead of two dollars.  The server gave us less change for a 20-dollar bill without any explanation.  But she also gave us 4,000 poker chips as a reward, and this was a night when we needed them.

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: K-K

Our table of six is playing like we're in Zimbabwe, not the U.S.  Hyperinflated raises in the thousands have abounded.  So when we see this sitting third in the betting order, we're ready to move -- but realize others want to move first.  So we limp in, and are a bit surprised when nobody raises pre-flop; most of the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: 2-5-J

The table checks ahead of us -- but with a nice overpair, we reach for chips.

"Your Jack is no good," a man to our immediate left warns.

"OK, then -- 700," we say (not bothering to mention we don't have a Jack).

"That's peanuts to the elephants." that man points out.  Yeah, we know.  But it's also a relatively modest bet for this night, and we'd like some callers.  About three players call.

ON THE TURN: A

Oops.  This is potential trouble.  But the table checks again -- and this time, so do we.

ON THE RIVER: Ac

This complicates matters, by putting three clubs on the board.  But once more the players ahead of us check -- so we feel somewhat confident, and bet 700 again.

"Do you have a Jack?" the man to our left asks.  We stare back at him and say nothing -- so he decides to fold.  Only the player to our immediate right calls.

"Do you have an Ace?" we now ask.  "Because I have Kings."

"Naw -- all I had is a Jack."  Thank you very much!  Our stack jumps from the 5,000 range to more than 9,000.

We took another pot later to improve to 10,075.  But chases fell short after that, and we only took 2,150 to the one-hour break.  A former tournament director graciously gave us 3,000 bonus chips in the second hour (apparently because he had to leave) -- and we went for it all when we saw A-2 of diamonds, with a bigger stack all-in ahead of us.  He had 4-4, and he won the race when the board didn't pair.  We left in 18th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man at our table ordered a grilled cheese sandwich during the one-hour break  -- but was stunned to take a bite, and discover there was ham included with the cheese.

"They're trying to poison me!" the man said amid expletives.  "I don't eat pork!"

"I don't eat pork, either," we replied.  But then we wanted to probe a little further.  "Why don't you eat pork?  For religious reasons?"

"Both," the man curiously answered.  "Health reasons -- and I had a bad reaction to pork once."

We're in a part of the U.S. where pork products are all over the menu, from breakfast biscuits to barbecue restaurants.  So this situation sparked a discussion.

"I read in a book once you shouldn't eat pork," we said.

"What book is that?" a man across the table asked.

"The Bible."

"Yeah, it's in the Bible," agreed the man who ordered the sandwich.

"Yeah -- but you've got to read deeper into the Bible," explained the man across from us.  "You've got to read Amos."

Amos?!?!  That man didn't explain any further -- and we admittedly don't take a Bible to poker nights.

"Now I know what to study when I get home," we said to a man next to us.  And we invite you to study this topic with us.  Where in the Bible are we warned against eating pork?  And where in Amos will you find the other side of the issue?  We'll compare notes in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 106 final tables in 293 nights (36.2%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments -- 191 point wins in 824 games (23.2%), 66 final tables, 7 cashes.

We were in the running for a final table earlier in the day, but our McAfee computer security system started a weekly scan which froze our browser for about 15 minutes -- and inactivity gets you disqualified at ten minutes.  Our frustration with McAfee continues.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $74,198, up $2,830.

Lessons from Four Aces

Language issues can happen in online poker, every bit as much as in live tournaments. Take what happened today at National League of Poker....

Dealer: cher67 wins Main Pot ($740) with Four of a kind, aces
Me: wow excellent
cher67: holy sh

Cher may have stopped short of finishing the second word, because NLOP seems to have a language filter. (At least it does for us; profanity shows on our screen with asterisks.) But the first word was enough to get us thinking....

omajor: nh
cher67: too bad there wasnt more money on the table
Me: What makes that stuff holy, anyway? :-/

Exclamations beginning with "holy" have been around for a long time. We remember "Robin the Boy Wonder" uttering them all the time on the old Batman TV series. We avoid them because a Biblical warning:

Above all, my brothers, do not swear -- not by heaven, or by earth or by anything else.... -- James 5:12

So we had a little fun with the exclamation, in hopes of making a larger point. The fun stuff continues with this response....

cher67: oxidation
Me: Ohhhhhh.
Dealer: suarez801 wins Main Pot ($630)
cher67: didnt think i knew the answer didja
Dealer: stolen wins Main Pot ($1550)
Me: I was expecting more of a Biblical answer than that.
cher67: lol
Me: Something like "Be ye holy, for I am holy."

That quote comes from I Peter 1:15-16 -- but it's really based in Leviticus 11:44-45.

cher67: well i guess if you say grace before u eat
cher67: jk
Dealer: mjgtlc wins Main Pot ($1210) with Straight, ten to ace
Me: Welllll - that's always a good idea.

It's a good idea because Jesus did it, to perform a great miracle:

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. -- Luke 9:16

Matthew 14:21 indicates more than 5,000 people were fed by that small donation. (In fact, we heard radio preacher Chuck Swindoll claim the other day the fish were little more than sardines.)

The "holy chat" ended there -- but we hopefully made others at the table think a bit. Holiness really doesn't come from exposure to the air, you know. It comes from exposure to God -- by "breathing in" the Holy Spirit, as God speaks to you in Bible study. The best "meat" to enjoy is the meat of God's word.

Poker Night 203: Chicken-Hearted?

To ensure we avoided stray Halloween visitors, we made our first poker visit tonight to The Sports Page. It's perhaps the best-known sports bar in Columbus, and we've enjoyed their version of a "Scrambled Dawg" for years as a dinner to go with big-screen games.

The Sports Page also has become known as a busy poker spot, with tournaments three nights a week. So we had plenty of competition, and faced several big challenges....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: K-J of hearts

Because we ate a Scrambled Dawg before the tournament, we started with double the normal chip stack -- 10,000. But after winning the first pot of the night by making a diamond flush on the flop, we're down to about 7,500. When a player across the table raises to 500, we hope history will repeat itself. Several players call.

ON THE FLOP: Qh-Jc-8h (as best we recall)

The man who raised doesn't slow down, betting 2,000. A man between us calls. Now we have to think a moment. This is the flush chance we hoped to see -- but the bet is so large that we'd lose a lot of chips if we call and we're wrong. (We also suspect a bigger bet on the turn is coming.)

"I'm tempted -- but I'll fold," we finally say.

ON THE TURN: 2 of hearts

Ouch! The hand plays out to reveal the big bettor had two pair. We were the only one with two hearts, and could have gained a small fortune.

We show our cards afterward, and overhear someone to our left say something about "calling a raise pre-flop" and following up on it. That big bet on the flop probably was designed to scare off flush-chasers -- and we admittedly lacked the backbone to follow through with our hope nearly realized. (Hmmmm; there could be a lesson there for another post.)

We reached the one-hour break, but then tried to fight for our life with A-8 when a high-card 8 showed up on the flop. But a 6 which also was showing gave a man to our left two pair (8-6), and he eliminated us in about 31st place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Did I ever show you this?" we asked a man to our immediate right. We showed him the "Jesus as your Savior" coin. When we asked if he agreed with the message, he nodded -- barely.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 83 final tables in 203 nights (40.9%) - 15 cashes.