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.

Poker Night 538: Holiday Road

Some casinos have big special poker tournaments around national holidays. But the poker rooms in our new area do not. It was Sunday night business as usual, when we visited Jack Casino for the first time in several weeks. Memorial Day is an off day for us, so we were prepared to go all night....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 8-8

The room is full of poker players, but most of them are in cash games. We're at a full tournament table of nine, and early efforts have not gone well. We start this hand with about 12,750 chips, from a starting 15,000. But we'll gladly give a mid-range pocket pair a try. No one raises, and about five players are in.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-2

Not looking promising for us, with two higher cards showing. A man across the table bets 500. It's enough to chase off other people, but strikes us as a "position bet" to steal a pot. We dare to call, and now are heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 7

Well, 8's do beat 7's. But what are we really up against? We check. Our opponent checks, too.

ON THE RIVER: 9

This pairs the board, and gives us two pair. Suddenly we think it's time to turn the test in the opposite direction, so we bet 500. The other player calls.

"Nines and eights," we say as we show. Lo and behold, that's good enough! Our opponent folds without showing his cards. Our best guess is that he had something like A-Q, and the higher cards missed.

We won a few more modest pots in the first two-hour period of the turbo tourney. Our high was 19,200, and 18,200 remained at the first break. Then rising blinds forced some bold decisions. We went all-in four times without getting a caller, making nice gains in the process without showing our cards.

The four-table tourney went to two in a hurry, and quick dropouts put us at the final table of nine with 21,800. But that was on the low end of the list - and while we held on for a while, eventually we went all-in with 3-5 after seeing a flop of 2-4-9. Our straight draw missed twice. So a man with a mega-stack took out a woman who also had 3-5, as well as us.

Final result: a tie for eighth place, out of 36 players. The Sunday afternoon tournament at Jack had 91 entries - so many that the final table was still going when our tournament began. The top four there earned more than $1,000. Our contest only paid the top six, and we missed the money.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Do you have an extension cord for that?" the final table dealer joked when he noticed our card protector. We brought an electrical adapter, which people use to plug three-pronged devices into two-pronged wall outlets.

"I brought this to remind me," we explained to everyone, "that I receive power through the Holy Spirit of God."

A few people laughed at our words. We hope it was simply because it was a clever explanation. If you scoff at the idea of a Holy Spirit, the joke someday may be on you - as it was on scoffers long ago:

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." - Acts 2:13-14

Both groups in this chapter had witnessed an amazing sight - the Holy Spirit filling Jesus's followers and guiding them in speaking other languages (verse 4). The apostle Peter explained what they saw:

These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.... I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below...." - Acts 2:15-19

It was a moment for joy, but not necessarily scoffing laughter. That's because Peter had a serious offer to make....

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.... Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:21, 38

Some believers say they "speak in tongues" today, because they're filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way. They need to be sure others can understand what they say (verses 6, 11). But Peter's main point was that people should call on God, seeking forgiveness with a repentant heart. Then they can be forgiven. People around you might not forgive you, but God can - and that's a wonderful blessing to have.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 196 final tables in 538 games (36.4%) - 40 cashes. The final table count in our new area now is four out of five!

Language Foul?

It wouldn't be World Series of Poker season without a little controversy - right?  And there's one posted today, from a H.O.R.S.E. tournament.

It involves two players fluent in Russian, who spoke Russian to each other during a hand.  They were both out of the hand at the time.  Many poker rooms in the U.S. have "English-only" rules for tables.  But in this case, a WSOP official ruled the players could speak in Russian "on the side" because they were out of the hand.

The video report we saw didn't reveal what the players discussed in Russian.  It could have been President Vladimir Putin's pending divorce.  But it could have been poker strategy -- so we can understand why others at the table would be annoyed by what they did.

Perhaps the WSOP might consider applying some guidance from the Bible:

If anyone speaks in a tongue, two - or at the most three - should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. - I Corinthians 14:27

Why would the apostle Paul bring up this issue?  Because some early churches had people who spoke in different languages.  Even modern churches have this; you may know of congregations which have separate weekend services in English, Spanish, Korean or some other dialect.

Paul's instruction is that when everyone gathers together, the emphasis should be on unity....

What then shall we say, brothers?  When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation.  All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. - I Corinthians 14:26

By having one "official language" during a service, everyone can understand what's said.  That way, everyone can profit from it.  We think the same principle can apply at a poker table.  There's no question about what others are doing or discussing if everyone speaks the same language - and if players need assistance in speaking English, an interpreter can help.

We're interested in your comments about this issue.  In the meantime, feliz jugando.  (Spanish for "happy playing.")