The R.O.I.

"You usually don't play cash games," a poker dealer said as we passed the poker room entrance Thursday night.

"True," we replied. "But I'm here for something else."

We explained an unusual Thursday night trip to Kansas Star Casino was for a blackjack tournament. It guarantees a $20,000 prize pool with a $10,000 top prize, for a mere $35 buy-in.

Since we've had small gains at times playing blackjack and the buy-in was less than for a casino poker tournament, we decided to try it. Thursday's first night of qualifying had room for 108 players - but apparently not every seat was filled, as the Director invited late entries on the house mic before the third round.

We sat at a table of six in the first round, with a starting stack of $500 in chips. Everyone had 18 hands to build the biggest stack they could, using regular blackjack rules.

When the first count was taken after 12 hands, we had $962.50. That put us second at our table. But with the top 30 players on the evening advancing to the semifinals, would that be good enough?

Not knowing where "the cut" would come (to borrow from golf), we increased our betting in the last six hands. Ups and downs came, but a $250 payoff on the final hand gave us a final count of $912.50. That was second-best at our table, behind a man with $1,275. Two players went for it all on the final hand, and went bust.

We had to wait until 9:30 p.m. for the evening rankings to be revealed - and we were satisfied to place 19th. First place had $3,075, while the 30th-place cut was $640. All 30 of us move on to the semifinals 22 February, but we'll have to do better then. Only the top player at each table will move on to the finals, and only the top six finishers overall will make money.

"This reminds me of Jeopardy," we told a woman next to us at the table - as in how much to wager and when. We started at $25, and increased slowly from there as our stack grew.

But our 82.5% chip gain reminded us of something else. It's a parable of Jesus....

He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'" - Luke 19:12-13

In this familiar Bible story, most of the servants put their "chip stacks" of one mina each to work. Eventually the king returned to check on them:

The first one came and said, "Sir, your mina has earned ten more." "Well done, my good servant," his master replied. "Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities." - Luke 19:16-17

A big reward for the servant who increased his stack by 1,000%! Another servant had a 500% return on investment, and received a five-city payoff (verses 18-19).

Then another servant came and said, "Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man...." - Luke 19:20-21

As someone told us at a poker night in Georgia years ago, "Scared money don't win." It didn't win here....

His master replied: "I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant!... Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?" - Luke 19:22-23

Refusing to bet the $500 at the blackjack tournament would not have made the cut. The king wound up removing the mina from the scared servant (verse 24). A parallel report of the parable offers this lesson from it....

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. - Matthew 25:29

This parable has meaning far outside the casino walls. Jesus went to heaven to become King of Kings, and He'll come back to earth someday....

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

Among other things, Jesus will check to see what you've done with the "talents" (to use King James English) that God has given you. It's called the day of judgment:

...The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. - Revelation 20:12

You may think your "chip stack" in life is small. But God has given each of us the breath of life. What are you doing with that, to provide an "ROI" for what the "royal original Immanuel" has provided you?

Slots of Luck?

One of our recent posts mentioned a surprising development in the city where our poker-playing (and this "poker blog") began. The City Council in Columbus, Georgia is now on record supporting a public vote on legalizing casino gambling.

It's far too early to say if Georgia voters will approve a casino, or whether that casino will have any kind of poker room. But supporters say it will create hundreds of jobs. To which we would respond: what else will it create?

It's a rare state that has poker rooms with nothing else supporting them. Most of the rooms we've visited in Florida also have greyhound racing. In Kansas, the rooms are part of casinos - with lots and lots of slots. We tend to walk past those machines. But we realize many people don't - and the odds are that those people will lose money.

Casinos make money to some extent from restaurants, bars and an occasional concert. But most of the time, they "win" from gamblers losing - primarily from slot machines. It's enough for us to raise a question found in the Bible:

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?.... - Isaiah 55:2

We brought this verse up a few weeks ago, in the wake of the WSOP Main Event. But if you have money to burn, we think there are better "investments" than throwing quarters into a slot machine. For instance....

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - II Corinthians 9:7

We're posting this a bit late for "Giving Tuesday." But money you might toss down a slot could be used for good causes by non-profit groups and charities. Faith-based groups can use the money to help needy people, whether they're down the street or halfway around the world. Those people might even hear life-changing news about salvation through Jesus Christ.

But, you might say, you have no chance of getting back any money at all? Keep reading....

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. - II Corinthians 9:10-11

No, we are not asking for your donations to keep this blog going. But we're suggesting you consider giving some of your "gambling money" to faith-based groups - since the Bible promises you'll "be made rich" in return. It's worked for us, despite some hard times. Yes, a church or fellowship can be a better long-term investment than any casino..

You Want a Piece of Me?

Careful, now - please don't jump to conclusions about our title.  We're not talking about fighting or cyber-bullying. We're talking about what one radio report calls "diversifying your poker portfolio."

NPR reported this week that one of the players at a World Series of Poker Main Event final table didn't really win millions of dollars after all. The radio story didn't explain when it happened, but Jake Balsiger finished third in 2012. His listed winnings are $3.799,073. But his real take-home check was much less than one million.

Why? Because other players "invested" in Balsiger - buying a percentage of his winnings, in exchange for helping to pay his buy-in fee. At the Main Event, that's a steep $10,000.  It's a bit like an actor or performer hiring a talent agent to handle bookings and negotiations.


One of Balsiger's "investors" bought shares in several other WSOP players as well.  But what strikes us about this arrangement is that it goes against one of the basic concepts of poker. When a player goes "all in," he puts all his chips in the middle. Not anyone else's, unless they choose to push as well. And not 75 percent of his chips, unless he's called by someone with less.

If you think God works in the "portfolio" mode, we think you're mistaken. Jesus made clear God doesn't want simply a 10 or 15-percent commitment on your part....

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - Matthew 6:24

Straddling is the stuff of blackjack or roulette. It should not be the stuff of believers....

And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only...." - I Samuel 7:3

It's ultimately about commitment - a whole-hearted commitment. Do you have enough faith in God to invest everything you have in Him and His Son?  To borrow from a classic hymn: are you surrendering "all in?"

You Bettor, You Bettor, You Bet

Some newcomers can look at poker as a very simple game. You fold the bad hands. You play the good hands. And you push on the best hands of all.

But if you've played for awhile, you know there's much more to it than that. Several different strategies can win pots - including sometimes pushing when your hand is lousy.

We found an article online this week which promotes a pretty simple poker strategy, and applies it to investing.  Part of it recommends....

Poker players, however, know that good hands don't come around that often. You need to bet every round to build the pot and maximize your income.

That's a nice idea if you're investing (well, except for world stock markets in this first week of 2016).  But the analogy can break down in a hurry in a poker room. If you use the "bet every round" approach on a regular basis, wary players will catch on to you and adjust their games. They might fold early. They might make "I-dare-you" raises. You might have other ideas to offer.

There's one "betting strategy" that you may not have considered, which is promised to bring victory and a reward. It's hidden at the end of the Old Testament....

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

God challenges you to bring a "tithe" (defined as ten percent) to Him. We should realize God isn't really going hungry, and needs food for supper. But giving a tithe to His "storehouse" (we think that means church and ministries) is promised to bring abundant blessings.

We've done this for decades, even with money we've won playing poker. There have been lean times, to be sure. But our blessings have grown - and what happened to us at the table in 2015 may be a great example of that.

But just as you excel in everything....see that you also excel in this grace of giving. - II Corinthians 8:7

Do you have the "gift" of giving? Maybe it's time to invest in the things of God, and find out.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. - Psalm  34:8

Right or Wrong? Part 2

We continue our meditations from a radio ministry's sermon on gambling.

2. Investing and gambling are different things. The preacher argued purchasing stocks is a way for both businesses and shareholders to produce wealth, while the vast majority of gamblers lose.

We agree with the pastor on this, to the extent that there are good and bad investments every bit as much as there are good and bad "gambles." For instance, we know a couple which lost a lot of money after being persuaded to invest in pineapple farming.

We can't think of any poker players who say they've made money from slot machines at casinos. The odds of winning at those things simply are too steep. But wise poker players realize when they have the best chances of winning a hand. They "do the math" in their head, and compute the odds of making a flush draw or filling a full house.

The minister referred in passing to a classic parable of Jesus. It hit us along these lines a couple of years ago, like it never had before....

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. The he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.- Matthew 25:15-16

The parable doesn't say exactly how that man doubled his money. But what happened when the giver returned from his journey?  Did Mr. Journeyman he call the "double-up" man greedy and covetous?

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" - Matthew 25:20-21

The double-up man was praised for his gain - and given an extra reward of being "in charge of many things!" Compare that with another man in the parable, who took a much more "conservative" approach:

But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money... "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you."  - Matthew 25:18, 24-25

Mr. One-Talent admittedly was motivated by fear - not only because he might lose everything, but he apparently knew some dark secrets about Mr. Journeyman.

His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant!... you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest." - Matthew 25:26-27

Mr. Journeyman wanted at least a little something for his talent. Doing nothing with it was not an acceptable option.

"And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 25:30

The fearful man was declared disqualified from the "master's happiness" others received. As a man told us simply during a poker night years ago: "Scared money don't win."

Sitting at a poker table all night without playing a hand eventually will cost you money. You'll be "blinded out" every few hands, and maybe lose antes as well. The object of the game is to make "money" or chips, by handling it properly when the moment comes - a lot like stock investing. That's one big difference we see between playing poker and generic "gambling" on slots or greyhounds.

(NOTE: This will be a series of posts, so keep checking here for the next part.)

Handling a Big Stack

It's a news item that could give the phrase "hedging your bets" a completely new meaning. A British hedge fund has hired a new employee who happens to be one of the top professional poker players in Greece.

It would be tempting to ask Alexios Zervos why he'd leave Greece for London. If he's considered good at managing investments, doesn't the Greek government need him right now to avoid bankruptcy?

But the article about this hire points out an interesting connection.  Several investment specialists have become well-known poker stars.  Perhaps it's because they're considered wise at taking risks, and computing the true value of a potential investment.

Whether you play a lot of poker or a little, you need to be careful with whatever "stack" you've been given. It could be chips at a tournament, a job responsibility or something else. Jesus discussed that principle in a famous parable:

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faith with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" - Matthew 25:20-21

Jesus's story may be what the hedge fund managers are thinking. If someone can handle poker chips with skill and success, why not something larger - like large investment accounts?

But Jesus's deeper point may be that you need to be successful to be rewarded.  There should be growth - and God wants believers to grow spiritually.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. - II Peter 3:18

If you're already a follower of Jesus, ask yourself: are you growing in that relationship?  If you're not, we invite you to consider all of Matthew 25. By using several stories, Jesus reveals there's a great reward waiting for anyone who uses what God has given them to build more.  It's an investment (a "bet", if you will) that's worth taking.