Showing posts with label quads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quads. Show all posts
Friday, June 28, 2019
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Poker Day 565: Six-Packed
The gambling this week actually began on Monday morning - simply by getting in the car. We decided to take advantage of a partial government shutdown by traveling west to see relatives. But we knew if a shutdown was announced at any point, we'd have to turn around immediately and hurry back to our regular job.
But by midday today, there was no settlement. So we drove to Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City, where the midday "Fat Stack" poker tournament costs $60 - a bargain, compared to our home area. Would the successful risks continue?
BLINDS: 600/1,200
IN THE POCKET: 6-6
We made good early gains, advancing from a starting 12,000 chips to about 20,500 at one point. We reached the first break at 16,400. Now we're at level 7, still above "sea level" at about 14,500 chips. Sitting one off the button at a table of seven, we limp in with a medium-small pocket pair. A couple of people call.
ON THE FLOP: K-K-6
WOW! We hit it big, with the underside of a full house. The opponents check to us. But we'll wait on them to jump offsides, and check as well.
ON THE TURN: 6
DOUBLE WOW!! Now we have quads! But a man to our right bets 1,200. For a moment, we realize he could be slow-playing pocket Kings. That would be an awfully bad beat. But we see absolutely no reason to fold.
"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly with a nod. We soft-sell a call, putting us heads-up.
ON THE RIVER: 4
A worthless card for a moment like this. It all depends now on what our opponent does. Will he bet bigger, perhaps to attempt to scare us away?
No.... he simply checks. So now it depends on us. How much can be bet to encourage a call and maximize our gains?
"How about..... 2,300?" we ask as we bet.
If our opponent really had pocket Kings, he'd bet them now. Instead, he thinks things over for about a minute. Then he softly folds.
"Very good decision," we tell him - and show the quads we had. It's actually the second quads hand at the table today, and others are impressed.
"You could do 12," a man to our right says in an imitation of our line.
"I really could," we say with a big nod. It's still a good and much-needed win, getting to 18,400.
But then came level 8 - and when a man across the table pushed, we saw A-K and took him on. His pocket 5's won the race, and threw us onto the ropes. A couple of all-in wins on our part brought a recovery to 10,000 at the second break.
With added antes and higher blinds in Hour 3, we dropped to 2,600. "Final table" was called as we looked at Big Blind cards of A-10. We decided they were too good to wait. We pushed into two callers. But the board didn't pair for us, and a man with K-9 hit a King on the river. We finished tenth out of 24 players, but missed the final table because we never played a hand there.
MINISTRY MOMENT: The pre-game talk turned to the partial government shutdown, which today reached Day 19.
"The problem is that both sides think they're God," one man said.
"That's why I'm praying to God," we replied, "that He'll show both sides the right end to this."
There's been a lot of debate about the main issue in the shutdown. But we haven't heard anyone call for the country to appeal to God about it through prayer. Perhaps that's because many people want "their side" to prevail. Yet shouldn't we do this?
We've heard some preachers combine verse 10 into one phrase - asking for God's Kingdom to come to Earth. That's a proper thing to seek in prayer. But the NIV puts a comma after "come", making the part about God's will a separate thought.
Maybe that's what scares some people. They don't really want God's will in their lives, because it might require making some major changes. Yet Jesus took the concept all the way to the end of His life...
This leads us to ask a hard question. Are you willing to accept God's will for your life - even if that will is not what you want? If, perhaps, He doesn't want you to play poker anymore? Dare to pray it, then trust God for whatever answer He provides.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 213 final tables in 565 games (37.7%) - 45 cashes.
But by midday today, there was no settlement. So we drove to Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City, where the midday "Fat Stack" poker tournament costs $60 - a bargain, compared to our home area. Would the successful risks continue?
BLINDS: 600/1,200
IN THE POCKET: 6-6
We made good early gains, advancing from a starting 12,000 chips to about 20,500 at one point. We reached the first break at 16,400. Now we're at level 7, still above "sea level" at about 14,500 chips. Sitting one off the button at a table of seven, we limp in with a medium-small pocket pair. A couple of people call.
ON THE FLOP: K-K-6
WOW! We hit it big, with the underside of a full house. The opponents check to us. But we'll wait on them to jump offsides, and check as well.
ON THE TURN: 6
DOUBLE WOW!! Now we have quads! But a man to our right bets 1,200. For a moment, we realize he could be slow-playing pocket Kings. That would be an awfully bad beat. But we see absolutely no reason to fold.
"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly with a nod. We soft-sell a call, putting us heads-up.
ON THE RIVER: 4
A worthless card for a moment like this. It all depends now on what our opponent does. Will he bet bigger, perhaps to attempt to scare us away?
No.... he simply checks. So now it depends on us. How much can be bet to encourage a call and maximize our gains?
"How about..... 2,300?" we ask as we bet.
If our opponent really had pocket Kings, he'd bet them now. Instead, he thinks things over for about a minute. Then he softly folds.
"Very good decision," we tell him - and show the quads we had. It's actually the second quads hand at the table today, and others are impressed.
"You could do 12," a man to our right says in an imitation of our line.
"I really could," we say with a big nod. It's still a good and much-needed win, getting to 18,400.
But then came level 8 - and when a man across the table pushed, we saw A-K and took him on. His pocket 5's won the race, and threw us onto the ropes. A couple of all-in wins on our part brought a recovery to 10,000 at the second break.
With added antes and higher blinds in Hour 3, we dropped to 2,600. "Final table" was called as we looked at Big Blind cards of A-10. We decided they were too good to wait. We pushed into two callers. But the board didn't pair for us, and a man with K-9 hit a King on the river. We finished tenth out of 24 players, but missed the final table because we never played a hand there.
MINISTRY MOMENT: The pre-game talk turned to the partial government shutdown, which today reached Day 19.
"The problem is that both sides think they're God," one man said.
"That's why I'm praying to God," we replied, "that He'll show both sides the right end to this."
There's been a lot of debate about the main issue in the shutdown. But we haven't heard anyone call for the country to appeal to God about it through prayer. Perhaps that's because many people want "their side" to prevail. Yet shouldn't we do this?
This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." -Matthew 6:9-10
We've heard some preachers combine verse 10 into one phrase - asking for God's Kingdom to come to Earth. That's a proper thing to seek in prayer. But the NIV puts a comma after "come", making the part about God's will a separate thought.
Maybe that's what scares some people. They don't really want God's will in their lives, because it might require making some major changes. Yet Jesus took the concept all the way to the end of His life...
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26:39Jesus repeated that prayer twice, in the moments before His arrest (verses 42-44). Yet God the Father did not intervene. It was His will that Jesus endure mocking, torture and crucifixion.
This leads us to ask a hard question. Are you willing to accept God's will for your life - even if that will is not what you want? If, perhaps, He doesn't want you to play poker anymore? Dare to pray it, then trust God for whatever answer He provides.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 213 final tables in 565 games (37.7%) - 45 cashes.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Poker Night 549: Monsters' Ball
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| Courtesy Fox19.com |
We left it to that group to send someone inside, to try and win enough money to gain everyone housing. They probably would have done better than we did tonight at the alternative, Hollywood Casino Indiana....
BLINDS: 25/50
IN THE POCKET: 9-9
It's the fourth hand of the night, with a full table of ten. The previous hand brought an awe-striking fold - as a woman with pocket Kings gave them up, when a man with pocket Aces went all-in pre-flop.
We were in the Big Blind then, and folded a measly 4-8. Now we're in the Small Blind, and no one has raised.
"I'm not going to do what he did," we say, "but I'll raise." We make it 150 to go, and three players take us on.
ON THE FLOP: 8s-8d-8h
It's a toll-free flop - and an immediate full house for us! This calls for a continuation bet, to see who's simply chasing big cards. We put out 400. The first opponent folds. The second calls. The third folds. So we're heads-up.
ON THE TURN: 4h
We doubt this helped our opponent at all. But what does he have? A full house of his own? We check, hoping to get a clue - but he checks, too.
ON THE RIVER: 2h
Now three hearts are showing. If he stumbled into a flush, we still have him topped. The larger concern is a larger pocket pair. So we make a rather cautious bet of 500.... and he raises to 2,500.
We've taken the lead in this hand, so we feel compelled to see it through to the end. We call. "Do you have a full house?" we ask.
"I have the 8," he says. OUCH!!! He hit quads on the flop, then waited us out! A good, well-played monster hand for him. We won a few hundred chips back minutes later with a hidden A-Q.
But then, when a man raised to 1,100, we saw pocket Aces in the Big Blind. Pushing like that earlier player did would have seemed too obvious, so we raised to 3,500. He called - and the flop was K-Q-10. For no good reason except to scare him away, we bet 5,000. Our opponent went all-in. We feared the worst, but called anyway. His cards: Q-Q. The turn and river didn't save us, and we finished our worst poker night this year - first out, in under 30 minutes.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "We're all playing with a short deck," the dealer said at one point in the early minutes.
"Now you're getting philosophical," we told him with tongue-in-cheek. But we admitted, "I need to grow in knowledge." And when our turn with the cards came, we explained, "I need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ."
That reminder comes right out of the New Testament:
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
These closing words of the apostle Peter should be taken in their entirety. For years, we attended church groups that emphasized the "knowledge" part - but on knowing scriptures, more than knowing the One who is the focus of Scripture. The two should go hand-in-hand....
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. - Colossians 1:9
Spiritual wisdom means a "sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7, KJV). We'll admit we really didn't have it in our last hand of the night.
We should have realized the flop gave our opponent an excellent chance of hitting two high pair or three of a kind. Yet instead of making the awe-striking fold like that woman did, we did our own version of "going on tilt" - hoping the longshots that bit us recently would turn around and help us.
So the knowledge of Jesus Christ is important - but so is His grace. We need it, after clearly making a bad decision to go out for a poker night instead of staying home to work on other things. But thankfully, we can do this....
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Hebrews 4:16
Do you need God's mercy for some reason - perhaps something much bigger than a poker meltdown? Ask God for it in prayer, repenting of sin if the case requires it. He's willing to listen and forgive.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 202 final tables in 549 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Poker Night 543: Bunker Mentality
In our first-ever ten live poker tournaments in 2007 in Georgia, we made three final tables. In our first ten in southern Kansas, we made seven and cashed three times. Wednesday night marked tourney #10 in our new home area. Could we keep succeeding at Hollywood Casino Indiana?
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: J-J
It's another small, late-arriving Wednesday night crowd. The tournament started with six players, but now has a full table of ten. We took a loss betting A-Q early, and still are a bit below the starting 12,000 chips.
This nice high pair in late position inspires us to raise to 1,000. Only two players call.
ON THE FLOP: 4-J-J
Well, what do you know - quads! We're last in line to bet, and are ready to wait for our opponents to take a dare. Only they check this flop. So do we, of course.
ON THE TURN: 2
Now do we have any takers? Sadly for us, no. The two opponents check. We do the same.
ON THE RIVER: 8
Now who wants to be daring? The first man checks once more. But a man down the table from us takes a stab at the pot, betting 1,100. Can we entice more?
"How about.... 2,500?!" we say as we raise.
Player #1 gives it up. The man who bet quickly does the same. He probably concludes he was trapped. But we don't tell him so; in fact, this blog is first to reveal that we had quads at all.
On a night with 14 total players, we had no big breakthrough pots - and no huge losses, either. A-Q in our pocket eliminated one player, and we strolled to the final table with about 13,000 chips. Then we won more modest pots, to stay alive while the field dwindled.
An all-in bet with two hearts was rewarded with a flush on the river, and we were in the final five.... then four! But as blinds went up, we had to push with anything hopeful. Our last stand was with K-10, but they lost to pocket 3's.
Final result: Some remarkable deja vu. We finished fourth in Lawrenceburg for the third tournament in a row - and fourth in six nights there! And because the turnout was small, we missed the money again; only the top two were paid.
MINISTRY MOMENT: As the final table dwindled, a woman across the table received a "walk" in the Big Blind - meaning no one at the table called. The very next hand found her in the Small Blind, while we were in the Big Blind. No one else called - but she did.
"You see, he gave you a walk," we said tongue-in-cheek. "You can do the same. It's called paying it forward."
Then we mentioned a radio station in our area which actually encourages the "pay it forward" approach at restaurant drive-through lanes. It's a way for people to show the love of God to others - even to complete strangers:
It's one of many traits Christians are expected to have, to be a light to others around them....
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UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 200 final tables in 543 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes. After ten tournaments in the Ohio Valley, we have eight finals and one "bubble boy" payoff.
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: J-J
It's another small, late-arriving Wednesday night crowd. The tournament started with six players, but now has a full table of ten. We took a loss betting A-Q early, and still are a bit below the starting 12,000 chips.
This nice high pair in late position inspires us to raise to 1,000. Only two players call.
ON THE FLOP: 4-J-J
Well, what do you know - quads! We're last in line to bet, and are ready to wait for our opponents to take a dare. Only they check this flop. So do we, of course.
ON THE TURN: 2
Now do we have any takers? Sadly for us, no. The two opponents check. We do the same.
ON THE RIVER: 8
Now who wants to be daring? The first man checks once more. But a man down the table from us takes a stab at the pot, betting 1,100. Can we entice more?
"How about.... 2,500?!" we say as we raise.
Player #1 gives it up. The man who bet quickly does the same. He probably concludes he was trapped. But we don't tell him so; in fact, this blog is first to reveal that we had quads at all.
On a night with 14 total players, we had no big breakthrough pots - and no huge losses, either. A-Q in our pocket eliminated one player, and we strolled to the final table with about 13,000 chips. Then we won more modest pots, to stay alive while the field dwindled.
An all-in bet with two hearts was rewarded with a flush on the river, and we were in the final five.... then four! But as blinds went up, we had to push with anything hopeful. Our last stand was with K-10, but they lost to pocket 3's.
Final result: Some remarkable deja vu. We finished fourth in Lawrenceburg for the third tournament in a row - and fourth in six nights there! And because the turnout was small, we missed the money again; only the top two were paid.
MINISTRY MOMENT: As the final table dwindled, a woman across the table received a "walk" in the Big Blind - meaning no one at the table called. The very next hand found her in the Small Blind, while we were in the Big Blind. No one else called - but she did.
"You see, he gave you a walk," we said tongue-in-cheek. "You can do the same. It's called paying it forward."
Then we mentioned a radio station in our area which actually encourages the "pay it forward" approach at restaurant drive-through lanes. It's a way for people to show the love of God to others - even to complete strangers:
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)
It's one of many traits Christians are expected to have, to be a light to others around them....
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. - Colossians 3:12 (NLT)This may seem like a hard thing to do at first. After all, poker is a game built on taking (or more politely, "winning") chips away from other players. But if you try it, you might find it's a hidden specialty you've had all along:
If your gift is serving others, serve them well.... If it is giving, give generously.... And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. - Romans 12:7-8 (NLT)The late Glen Campbell put it well in a song, which is still sung in some churches: "You've got to try a little kindness." There are creative ways to do it, even to fellow poker players. What suggestions would you make? Write a comment if you have some.
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UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 200 final tables in 543 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes. After ten tournaments in the Ohio Valley, we have eight finals and one "bubble boy" payoff.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Poker Day 514: Gladly For A's
"Casino Gambling >> You Personally: >> Times last 12 months." That's one of the questions in a large consumer survey we're completing as time permits. Our answer when we filled out the page Tuesday was 22. Today brought another trip to Kansas Star - and this poker tournament had some amazing moments:
BLINDS: 500/1,000
IN THE POCKET: A-A
We're in the third hour of play, which means we've survived for a while. One small pot win in the first hour left us with 2,625 chips from a starting 3,500. But gains came in Hour 2, thanks to some big timely bets. We won a large pot at the break (we J-J, as best we remember), to climb to 6,100; the "chip-up" made the total 6,500.
Now we sense a chance for a big score, receiving these big cards early in the order at a table of seven. We limp in, waiting for raisers - but there are none. Yet about four players are in.
ON THE FLOP: K-Q-7
Two high cards look like potential trouble. But ours are higher, so we decide to try for maximum benefits. We go all-in for 5,500. Two men fold, but a man in the blinds dares to call us.
"I've got rockets in my pocket," we declare. Our opponent has K-9, and realizes he's been had.
ON THE TURN: A
"Yes!" we say. Our three Aces mean our opponent is drawing dead. But for the record....
ON THE RIVER: A
"Woah!" we declare. Running Aces give us quads! It's a big gain, to around 14,000.
Patient play paid off, as we made more big hands later. An Ace of Spades turned into a nut flush, which advanced us about 20,000 more. We rolled to the final table at 39,000, then made only one small mistake which dropped us to 33,500 at the three-hour mark.
Seven players were left at that point - and a man to our right then hit a flush which knocked out two opponents. A top-five finish put us in the money! Then a Big Blind call with a lowly 7-4 when an opponent was forced to go all-in for less led to a cruel 4 on the river, giving us a winning two pair.
That cut the table to three players with fairly even chip stacks, and everyone agreed to chop the remaining prize money. We officially placed second out of 52 players, and were rewarded with $360 for a $50 buy-in - our second cash win of 2017, in 14 trips to Kansas Star.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving," a woman to our right suddenly realized before the tournament began.
"What are you thankful for this year?" we asked her.
"For my family." Relatives live close to her. "What about you?"
"I'm thankful that God has given me peace, as I've dealt with a recent trial," we answered. Then we corrected ourselves; we're officially calling it a "transition" between jobs, not a trial. But either way, that peace is important....
This psalm was written by King David, who faced all kinds of trials during his life. He went toe-to-toe with a giant named Goliath. Then King Saul tried to kill him, so he wouldn't take the throne of Israel. He even lost a child, due to his own sinful scheming. Yet David could write about the blessing of peace. A future "King" mentioned it as well....
This Jesus, the "prince of peace," did not talk about it around Christmas. This statement came in the early spring, on the evening before He was executed. How can you have that peace? Here's one Biblical suggestion....
We've actually heard some church members scoff at "do-gooders". Yet doing good has rewards. You may not get all of them now, but believers will when Jesus returns to set up the Kingdom of God on Earth.
In this Thanksgiving season, we're thankful for God's blessings - financial today, and spiritual in the future. What about you?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 188 final tables in 514 games (36.6%) - 38 cashes. (We've been forgetting to count our big day in June in the "cashes" column.) Experiment cost: Up $150!
BLINDS: 500/1,000
IN THE POCKET: A-A
We're in the third hour of play, which means we've survived for a while. One small pot win in the first hour left us with 2,625 chips from a starting 3,500. But gains came in Hour 2, thanks to some big timely bets. We won a large pot at the break (we J-J, as best we remember), to climb to 6,100; the "chip-up" made the total 6,500.
Now we sense a chance for a big score, receiving these big cards early in the order at a table of seven. We limp in, waiting for raisers - but there are none. Yet about four players are in.
ON THE FLOP: K-Q-7
Two high cards look like potential trouble. But ours are higher, so we decide to try for maximum benefits. We go all-in for 5,500. Two men fold, but a man in the blinds dares to call us.
"I've got rockets in my pocket," we declare. Our opponent has K-9, and realizes he's been had.
ON THE TURN: A
"Yes!" we say. Our three Aces mean our opponent is drawing dead. But for the record....
ON THE RIVER: A
"Woah!" we declare. Running Aces give us quads! It's a big gain, to around 14,000.
Patient play paid off, as we made more big hands later. An Ace of Spades turned into a nut flush, which advanced us about 20,000 more. We rolled to the final table at 39,000, then made only one small mistake which dropped us to 33,500 at the three-hour mark.
Seven players were left at that point - and a man to our right then hit a flush which knocked out two opponents. A top-five finish put us in the money! Then a Big Blind call with a lowly 7-4 when an opponent was forced to go all-in for less led to a cruel 4 on the river, giving us a winning two pair.
That cut the table to three players with fairly even chip stacks, and everyone agreed to chop the remaining prize money. We officially placed second out of 52 players, and were rewarded with $360 for a $50 buy-in - our second cash win of 2017, in 14 trips to Kansas Star.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving," a woman to our right suddenly realized before the tournament began.
"What are you thankful for this year?" we asked her.
"For my family." Relatives live close to her. "What about you?"
"I'm thankful that God has given me peace, as I've dealt with a recent trial," we answered. Then we corrected ourselves; we're officially calling it a "transition" between jobs, not a trial. But either way, that peace is important....
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. - Psalm 29:11
This psalm was written by King David, who faced all kinds of trials during his life. He went toe-to-toe with a giant named Goliath. Then King Saul tried to kill him, so he wouldn't take the throne of Israel. He even lost a child, due to his own sinful scheming. Yet David could write about the blessing of peace. A future "King" mentioned it as well....
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - John 14:27
This Jesus, the "prince of peace," did not talk about it around Christmas. This statement came in the early spring, on the evening before He was executed. How can you have that peace? Here's one Biblical suggestion....
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. - Romans 2:9-10
We've actually heard some church members scoff at "do-gooders". Yet doing good has rewards. You may not get all of them now, but believers will when Jesus returns to set up the Kingdom of God on Earth.
In this Thanksgiving season, we're thankful for God's blessings - financial today, and spiritual in the future. What about you?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 188 final tables in 514 games (36.6%) - 38 cashes. (We've been forgetting to count our big day in June in the "cashes" column.) Experiment cost: Up $150!
Monday, November 6, 2017
Poker Night 510: Five-Star Service
Today was National Nachos Day - so, of course, we went looking for the chips.
"Don't forget to tip your servers," the Tournament Director reminded four full tables. Then it was on with the show....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: 6-10 offsuit
The WPT League circuit requires everyone to deal their own cards. We've dealt ourselves this ordinary hand. We haven't won a hand yet, and lost about 1,000 chips to a player with a pair of Jacks. So we'll fold this. About four players at the table of seven are in.
ON THE FLOP: 8-7-7
"Toll-free flop," we say. Either no one got the joke or it was really lousy. But those cards bring a bet of 600 from a woman sitting in the Small Blind to our immediate left. A man across the table calls.
ON THE TURN: 7
"Jackpot!" we declare with three 7's side by side. The Small Blind now bets 1,200, and the opponent calls her.
ON THE RIVER: K
Did this make anyone a better full house? The Small Blind now checks. So does her opponent.
"I've got quads," the woman says quietly. She flips over 7-10! That earns her a big pot, and a 5,000- chip bonus for the best hand of the night.
The woman explains she didn't bet on the river because she thought there was a house rule against that.
"You played 7-10?!" another player at the table asks.
"I like playing 7-10," she answers. And since this was the first round of blinds, she could afford to play them.
"You heard what he said about tipping," we say to the big winner to drop a hint. No, she didn't reward us for dealing so well. Nor did she do it when we dealt her two more winning hands.
We won one pot with a semi-bluff, but nothing more than that. (The woman even topped our A-5 straight with a 2-6 straight.) Finally we went all-in for 1,500 with K-J, but a man with 8-8 prevailed when the board didn't pair for us. We were one chair from glory, but wound up first out at our table.
MINISTRY MOMENT: A man to our right won a pot with Kings, then proceeded to declare himself the "King Master."
"At least he didn't call himself the King of Kings," we said in response. "There's only One with that title."
The man nodded and seemed to chuckle, as if he got our point. Do you get it?
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. - Revelation 19:16
Our New International Version Bible goes so far as to put those titles in all-caps. But who would have such impressive names?
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.... He is dressed in a robe dripped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. - Revelation 19:11, 13
Yet another impressive title! Who could these verses be describing?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1, 14
If there's still any doubt about the identity of "the Word," this should settle it....
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17
Now walk those verses back. Jesus brought "grace and truth" because He was full of them. Thus He was "the Word," and Revelation 19 indicates that Word is coming down from heaven again as "King of Kings."
But you don't have for that return to give Him that glorious title. God wants you to honor Jesus now, as disciples did long ago:
Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." - John 1:49
Jesus wants to be not merely a "King Master" - but King and Master. Will you acknowledge Him?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 185 final tables in 510 games (36.3%) - 36 cashes.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
Poker Day 503: The Best of Intentions
"See ya, Vanessa!" someone said at the Kansas Star Casino poker room today as the first few hands unfolded.
It wasn't aimed at anyone in the room, but the big screen TV on the wall. The opening round of the World Series of Poker Main Event was on ESPN, and Vanessa Selbst was being bad-beat eliminated -- A-A for a full house falling to Gaelle Baumann's 7-7 for quads.
It was easy to be distracted by the high-stakes poker game on the big screen. But we tried to learn some tips from the ESPN coverage, as we competed in our own Sunday tournament.
BLINDS: 300/600
IN THE POCKET: Q-Q
We've won a few modest pots during the day, but taken some chances that didn't work. We've never been above the 12,000-chip starting point, and start this hand at 6,600. Sitting in the leadoff seat, we quietly call and wait to see if others jump at a fairly active table. No one raises, but five players are in.
ON THE FLOP: J-4-7 (third card might not be precise)
An overpair will work for us. After the blinds check, we bet 2,000. A man wearing a Missouri sweatshirt calls, while everyone else folds. We suspect he paired the board, but nothing more.
At this moment, the dealer notices our card protector - so our MINISTRY MOMENT will be mixed in with this. "That looks like the last supper," he says.
"It is," we respond.
ON THE TURN: 9
"Well, this could be my last supper," we remark. We go all-in for the last 4,000.
"You've got me," our opponent says. Yet he reaches for chips and calls, anyway. He shows what we expected - a Jack, with a 10. He's being courteous to us, so....
ON THE RIVER: J
OUCH!!!! Our opponent really didn't expect that. But he gets a third Jack on the river, and a handshake from us. It's not quite Selbst v. Baumann, but the result still hurts. We're knocked out the hard way, finishing 54th out of 77 players.
Now back to the Ministry Moment. Do you know why Christians refer to it as the "last supper"? It's because of these words of Jesus:
The meal was an evening Passover feast - something Jesus kept as a Jew by birth, but also as the God of creation:
After that "supper," Jesus was arrested and executed. So it was His last one as a human on earth. But here's the good news - Jesus was resurrected, and is preparing to come back to earth. When that happens, another supper is coming!
This is the "Lamb" once described this way....
Jesus's execution actually fulfilled God's great plan - as a human "Passover lamb." His blood can remove your sin if you accept Him, then clear the path for you to be part of His great wedding supper in the Kingdom of God. If you're not sure how to secure your place at that magnificent banquet, leave a comment and we'll be pleased to help you.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 503 games (36.6%) - 37 cashes.
.
It wasn't aimed at anyone in the room, but the big screen TV on the wall. The opening round of the World Series of Poker Main Event was on ESPN, and Vanessa Selbst was being bad-beat eliminated -- A-A for a full house falling to Gaelle Baumann's 7-7 for quads.
It was easy to be distracted by the high-stakes poker game on the big screen. But we tried to learn some tips from the ESPN coverage, as we competed in our own Sunday tournament.
BLINDS: 300/600
IN THE POCKET: Q-Q
We've won a few modest pots during the day, but taken some chances that didn't work. We've never been above the 12,000-chip starting point, and start this hand at 6,600. Sitting in the leadoff seat, we quietly call and wait to see if others jump at a fairly active table. No one raises, but five players are in.
ON THE FLOP: J-4-7 (third card might not be precise)
An overpair will work for us. After the blinds check, we bet 2,000. A man wearing a Missouri sweatshirt calls, while everyone else folds. We suspect he paired the board, but nothing more.
"It is," we respond.
ON THE TURN: 9
"Well, this could be my last supper," we remark. We go all-in for the last 4,000.
"You've got me," our opponent says. Yet he reaches for chips and calls, anyway. He shows what we expected - a Jack, with a 10. He's being courteous to us, so....
ON THE RIVER: J
OUCH!!!! Our opponent really didn't expect that. But he gets a third Jack on the river, and a handshake from us. It's not quite Selbst v. Baumann, but the result still hurts. We're knocked out the hard way, finishing 54th out of 77 players.
Now back to the Ministry Moment. Do you know why Christians refer to it as the "last supper"? It's because of these words of Jesus:
And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." - Luke 22:15-16
The meal was an evening Passover feast - something Jesus kept as a Jew by birth, but also as the God of creation:
The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the 14th day of the first month. - Leviticus 23:5
After that "supper," Jesus was arrested and executed. So it was His last one as a human on earth. But here's the good news - Jesus was resurrected, and is preparing to come back to earth. When that happens, another supper is coming!
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are they who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' And he added: 'These are the true words of God.'" - Revelation 19:9
This is the "Lamb" once described this way....
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" - John 1:29
Jesus's execution actually fulfilled God's great plan - as a human "Passover lamb." His blood can remove your sin if you accept Him, then clear the path for you to be part of His great wedding supper in the Kingdom of God. If you're not sure how to secure your place at that magnificent banquet, leave a comment and we'll be pleased to help you.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 503 games (36.6%) - 37 cashes.
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Poker Day 502: Dressed to the Nines
We felt a touch of guilt about going to Kansas Star Casino for poker this week. The tournament was on Father's Day - and we're not a Dad. But then again, the casino handed out free toaster ovens to slot players Sunday. What kind of a Father's Day gift is that?
The attendance surprised us, by being down for the Sunday tournament. We didn't have to wait for a seat. That meant we didn't have to miss amazing hands like this one....
BLINDS: 75/150
IN THE POCKET: A-2
After a slow start with small lost pots, we're starting to turn things around. We've taken a hand or two, and nearly have our starting stack of 12,000 chips back. Now we're in the Big Blind, and are happy to check with a hidden Ace when the table doesn't raise. About four players are in.
ON THE FLOP: 9-9-9
"The Cox Cable flop," we call this - although we're not sure that's the company's introductory rate for anything anymore. But if anyone is holding a pocket pair, they picked up a full house in a hurry. We didn't, so we check. Yet no one bets.
ON THE TURN: 9
"You don't see that very often," someone at the table says. Indeed - we have quads! And for that matter, so does everyone else in the hand! But that means our Ace kicker gives us the best hand. When the Small Blind bets 300, we assume he does as well. We call. So does a third man across the table.
"If this next card is a 9," we joke, "I want an investigation...."
ON THE RIVER: 7
A meaningless card, if there ever was one. Now the Small Blind bets 300 again. Not enough for us.
"I'll add 1,000 more," we say. The man across from us calls. So does the Small Blind.
"I've got an Ace," we say and show. Sure enough, so does the Small Blind. But the man across from us has King-high! What was he thinking - a table full of bluffers?
It winds us being a split pot for the blinds, a gain for us, and an embarrassment for that third player whose thinking clearly was wrong.
There was a pattern to the day for us - with small declines early in the 80-minute terms, and nice gains in the second half. Our chip count grew to 13,800 at the first break. Then more than 20,000 at the second break, as all-in bets with cards such as K-K and A-K started winning big. Then huge gains in the third term, to reach more than 37,000!
We reached the final table with 54,000, then made a Jack on the river with A-J for two pair to knock out two opponents! But we feared we'd blown it badly when our A-K lost a race to J-10; the opponent made three 10's and cost us more than 80,000. But we won a couple more hands, to reach the money with seven to go!
But then other players slowed down the game, and we ran out of time on our schedule. We work an overnight shift these days, so we felt compelled to push with second pair and A-9 (as best we remember). An opponent with a King had top pair and took us out.
Out of 66 players, we finished in fifth place and made a $300 payday. We're thankful that out tenth anniversary live poker tournament was one of our most successful.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Since it was Father's Day, a little of the table talk was about children. One dealer recently had a son, named Aaron.
"That's a football name," one player said.
"That's a Biblical name" we responded. "The right-hand man of Moses."
That comment brought no response. Perhaps you've forgotten someone named Aaron was even in the Bible. We meet him first in Exodus....
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 502 games (36.7%) - 37 cashes. We've made final tables three times in eight trips to Kansas Star this year, and cashed for the first time since a trip to Tulsa last December.
The attendance surprised us, by being down for the Sunday tournament. We didn't have to wait for a seat. That meant we didn't have to miss amazing hands like this one....
BLINDS: 75/150
IN THE POCKET: A-2
After a slow start with small lost pots, we're starting to turn things around. We've taken a hand or two, and nearly have our starting stack of 12,000 chips back. Now we're in the Big Blind, and are happy to check with a hidden Ace when the table doesn't raise. About four players are in.
ON THE FLOP: 9-9-9
"The Cox Cable flop," we call this - although we're not sure that's the company's introductory rate for anything anymore. But if anyone is holding a pocket pair, they picked up a full house in a hurry. We didn't, so we check. Yet no one bets.
ON THE TURN: 9
"You don't see that very often," someone at the table says. Indeed - we have quads! And for that matter, so does everyone else in the hand! But that means our Ace kicker gives us the best hand. When the Small Blind bets 300, we assume he does as well. We call. So does a third man across the table.
"If this next card is a 9," we joke, "I want an investigation...."
ON THE RIVER: 7
A meaningless card, if there ever was one. Now the Small Blind bets 300 again. Not enough for us.
"I'll add 1,000 more," we say. The man across from us calls. So does the Small Blind.
"I've got an Ace," we say and show. Sure enough, so does the Small Blind. But the man across from us has King-high! What was he thinking - a table full of bluffers?
It winds us being a split pot for the blinds, a gain for us, and an embarrassment for that third player whose thinking clearly was wrong.
There was a pattern to the day for us - with small declines early in the 80-minute terms, and nice gains in the second half. Our chip count grew to 13,800 at the first break. Then more than 20,000 at the second break, as all-in bets with cards such as K-K and A-K started winning big. Then huge gains in the third term, to reach more than 37,000!
We reached the final table with 54,000, then made a Jack on the river with A-J for two pair to knock out two opponents! But we feared we'd blown it badly when our A-K lost a race to J-10; the opponent made three 10's and cost us more than 80,000. But we won a couple more hands, to reach the money with seven to go!
But then other players slowed down the game, and we ran out of time on our schedule. We work an overnight shift these days, so we felt compelled to push with second pair and A-9 (as best we remember). An opponent with a King had top pair and took us out.
Out of 66 players, we finished in fifth place and made a $300 payday. We're thankful that out tenth anniversary live poker tournament was one of our most successful.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Since it was Father's Day, a little of the table talk was about children. One dealer recently had a son, named Aaron.
"That's a football name," one player said.
"That's a Biblical name" we responded. "The right-hand man of Moses."
That comment brought no response. Perhaps you've forgotten someone named Aaron was even in the Bible. We meet him first in Exodus....
Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well." - Exodus 4:14Moses wanted someone else to do the talking, in appeals.to Pharaoh to let the Israelites out of Egypt (verse 13). Aaron became the "spokesman" for the two, with help from God (verse 15). What else do you know about Aaron? Share a comment, and we'll add to this in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 502 games (36.7%) - 37 cashes. We've made final tables three times in eight trips to Kansas Star this year, and cashed for the first time since a trip to Tulsa last December.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Poker Day 500: The Greatest Race of Them All
Today was a milestone day for us - our 500th live poker tournament! We're only a few weeks away from the tenth anniversary of our first one. But today we gave ourselves a challenge - heading to Kansas Star Casino to play in the pricey $85 "deep stack" buy-in Sunday game. At times, amazing things happened....
BLINDS: 400/800
IN THE POCKET: J-J
If we're this far along in the blinds, things must be going well - and after a slow start, they have. Q-8 gave us a breakthrough straight in the first period. Then we 2d-9d into a diamond flush in the second, to triple our stack. Now we have at least 30,000 chips, from a starting 10,000. When a man across the table raises to 2,500, we see these cards and decide to do the "smooth call." No one else is in.
ON THE FLOP: J-9-2
We're definitely "hooked" on this! Our opponent checks for some reason instead of continuation betting. We're pleased to check along.
ON THE TURN: 9
Now we have a full house, and we're wondering how patient our opponent is going to be. He bets 2,500. OK, fine; we'll call again.
ON THE RIVER: J
Wow - we made quads! Now with two pair showing, how confident is our opponent? Confident enough to bring out 3,000.
But now we pause. Under casino rules, since we have the superior hand and are last to act, we are required to raise. How much do we think our opponent will dare to go?
"I'm all in," we decide - and it's about 30,000.
Nope, that's too much; our opponent folds.
"You made a very wise decision," we say as we show our Jacks. We probably should have simply doubled there, to maximize our gains. But still, it's a big pot win.
Our stack reached 55,500 by the end of the second period, and a high in the third period of 74,000. This provided us time to wait through some poor cards, and pick up a couple of timely modest pots along the way. At the third break, we moved to the final table at 55,000!
But then the big drama came, as only seven players would win money on this 70-player day. We missed a flop with pocket 8's. Then with nine to go, we were dealt A-J. The biggest stack at the table raised pre-flop, and bet on the flop to put us all-in. We felt compelled to call.... and he had Q-Q. An Ace did not rescue us, and we finished in ninth place.
We missed the money by two, but left feeling somewhat satisfied. Our standard all along has been making final tables, and we did - doing it at one of the premier tournaments of the week in our city. The "500" was a good showing, and we thank God for it.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "First player to lie...." someone at the table muttered between hands. "All you Sunday morning go-to-church folks...."
We had to interrupt that. "I was in church yesterday," we told the man sitting nearby. That prompted another man at the table to start a guessing game.
"Seventh-Day Adventist?!"
"No."
"Catholic?!"
"No."
"I don't know what's left," the man admitted. So we told him.
"The United Church of God," we explained. If you haven't heard of it, that's understandable. It's a small Sabbath-keeping denomination that broke away from a larger group in the mid-1990s. (That larger group now is also much smaller than it used to be.)
In fact, the day of worship was a main reason behind the split. The larger group moved away from decades of teaching about God's Sabbath....
The Sabbath was included in God's Ten Commandments, every bit as much as the commands not to lie (the NIV has "give false testimony" in verse 20) or murder. And Jesus Christ never said anything about doing away with it. In fact....
If you don't have a regular church to attend, we suggest giving UCG a try. Hopefully you'll find a group which puts Jesus first in all they do, and really tries to live by all Ten Commandments. It probably won't be a perfect group of people; we're all sinners, after all (Romans 3:23). But it might satisfy something deep within you - a desire to worship God.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 183 final tables in 500 games (36.6%) - 36 cashes. As time permits in coming days, we'll analyze those numbers to see whether or not we're really good at poker - and how much this effort has cost us.
BLINDS: 400/800
IN THE POCKET: J-J
If we're this far along in the blinds, things must be going well - and after a slow start, they have. Q-8 gave us a breakthrough straight in the first period. Then we 2d-9d into a diamond flush in the second, to triple our stack. Now we have at least 30,000 chips, from a starting 10,000. When a man across the table raises to 2,500, we see these cards and decide to do the "smooth call." No one else is in.
ON THE FLOP: J-9-2
We're definitely "hooked" on this! Our opponent checks for some reason instead of continuation betting. We're pleased to check along.
ON THE TURN: 9
Now we have a full house, and we're wondering how patient our opponent is going to be. He bets 2,500. OK, fine; we'll call again.
ON THE RIVER: J
Wow - we made quads! Now with two pair showing, how confident is our opponent? Confident enough to bring out 3,000.
But now we pause. Under casino rules, since we have the superior hand and are last to act, we are required to raise. How much do we think our opponent will dare to go?
"I'm all in," we decide - and it's about 30,000.
Nope, that's too much; our opponent folds.
"You made a very wise decision," we say as we show our Jacks. We probably should have simply doubled there, to maximize our gains. But still, it's a big pot win.
Our stack reached 55,500 by the end of the second period, and a high in the third period of 74,000. This provided us time to wait through some poor cards, and pick up a couple of timely modest pots along the way. At the third break, we moved to the final table at 55,000!
But then the big drama came, as only seven players would win money on this 70-player day. We missed a flop with pocket 8's. Then with nine to go, we were dealt A-J. The biggest stack at the table raised pre-flop, and bet on the flop to put us all-in. We felt compelled to call.... and he had Q-Q. An Ace did not rescue us, and we finished in ninth place.
We missed the money by two, but left feeling somewhat satisfied. Our standard all along has been making final tables, and we did - doing it at one of the premier tournaments of the week in our city. The "500" was a good showing, and we thank God for it.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "First player to lie...." someone at the table muttered between hands. "All you Sunday morning go-to-church folks...."
We had to interrupt that. "I was in church yesterday," we told the man sitting nearby. That prompted another man at the table to start a guessing game.
"Seventh-Day Adventist?!"
"No."
"Catholic?!"
"No."
"I don't know what's left," the man admitted. So we told him.
"The United Church of God," we explained. If you haven't heard of it, that's understandable. It's a small Sabbath-keeping denomination that broke away from a larger group in the mid-1990s. (That larger group now is also much smaller than it used to be.)
In fact, the day of worship was a main reason behind the split. The larger group moved away from decades of teaching about God's Sabbath....
By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing, so on the seventh he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:2-3God "created" (for lack of a better word) a day of rest. Not that God needed one; He's God, after all. But He set an example for us to follow....
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.... - Deuteronomy 5:12-13
The Sabbath was included in God's Ten Commandments, every bit as much as the commands not to lie (the NIV has "give false testimony" in verse 20) or murder. And Jesus Christ never said anything about doing away with it. In fact....
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.... - Luke 4:16Jesus went to the synagogue on Sabbath because He was Jewish (Luke 2:23, 33). Go into many synagogues today and try talking about Jesus, and it might not end well for you. So early believers gathered in groups, which became known as "the church."
If you don't have a regular church to attend, we suggest giving UCG a try. Hopefully you'll find a group which puts Jesus first in all they do, and really tries to live by all Ten Commandments. It probably won't be a perfect group of people; we're all sinners, after all (Romans 3:23). But it might satisfy something deep within you - a desire to worship God.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 183 final tables in 500 games (36.6%) - 36 cashes. As time permits in coming days, we'll analyze those numbers to see whether or not we're really good at poker - and how much this effort has cost us.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Cyber-Poker-Monday
For some shoppers, this day has become known as "Cyber Monday." So we might as well join in, by updating the online poker sites we visit.
PokerStars has raised the stakes in recent months. It's still for "play money" in the U.S., to stay legal. But the days of 1/2 tables are over. Now they start at 50/100, but the site hands out free chips every so often to keep you interested. Look at what happened to us there recently, in a "cash game" format:
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 4-2 offsuit
We have small cards in the Big Blind, at a table with 4-5 players. No one raises, so we get in cheap.
ON THE FLOP: 4-4-4
Are you kidding me?!?! The computer hands us the ultimate jackpot of quads! But of course, we want to maximize our winnings, so we check. A player to our left offers a modest bet of about 200. We smooth-call (as best you can do that online); other players bail out.
ON THE TURN: 2
Whoa - now we have a full house! But wait; quads beat a full house!! Things are still ridiculously perfect for us, so we check again. Now our opponent bets around 500. Of course, we call.
ON THE RIVER: 9 (may not be precise)
A card which doesn't matter to us at all. If our opponent had 9-9, he still only has a full house. We rub it in by checking again - and this time, he goes all-in for about 1,300. Of course, we call. Then we stay silent during the showdown, while he has 10-10. We make a big gain, of about 2,000 chips.
In November alone, our total from playing cash games at PokerStars has jumped by more than 22,000 chips - and the website awarded 25,000 bonus chips on top of that.
National League of Poker has become our place for Thursday night play. There are several free weekly tournaments, with a $250 prize pool on Thursday nights. We have yet to crack the top 100 this year in any of them - but now NLOP has a ring game option, and we doubled our "token" count one night playing No-Limit Omaha.
If you want good clean poker fun without the worry of losing money or getting noticed inside a casino, online sites like these are perfect for you. But be advised: not everyone's chat language is good and clean. They're still "worldly" places - but we're reminded:
If you try hard enough, you really can come "out of the world". In 2016, that would mean turning off the TV, radio, internet and mobile devices. So much for online poker.
But Jesus did NOT ask God the Father to "rapture" His disciples out at this point. Instead, He prayed for the Father to provide them protection from the devil. He continues:
Jesus was "out of this world" in part because He didn't indulge in the sinful ways of this world. For the rest of us, that's a daily battle - but it's one we need to fight:
This world is in for destruction. But those who come out of it and follow the example of Jesus can have protection from that final judgment. We hope you'll make the right decision.
If you've read to the end of this, we thank you - and invite your comments: What's your favorite place to play poker online? And why?
PokerStars has raised the stakes in recent months. It's still for "play money" in the U.S., to stay legal. But the days of 1/2 tables are over. Now they start at 50/100, but the site hands out free chips every so often to keep you interested. Look at what happened to us there recently, in a "cash game" format:
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 4-2 offsuit
We have small cards in the Big Blind, at a table with 4-5 players. No one raises, so we get in cheap.
ON THE FLOP: 4-4-4
Are you kidding me?!?! The computer hands us the ultimate jackpot of quads! But of course, we want to maximize our winnings, so we check. A player to our left offers a modest bet of about 200. We smooth-call (as best you can do that online); other players bail out.
ON THE TURN: 2
Whoa - now we have a full house! But wait; quads beat a full house!! Things are still ridiculously perfect for us, so we check again. Now our opponent bets around 500. Of course, we call.
ON THE RIVER: 9 (may not be precise)
A card which doesn't matter to us at all. If our opponent had 9-9, he still only has a full house. We rub it in by checking again - and this time, he goes all-in for about 1,300. Of course, we call. Then we stay silent during the showdown, while he has 10-10. We make a big gain, of about 2,000 chips.
In November alone, our total from playing cash games at PokerStars has jumped by more than 22,000 chips - and the website awarded 25,000 bonus chips on top of that.
National League of Poker has become our place for Thursday night play. There are several free weekly tournaments, with a $250 prize pool on Thursday nights. We have yet to crack the top 100 this year in any of them - but now NLOP has a ring game option, and we doubled our "token" count one night playing No-Limit Omaha.
If you want good clean poker fun without the worry of losing money or getting noticed inside a casino, online sites like these are perfect for you. But be advised: not everyone's chat language is good and clean. They're still "worldly" places - but we're reminded:
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. - John 17:15
If you try hard enough, you really can come "out of the world". In 2016, that would mean turning off the TV, radio, internet and mobile devices. So much for online poker.
But Jesus did NOT ask God the Father to "rapture" His disciples out at this point. Instead, He prayed for the Father to provide them protection from the devil. He continues:
They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. - John 17:16
Jesus was "out of this world" in part because He didn't indulge in the sinful ways of this world. For the rest of us, that's a daily battle - but it's one we need to fight:
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will receive not of her plagues.... She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." - Revelation 18:4, 8
This world is in for destruction. But those who come out of it and follow the example of Jesus can have protection from that final judgment. We hope you'll make the right decision.
If you've read to the end of this, we thank you - and invite your comments: What's your favorite place to play poker online? And why?
Monday, August 15, 2016
Poker Night 483: Big Blind Extra-Special
The Olympic Games may have lost their luster for the Monday night poker crowd at Yvie's. Tonight the top choice for the big screen in the poker room was a Major League Baseball game, rooting for a team barely in the playoff running. We could relate to that sort of "hanging on for dear life" in our tournament....
BLINDS: 3,000/6,000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
The blinds are high and the number of players is small. After a sizable loss with these very same cards in the first hand of the night, we've clawed uphill to get a bit above the starting 10,000-chip mark. But we start this hand with 9,000 - and with ten players remaining (two tables of five), we're desperate for a big gain.
"All of it," we say as the 9,000 goes out. The Big Blind decides to risk 3,000 more to take us on. But she doesn't have much - a mere 5-7. Good for us, right?
ON THE FLOP: 5-A-5
Well, no. She has three of a kind, to top our two pair. An Ace could save us....
ON THE TURN: 5
But no - that other card comes! We have a full house - but we also have a bad beat. The woman scores the best hand of the tournament night, with quad 5's. The last card doesn't matter, and we fall short of the final table with a ninth-place finish. (A player at the other table bowed out seconds before we did.)
MINISTRY MOMENT: We dealt one hand where a woman was all in, but in big trouble. She had a 6, to make a straight on the turn - but another woman had 6-9 for a higher straight. The first woman's only hope was to make a flush on the river.
"You need a diamond?!" we said to confirm. Two diamonds were on the board. And then we dealt....
ON THE RIVER: Kd
Woman #1 was thrilled. Others at the table were amazed. "Is that all you have to do?" one player wondered. "Simply ask for a card?"
"Ask and ye shall receive," we smiled in response. "I read that in a book once."
Then we added a bit more to a man at our left, hoping to drive home the point. "I think the Person who said that has more power than I do."
You may recognize the quote, but do you understand what we meant by it?
Jesus said these words on the night before He was crucified. He made other statements which seem to make clear His point involved prayer:
Talk about a promise! Asking God for things in prayer is good. But Jesus explained asking in His name is the New Testament way to do it.
But we fear some Christians (including some preachers) have taken this promise to an extreme - suggesting that with the right amount of faith, God will give you anything in any amount at any time. Yet think about this logically. If eight God-fearing poker players asked for God's help in winning at a final table, wouldn't someone still have to lose?
That's a major key to a successful life in Jesus Christ - accepting God's will for your life, whether he honors your asking for success or allows you to endure failure. That's why the model prayer of Jesus for us to follow includes the phrase, "Your will be done...." (Matthew 6:10)
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 179 final tables in 483 games (37.1%) - 34 cashes. Our final table record at Yvie's this year is a rather skimpy two-for-eight.
BLINDS: 3,000/6,000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
The blinds are high and the number of players is small. After a sizable loss with these very same cards in the first hand of the night, we've clawed uphill to get a bit above the starting 10,000-chip mark. But we start this hand with 9,000 - and with ten players remaining (two tables of five), we're desperate for a big gain.
"All of it," we say as the 9,000 goes out. The Big Blind decides to risk 3,000 more to take us on. But she doesn't have much - a mere 5-7. Good for us, right?
ON THE FLOP: 5-A-5
Well, no. She has three of a kind, to top our two pair. An Ace could save us....
ON THE TURN: 5
But no - that other card comes! We have a full house - but we also have a bad beat. The woman scores the best hand of the tournament night, with quad 5's. The last card doesn't matter, and we fall short of the final table with a ninth-place finish. (A player at the other table bowed out seconds before we did.)
MINISTRY MOMENT: We dealt one hand where a woman was all in, but in big trouble. She had a 6, to make a straight on the turn - but another woman had 6-9 for a higher straight. The first woman's only hope was to make a flush on the river.
"You need a diamond?!" we said to confirm. Two diamonds were on the board. And then we dealt....
ON THE RIVER: Kd
Woman #1 was thrilled. Others at the table were amazed. "Is that all you have to do?" one player wondered. "Simply ask for a card?"
"Ask and ye shall receive," we smiled in response. "I read that in a book once."
Then we added a bit more to a man at our left, hoping to drive home the point. "I think the Person who said that has more power than I do."
You may recognize the quote, but do you understand what we meant by it?
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. - John 16:24
Jesus said these words on the night before He was crucified. He made other statements which seem to make clear His point involved prayer:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives.... - Matthew 7:7-8
Talk about a promise! Asking God for things in prayer is good. But Jesus explained asking in His name is the New Testament way to do it.
...I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. - John 16:23b
But we fear some Christians (including some preachers) have taken this promise to an extreme - suggesting that with the right amount of faith, God will give you anything in any amount at any time. Yet think about this logically. If eight God-fearing poker players asked for God's help in winning at a final table, wouldn't someone still have to lose?
Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." - James 4:15
That's a major key to a successful life in Jesus Christ - accepting God's will for your life, whether he honors your asking for success or allows you to endure failure. That's why the model prayer of Jesus for us to follow includes the phrase, "Your will be done...." (Matthew 6:10)
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 179 final tables in 483 games (37.1%) - 34 cashes. Our final table record at Yvie's this year is a rather skimpy two-for-eight.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Poker Day 472: A-Plus
The final school report cards are coming out across the U.S. Some students "aced" the test. Others didn't do so well. In poker tournaments, you don't have to wait weeks for the grades to come back. Sometimes your work is rated right away. Take what happened to us Friday at Kansas Star Casino....
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: A-10 offsuit
The start of the day was dreadful for us. Small feelers missed flops. Other players made pre-flop raises which kept us quiet. Our starting stack of 3,500 chips drained to about 2,200. But then a comeback began. A-J of spades brought a nice nut flush. And now we have these high cards in the Big Blind. No one raises at the table of nine, so we lay low and check.
ON THE FLOP: A-A-J
"Triple-A" is a club we love to join. We check again, and are rewarded when a man around the table bets 100. We politely call, and other players fold.
ON THE TURN: A
Turn cards don't get much better than that! Now we have unbeatable quads - but we remember the A-J hand, where we waited until the river to bet our flush, and no one called. Now we don't want to wait. But we also don't want to run our opponent off. So the best is a modest 250. Our opponent ponders - then calls. Good.
ON THE RIVER: 3
A meaningless card, considering what we have. Now we remember hearing something in the pre-game rule announcement about players being required to bet the best possible hand on the river, or risk a 10-minute penalty. But we still don't want our opponent to get scared. So with the poker face firmly on, we bet 250 again - and to our pleasure, he calls again.
"I had to bet," we say - and show our quads. The opponent knows he's been had, and surrenders without showing.
Then other players correct our understanding. We would have been required to bet the river had we been last to act with the nuts. So we could have checked - but that's OK; we gained more chips from it.
Our stack reached well above 4,000 by the first break. Then we split a big sidepot holding A-K. But we fell victim to the same problem we had Monday night - trying to increase our stack with potentially good starter cards, only to fold when big pre-flop raises came.
With the chips dwindling and blinds rising, we went all-in with A-Q when an opponent pushed. Trouble was, he had A-K. A King on the river gave him the win, and sent us away. Out of 63 players, we finished a disappointing 39th.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "I knew what you had there," a man to our left said to someone across the table at the end of a hand.
"So you were psycho?!" the dealer asked.
We heard his wording properly. "I noticed you said psycho, and not psychic," we told the dealer. He chuckled, realizing we got his joke.
"You never hear about psychics playing poker," we pointed out. "They'd win all the time."
That old line can apply to huge lottery jackpots, too. Why don't psychics clean up and make millions in those kinds of games? We think the answer says a lot about what those people do not have...
Psychics, mediums and "wizards" (as the King James Version has this verse) all are from the same area: the world of the occult. The Bible warns such things are not of God - and if you're not careful, you could invite Satan to become a major player in your life.
Some people go all the way to the edge, and live by what horoscopes and psychics tell them. They may not realize they're worshiping - but in the wrong direction.
Some people might move toward astrologers and psychics instead of God because they're afraid of what God might require them to do. But we don't recall any winner of a major poker title thanking their psychic or medium for it. After all, how could they legally give guidance hand-by-hand? We think it's far better to seek God's help ahead of time - in anything you do.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 176 final tables in 472 games (37.3%) - 33 cashes.
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: A-10 offsuit
The start of the day was dreadful for us. Small feelers missed flops. Other players made pre-flop raises which kept us quiet. Our starting stack of 3,500 chips drained to about 2,200. But then a comeback began. A-J of spades brought a nice nut flush. And now we have these high cards in the Big Blind. No one raises at the table of nine, so we lay low and check.
ON THE FLOP: A-A-J
"Triple-A" is a club we love to join. We check again, and are rewarded when a man around the table bets 100. We politely call, and other players fold.
ON THE TURN: A
Turn cards don't get much better than that! Now we have unbeatable quads - but we remember the A-J hand, where we waited until the river to bet our flush, and no one called. Now we don't want to wait. But we also don't want to run our opponent off. So the best is a modest 250. Our opponent ponders - then calls. Good.
ON THE RIVER: 3
A meaningless card, considering what we have. Now we remember hearing something in the pre-game rule announcement about players being required to bet the best possible hand on the river, or risk a 10-minute penalty. But we still don't want our opponent to get scared. So with the poker face firmly on, we bet 250 again - and to our pleasure, he calls again.
"I had to bet," we say - and show our quads. The opponent knows he's been had, and surrenders without showing.
Then other players correct our understanding. We would have been required to bet the river had we been last to act with the nuts. So we could have checked - but that's OK; we gained more chips from it.
Our stack reached well above 4,000 by the first break. Then we split a big sidepot holding A-K. But we fell victim to the same problem we had Monday night - trying to increase our stack with potentially good starter cards, only to fold when big pre-flop raises came.
With the chips dwindling and blinds rising, we went all-in with A-Q when an opponent pushed. Trouble was, he had A-K. A King on the river gave him the win, and sent us away. Out of 63 players, we finished a disappointing 39th.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "I knew what you had there," a man to our left said to someone across the table at the end of a hand.
"So you were psycho?!" the dealer asked.
We heard his wording properly. "I noticed you said psycho, and not psychic," we told the dealer. He chuckled, realizing we got his joke.
"You never hear about psychics playing poker," we pointed out. "They'd win all the time."
That old line can apply to huge lottery jackpots, too. Why don't psychics clean up and make millions in those kinds of games? We think the answer says a lot about what those people do not have...
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 19:31
Psychics, mediums and "wizards" (as the King James Version has this verse) all are from the same area: the world of the occult. The Bible warns such things are not of God - and if you're not careful, you could invite Satan to become a major player in your life.
I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. - Leviticus 20:6
Some people go all the way to the edge, and live by what horoscopes and psychics tell them. They may not realize they're worshiping - but in the wrong direction.
When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? - Isaiah 8:19
Some people might move toward astrologers and psychics instead of God because they're afraid of what God might require them to do. But we don't recall any winner of a major poker title thanking their psychic or medium for it. After all, how could they legally give guidance hand-by-hand? We think it's far better to seek God's help ahead of time - in anything you do.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 176 final tables in 472 games (37.3%) - 33 cashes.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Slots or Not
Not all "casinos" are created equal. We learned this on our vacation, when we stopped at a small one along a U.S. highway in western Oklahoma.
The casino consisted of several rows of slot machines -- and little more. We looked around, walked right back to the car and drove away.
But the next day, we cashed in a "birthday bonus" at a casino near our home. We were awarded five dollars in free slot play. We picked a machine somewhat at random -- and in only a couple of minutes, our five-dollar gift went away with winnings of only 95 cents. That was enough for us.
Maybe we're wrong, but slot machines strike us as pure gambling. It's all luck, with no skill or thinking involved. We agree with the preachers who openly mourn the older people who drop dollar after dollar in this way.
Table games such as poker have a degree of luck, to be sure. But many times, you have to think a little and consider your chances. Exercising a bit of skill moves slightly toward fulfilling a proverb:
A different Bible translation puts the last part of the verse this way: "Money earned little by little will grow and grow."
That actually happened to us after our slot machine test. We sat down at an Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table, won three hands in a row and gained $35. Then this happened:
BLINDS: $5/$5
IN THE POCKET: 4-6 offsuit
That doesn't look promising. But as some poker players like to say, any two cards can win. There's no penalty in checking, so we do.
ON THE FLOP: A-A-5
Not too thrilling for us. Maybe a longshot straight or full house will come. But we know better than to bet two times our blind on that. We check again.
ON THE TURN/RIVER: A-3
A man to our right suddenly is excited. Three Aces are on the table. If we had plunked down five more dollars on the "trips" option, that would have earned us $15 -- enough to break even. But we don't normally play trips at live tables (only online with pretend money), so we miss out. We fold.
When that man's turn comes to show his cards, he displays a fourth Ace! "Quads," the dealer announces to the pit boss.
That man truly has a reason to be excited. Quads pays 30 to 1 on the "trips" button, and 10 to 1 on the blind. He wins something in the neighborhood of $500. We sat one seat away from a jackpot.
At that point, we have to leave to go home and run errands. "Be sure to tithe on all that money," we tell the big winner. He nods a bit as he smiles -- leaving us to wonder if he knows what that word means.
A "tithe" is ten percent. God has required that of believers since the days of ancient Israel.
The "ice bucket challenge" is a fad of the moment. God dares you to take the "ten percent challenge." We give God a tenth of our poker winnings, through the church we attend. Will you do the same, and claim His promise of abundant blessings?
The casino consisted of several rows of slot machines -- and little more. We looked around, walked right back to the car and drove away.
But the next day, we cashed in a "birthday bonus" at a casino near our home. We were awarded five dollars in free slot play. We picked a machine somewhat at random -- and in only a couple of minutes, our five-dollar gift went away with winnings of only 95 cents. That was enough for us.
Maybe we're wrong, but slot machines strike us as pure gambling. It's all luck, with no skill or thinking involved. We agree with the preachers who openly mourn the older people who drop dollar after dollar in this way.
Table games such as poker have a degree of luck, to be sure. But many times, you have to think a little and consider your chances. Exercising a bit of skill moves slightly toward fulfilling a proverb:
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathers by labor shall increase. - Proverbs 13:11 (KJV)
A different Bible translation puts the last part of the verse this way: "Money earned little by little will grow and grow."
That actually happened to us after our slot machine test. We sat down at an Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table, won three hands in a row and gained $35. Then this happened:
BLINDS: $5/$5
IN THE POCKET: 4-6 offsuit
That doesn't look promising. But as some poker players like to say, any two cards can win. There's no penalty in checking, so we do.
ON THE FLOP: A-A-5
Not too thrilling for us. Maybe a longshot straight or full house will come. But we know better than to bet two times our blind on that. We check again.
ON THE TURN/RIVER: A-3
A man to our right suddenly is excited. Three Aces are on the table. If we had plunked down five more dollars on the "trips" option, that would have earned us $15 -- enough to break even. But we don't normally play trips at live tables (only online with pretend money), so we miss out. We fold.
When that man's turn comes to show his cards, he displays a fourth Ace! "Quads," the dealer announces to the pit boss.
That man truly has a reason to be excited. Quads pays 30 to 1 on the "trips" button, and 10 to 1 on the blind. He wins something in the neighborhood of $500. We sat one seat away from a jackpot.
At that point, we have to leave to go home and run errands. "Be sure to tithe on all that money," we tell the big winner. He nods a bit as he smiles -- leaving us to wonder if he knows what that word means.
You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, "How are we robbing you?" You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me. - Malachi 3:8 (CEV)
A "tithe" is ten percent. God has required that of believers since the days of ancient Israel.
I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing. - Malachi 3:10 (CEV)
The "ice bucket challenge" is a fad of the moment. God dares you to take the "ten percent challenge." We give God a tenth of our poker winnings, through the church we attend. Will you do the same, and claim His promise of abundant blessings?
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Quick In, Quick Out?
The first hand of the day brought us 7-7. By the river, two more 7's had shown up - giving us quads!
It could have been a big jackpot hand -- and in a way, it was. We were playing a computer in heads-up poker, on our last trip to a Kansas City casino. We inserted $40 to start, and that first hand brought our total to $88.
We were trying to win back money we lost in a casino tournament, and pay for our trip across the state. We could have cashed out immediately, taking only a small loss. But we decided to play another hand. And lost. Then another. And lost. And then....
Well, we had a small winning streak recovering to about $50. But we pressed our luck too much against a computer programmed to be wily -- and in a few minutes, our $88 was down to zero.
"Why don't we ever get out?" we recall a man asking with a bit of a sigh during a poker room discussion months ago. That's a great question not only in cash games, but other aspects of our lives.
A small first step which looks successful can lead down a slippery-slope into big trouble. That's why it's important in poker to sense the tide is turning -- and have the wisdom to get out when it does. Even famous characters in the Bible had to learn that lesson the hard way:
The look alone was not enough. Being told the woman was married (verse 3) was not enough. King David had to "go all the way" with Bathsheba. Read the rest of the chapter and you'll discover that lustful and covetous act led to an unexpected pregnancy, and a plot to have Bathsheba's husband killed.
We've heard ministers on Christian radio put it this way: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, and make you pay more than you wanted to pay.
We think the same is true in poker. Don't simply play with emotions or "gut" feelings. Play with your brain active and functioning. It might save you money, and even some heartbreak. Believe us - because we've been there.
It could have been a big jackpot hand -- and in a way, it was. We were playing a computer in heads-up poker, on our last trip to a Kansas City casino. We inserted $40 to start, and that first hand brought our total to $88.
We were trying to win back money we lost in a casino tournament, and pay for our trip across the state. We could have cashed out immediately, taking only a small loss. But we decided to play another hand. And lost. Then another. And lost. And then....
Well, we had a small winning streak recovering to about $50. But we pressed our luck too much against a computer programmed to be wily -- and in a few minutes, our $88 was down to zero.
"Why don't we ever get out?" we recall a man asking with a bit of a sigh during a poker room discussion months ago. That's a great question not only in cash games, but other aspects of our lives.
But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death - James 1:14-15
A small first step which looks successful can lead down a slippery-slope into big trouble. That's why it's important in poker to sense the tide is turning -- and have the wisdom to get out when it does. Even famous characters in the Bible had to learn that lesson the hard way:
One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.... Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. - II Samuel 11:2-4
The look alone was not enough. Being told the woman was married (verse 3) was not enough. King David had to "go all the way" with Bathsheba. Read the rest of the chapter and you'll discover that lustful and covetous act led to an unexpected pregnancy, and a plot to have Bathsheba's husband killed.
But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. - II Samuel 11:27
We've heard ministers on Christian radio put it this way: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, and make you pay more than you wanted to pay.
We think the same is true in poker. Don't simply play with emotions or "gut" feelings. Play with your brain active and functioning. It might save you money, and even some heartbreak. Believe us - because we've been there.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Is Anything Else Better?
The website that lets us practice Ultimate Texas Hold 'em for free also allows you to try out other casino poker-like games. This weekend we did -- and here's what we found:
Caribbean Stud deals you five cards, then shows you one of the dealer's five. You make one bet based on that -- and if you don't have much, we found you're likely to lose a good bit.
Let It Ride deals you three cards. Then you bet on letting those three ride, or "pulling" bets on a fourth "community" card and a fifth similar one. The online game pays for a pair of 10's or better -- and in our brief play, we lost about 85 percent of the time (especially if our three didn't amount to much).
Three-Card Poker deals you three cards. Then you make one bet about whether you can beat the dealer's face-down three cards. We won a bit more there, but not much.
Mississippi Stud provides you two cards. Then you bet on "community cards" one at a time, trying to make at least a pair of 6's. Our winning record there was about the same as Let It Ride.... but with one notable exception:
We were dealt pocket 9's, bet the maximum three-times on every "street" -- and wound up with quad 9's! It meant a big pretend payoff of $6,000. We didn't come close to that in following hands.
There's a little skill involved in these games - but not a lot. Perhaps that's why we win more often in Ultimate Texas Hold 'em. And it's all about winning money - right?
Well, "hold 'em" a minute. We've been reminded in our Bible study over the last few days that winning a big stack can be deceptive:
The most common question of big winners on TV game shows is: "What are you going to do with all that money?" Do you have a good answer ready - a godly one?
Caribbean Stud deals you five cards, then shows you one of the dealer's five. You make one bet based on that -- and if you don't have much, we found you're likely to lose a good bit.
Let It Ride deals you three cards. Then you bet on letting those three ride, or "pulling" bets on a fourth "community" card and a fifth similar one. The online game pays for a pair of 10's or better -- and in our brief play, we lost about 85 percent of the time (especially if our three didn't amount to much).
Three-Card Poker deals you three cards. Then you make one bet about whether you can beat the dealer's face-down three cards. We won a bit more there, but not much.
Mississippi Stud provides you two cards. Then you bet on "community cards" one at a time, trying to make at least a pair of 6's. Our winning record there was about the same as Let It Ride.... but with one notable exception:
There's a little skill involved in these games - but not a lot. Perhaps that's why we win more often in Ultimate Texas Hold 'em. And it's all about winning money - right?
Well, "hold 'em" a minute. We've been reminded in our Bible study over the last few days that winning a big stack can be deceptive:
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.... Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods'.... But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then will who get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." - Luke 12:16-21You can build a small fortune playing poker, or other casino games. But you can't take that chip stack with you beyond the grave.
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. - Psalm 39:6Not even a well-written will can guarantee your wealth will go where you want it to go after you die. So we think it's best to be "rich toward God" now -- giving to your church or worthy charitable causes.
The most common question of big winners on TV game shows is: "What are you going to do with all that money?" Do you have a good answer ready - a godly one?
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Poker Day 414: O-No-Maha
If the game is nothing but Texas Hold 'em, we probably can hold our own. But add other games, and things could be different. The current Sunday format at River City Poker Room has alternating blinds: first Texas Hold 'em, then high-hand Omaha. That meant things started well for us today. And then....
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: J-J-3-2 (Omaha)
We own an early pot with A-3, when the Ace paired. But in the last hand, we lost several thousand chips with Q-J-9-8. Even though the board showed J-10-A-8 to give us a well-hidden straight (you can only use two of your four cards to make a hand in Omaha), an Ace on the river gave a man to our left quad Aces.
Surely that can't happen again, so we raise to 1,000 with a good pocket pair. About half the players at our table of six calls.
ON THE FLOP: K-10-6 (third card may not be precise)
The flop is a rainbow, which works to our advantage. But without top pair, we decide to play carefully instead of making a continuation bet. We check; so do everyone else.
ON THE TURN: K
The board pairs -- but we suspect someone with a King would have bet by now. So sitting first in the order, we bet 700. A player in the middle of the table folds, but a man on the other side calls.
ON THE RIVER: K
A third King gives us a full house, and we see no need to hesitate. We bet 3,000.
"I'll raise," our opponent says -- a double to 6,000. This is a bit puzzling. He probably has a pocket pair for his own full house, but ours is too high to let go. We have to call.
And then.... the man shows a King. Quads again! We lose to a huge hand for the second time in a row. He gets a $50 cash bonus, while we reach the conclusion this is not our day.
It turned out a third person at our table hit quads during the same Omaha blind -- but it wasn't us. Our stack weakened to the point where we went all-in for our next 1,000 minutes later playing Texas Hold 'em with A-3 of hearts. The blind was A-4-4 -- but of course, that gave another player three of a kind. His 4's made us hit the door, with a badly-wounded 12th place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "This is GOD'S day, sir!" the dealer at another table exclaimed at one point. "Don't use language like that on God's day."
This dealer has a habit of being very irreverent -- throwing out comic insults (at least in his mind) without regard to race, gender or religion. But we used that moment to comment to the players at our table, out of his earshot.
"Some of us went to church yesterday. That's why we're here on Sunday."
We've mentioned here before that we keep a seventh-day Sabbath because that's what God instructed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), and it's the example Jesus set ....
Our study Bible says Jesus set an example of "regular worship." That's true -- but the Bible specifies he kept Sabbaths in the synagogue, which many Jews do to this day.
Yet as we think about it, the dealer could in one sense be right. That's because of another Bible verse....
We've heard some preachers mention this on the Sabbath, and try to confine this verse to one day of the week. Our study Bible notes it also could be "a reference to Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles."
But hold on -- didn't God create every day of the week? Genesis 1-2 shows He created all seven of them. So we think the point of the verse in Psalm is to give God thanks for every day, rejoicing that He's given us one more day to live. In this season of U.S. Thanksgiving Day, it's something to consider -- being thankful on more than one Thursday in November.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 145 final tables in 414 games (35.0%) - 24 cashes.
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: J-J-3-2 (Omaha)
We own an early pot with A-3, when the Ace paired. But in the last hand, we lost several thousand chips with Q-J-9-8. Even though the board showed J-10-A-8 to give us a well-hidden straight (you can only use two of your four cards to make a hand in Omaha), an Ace on the river gave a man to our left quad Aces.
Surely that can't happen again, so we raise to 1,000 with a good pocket pair. About half the players at our table of six calls.
ON THE FLOP: K-10-6 (third card may not be precise)
The flop is a rainbow, which works to our advantage. But without top pair, we decide to play carefully instead of making a continuation bet. We check; so do everyone else.
ON THE TURN: K
The board pairs -- but we suspect someone with a King would have bet by now. So sitting first in the order, we bet 700. A player in the middle of the table folds, but a man on the other side calls.
ON THE RIVER: K
A third King gives us a full house, and we see no need to hesitate. We bet 3,000.
"I'll raise," our opponent says -- a double to 6,000. This is a bit puzzling. He probably has a pocket pair for his own full house, but ours is too high to let go. We have to call.
And then.... the man shows a King. Quads again! We lose to a huge hand for the second time in a row. He gets a $50 cash bonus, while we reach the conclusion this is not our day.
It turned out a third person at our table hit quads during the same Omaha blind -- but it wasn't us. Our stack weakened to the point where we went all-in for our next 1,000 minutes later playing Texas Hold 'em with A-3 of hearts. The blind was A-4-4 -- but of course, that gave another player three of a kind. His 4's made us hit the door, with a badly-wounded 12th place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "This is GOD'S day, sir!" the dealer at another table exclaimed at one point. "Don't use language like that on God's day."
This dealer has a habit of being very irreverent -- throwing out comic insults (at least in his mind) without regard to race, gender or religion. But we used that moment to comment to the players at our table, out of his earshot.
"Some of us went to church yesterday. That's why we're here on Sunday."
We've mentioned here before that we keep a seventh-day Sabbath because that's what God instructed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), and it's the example Jesus set ....
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. - Luke 4:16
Our study Bible says Jesus set an example of "regular worship." That's true -- but the Bible specifies he kept Sabbaths in the synagogue, which many Jews do to this day.
Yet as we think about it, the dealer could in one sense be right. That's because of another Bible verse....
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24
We've heard some preachers mention this on the Sabbath, and try to confine this verse to one day of the week. Our study Bible notes it also could be "a reference to Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles."
But hold on -- didn't God create every day of the week? Genesis 1-2 shows He created all seven of them. So we think the point of the verse in Psalm is to give God thanks for every day, rejoicing that He's given us one more day to live. In this season of U.S. Thanksgiving Day, it's something to consider -- being thankful on more than one Thursday in November.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 145 final tables in 414 games (35.0%) - 24 cashes.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Poker Night 367: Kicking for the Swans
We confess we're big fans of Australian Rules Football. The current champion club is the Sydney Swans. Some poker pros refer to 2's as "Swans". With all of this as background, look at a hand we dealt tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....
BLINDS: 500/1,000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q
"Hey wait," you're saying, "these aren't swans." Be patient with us here. We've dealt ourselves two high cards in the second hour of play. We won several pots in the first hour, to reach the break at 16,500 chips. With 11 players remaining, we decide to limp in at this semifinal table of five. No one raises.
ON THE FLOP: 2-K-J
There's a swan, but the two high cards look more important to us. We have a draw for the top straight. The Small Blind leads off by betting the minimum 1,000. One man calls, then we decide to do the same.
ON THE TURN: A
Now we feel better, as we have top pair. The Small Blind bets 1,000 again. The man between us calls. Cool -- we'll lay low and call again.
ON THE RIVER: 2
That pairs the board, but we have top two pair and top kicker. Yet the Small Blind increases her bet to 3,000. The man in the middle folds. We think she has an Ace, but our kicker will win. So we call.
"I have an Ace."
"QUADS!" the woman yells. Yeow -- she turns over 2-2! It's no wonder she kept betting, because she led us all the way. The Swans win it all again - as the Small Blind seizes a big pot, plus a 5,000-chip bonus for quads.
"You never saw that coming," the winner's husband (sitting in Big Blind position) tell us. He's absolutely right. We wound up being overconfident to a fault.
That big win launched the woman on an amazing tear, as she won six hands in a row -- including one where we made a full house with "4's over Jacks," but she won with "Jacks over 4's." But with only enough players for two tables (which we think happened because Lil Kim's Cove was unable to show an Atlanta Falcons football game on its TV screens), eliminations at the other side of the room brought us to the final table with 8,500 chips.
We had hopes of making a move at the final table with A-8, but a big raise forced us to fold. We finally were forced to go all-in with J-9 in the Small Blind, and the board didn't pair for us. We wound up in eighth place, which admittedly is only "mid-list" with 16 players on hand. But it still counts as our fourth final table in the last five live nights.
MINISTRY MOMENT: A player across from us wore a T-shirt with President Barack Obama's picture (similar to this one). We couldn't resist asking him about one of the biggest show business controversies of the week.
"So do you agree with what Jamie Foxx said about President Obama?" we asked him. The man didn't know what we meant. "He called President Obama his 'Lord and Savior.'"
"No, I don't believe that," he said. But as we expected, we sparked a conversation.
"Did he mean that as a joke?" asked a man sitting to our right. (He'd asked at the start of the evening to be mentioned in this blog - so there it is.)
"He said it was a joke," we answered. But a large number of Christians haven't taken it that way; some have declared Foxx a "moron" for his comment, while others accuse him of blasphemy.
It's certainly not the sort of joke we would tell, because we believe what the Bible says....
Perhaps the logic is that the Christian critics "know" the conservatives are joking, while they suspect deep-down Foxx is serious. But after thinking it over, we've concluded there's a double standard here. If such attempts at "holy humor" are wrong for one, they should be wrong for all.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 273 point wins in 1,248 games (21.9%), 85 final tables, 10 cashes, 10 wins. No-River Hold 'em - 20 point wins in 71 games (28.2%), 15 final tables, 1 cash win.
Points remain hard to claim in full tournaments. We had three "top ten percent" finishes in the last week, which would have earned money in casinos - but they also again occurred in money-only games. And a final-table finish of seventh in a 39-player qualifier Tuesday night also missed, because only the top five earned points. But earlier in the day, a No-River tournament earned us plenty of points; we finished fifth out of 85 players.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $84,260, down $1,778.
BLINDS: 500/1,000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q
"Hey wait," you're saying, "these aren't swans." Be patient with us here. We've dealt ourselves two high cards in the second hour of play. We won several pots in the first hour, to reach the break at 16,500 chips. With 11 players remaining, we decide to limp in at this semifinal table of five. No one raises.
ON THE FLOP: 2-K-J
There's a swan, but the two high cards look more important to us. We have a draw for the top straight. The Small Blind leads off by betting the minimum 1,000. One man calls, then we decide to do the same.
ON THE TURN: A
Now we feel better, as we have top pair. The Small Blind bets 1,000 again. The man between us calls. Cool -- we'll lay low and call again.
ON THE RIVER: 2
That pairs the board, but we have top two pair and top kicker. Yet the Small Blind increases her bet to 3,000. The man in the middle folds. We think she has an Ace, but our kicker will win. So we call.
"I have an Ace."
"QUADS!" the woman yells. Yeow -- she turns over 2-2! It's no wonder she kept betting, because she led us all the way. The Swans win it all again - as the Small Blind seizes a big pot, plus a 5,000-chip bonus for quads.
"You never saw that coming," the winner's husband (sitting in Big Blind position) tell us. He's absolutely right. We wound up being overconfident to a fault.
That big win launched the woman on an amazing tear, as she won six hands in a row -- including one where we made a full house with "4's over Jacks," but she won with "Jacks over 4's." But with only enough players for two tables (which we think happened because Lil Kim's Cove was unable to show an Atlanta Falcons football game on its TV screens), eliminations at the other side of the room brought us to the final table with 8,500 chips.
We had hopes of making a move at the final table with A-8, but a big raise forced us to fold. We finally were forced to go all-in with J-9 in the Small Blind, and the board didn't pair for us. We wound up in eighth place, which admittedly is only "mid-list" with 16 players on hand. But it still counts as our fourth final table in the last five live nights.
"So do you agree with what Jamie Foxx said about President Obama?" we asked him. The man didn't know what we meant. "He called President Obama his 'Lord and Savior.'"
"No, I don't believe that," he said. But as we expected, we sparked a conversation.
"Did he mean that as a joke?" asked a man sitting to our right. (He'd asked at the start of the evening to be mentioned in this blog - so there it is.)
"He said it was a joke," we answered. But a large number of Christians haven't taken it that way; some have declared Foxx a "moron" for his comment, while others accuse him of blasphemy.
It's certainly not the sort of joke we would tell, because we believe what the Bible says....
"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord.... "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior." - Isaiah 43:10-11But here's what puzzles us. Why are some Christians condemning Foxx for his remarks, when plenty of conservative talk show hosts and bloggers have sarcastically called President Obama "Messiah" (based on a statement by Louis Farakkhan of the Nation of Islam) without receiving similar criticism?
Perhaps the logic is that the Christian critics "know" the conservatives are joking, while they suspect deep-down Foxx is serious. But after thinking it over, we've concluded there's a double standard here. If such attempts at "holy humor" are wrong for one, they should be wrong for all.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. - Exodus 20:7When we talk about the things of God, we should be careful with our words -- since God's Son will be the final judge over all of us:
....That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:10-11UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 128 final tables in 367 nights (34.9%), 20 cashes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 273 point wins in 1,248 games (21.9%), 85 final tables, 10 cashes, 10 wins. No-River Hold 'em - 20 point wins in 71 games (28.2%), 15 final tables, 1 cash win.
Points remain hard to claim in full tournaments. We had three "top ten percent" finishes in the last week, which would have earned money in casinos - but they also again occurred in money-only games. And a final-table finish of seventh in a 39-player qualifier Tuesday night also missed, because only the top five earned points. But earlier in the day, a No-River tournament earned us plenty of points; we finished fifth out of 85 players.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $84,260, down $1,778.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Mr. October?
While we're away on vacation, we're sharing past poker moments we mentioned at our former blog The Blog of Columbus (a news and humor blog). This one was posted 26 October 07, two weeks after our first live win:
Call it Night of Glory II! Your blog won the Thursday night poker tournament at Lil Kim's Cove, for the second time in three weeks!! I now have more wins this fall than the Atlanta Falcons!!!
I outlasted 20 other poker players, to win the Thursday night tournament - and this time, I decided NOT to split the prizes with the runner-up. So it's 50 dollars for me, while Rodney the slightly disabled man won a "bucket of beer" for second place. Let's face it: it's a lot easier for someone like me to tithe to a church on money, instead of beer bottles.
The biggest early clue that it might be my night came when someone to the right of me had a full house - but I beat him with four 7's. In poker lingo, losing with a great hand is known as a "bad beat." The phrase probably means something different to the staff at Rock 103....
My hands eliminated three players in a row, at the start of the evening. But the most satisfaction came when I won a smaller pot over an older gentleman named Len. He's known for unpredictable plays and bluffs, and he bet 50 big chips at a time against me. I kept calling him, and he finally confessed to a pair of 7's. I laughed out loud as I showed a pair of 9's - which may have put me on his enemies list.
The last two opponents of the evening proved hard to eliminate -- not only Rodney, but a grandmother who isn't even 40 years old. They seemed to hang on longer than Superman at the edge of a sea of kryptonite.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Poker Night 324: The Devil, You Say
A TV station in our area surprised us a few weeks ago, by making a big fuss about new license plates. The station managers decided to exchange three news car tags which had the numbers 666 in them -- even though a fourth number followed the sixes. Should you be afraid of that series of numbers? That issue actually came up tonight at The Red Barn....
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: A-7 offsuit
We're in the small blind, at a table which has been playing "friendly poker" before the flop most of the evening. We won an early pot when our K-10 turned into a straight on the flop. But we've been biding our time otherwise -- and with no one raising, this gives us no reason to change. We call, and most of the table is in.
ON THE FLOP: 6c-6d-6h
Several players laugh at this, since enough people know the symbolism associated with those numbers. "That's a beast of a flop!" we declare -- but we're not sure how many get our play on words. (If you don't get that, your assignment is to read Revelation 13:11-18.)
After the commotion dies down, we check. So does everyone else.
ON THE TURN: A
That's practically the best card we could see at this moment. It gives us a full house -- but we bet 500, just in case.
"He's got the Ace," someone says.
"He could have a 6," another speculates. That would give us quads -- but we realize to earn a 5,000-chip house-rule bonus for quads, we have to carry the hand all the way to the river. So this bet actually should tell thinking players at the table we don't have quads. We hope they get the "next best thing" message and fold. Most of the table does, but one woman does not; she calls.
ON THE RIVER: 7
That card is really inconsequential. What matters is what that woman has. We think she most likely has an Ace of her own, which would mean we split the pot. We offer 1,000, to show we mean business in case she's holding a smaller pair. The woman responds by raising to 2,000. Oh no -- could she be the one with quads? We remain skeptical, and think this is a "dare and double dare" move.
"You'll have to show me the 6," we say as we call. "I've got an Ace."
After we show our cards, the woman dramatically turns over 7 of spades. Then 6 of spades! She played suited connectors and hit it big!
"I knew he had an Ace," the player out of the hand repeats to someone else. "He's been playing cautious all night." Thanks for the tip. At least he got our message; perhaps we should have read the woman's hint better.
We recovered our loss on the next hand, when 3-3 brought a third 3 on the flop. We went all-in with 3,025 left and won. Moments later, K-K brought another big gain. We rolled to the one-hour break at 21,700 chips -- then won a couple more modest pots in the second hour. A timely win with A-6 and a pair of 6's on the flop helped us reach the final table at 20,500.
But once there, we made a tactical blunder. We held a Queen, saw Queen-high on the flop and only bet 8,000 chips instead of pushing completely. A man stayed in with 5-6 and made a winning full house. It came down to an all-in move with K-9 for us -- but a woman with K-K topped us, so we settled for a seventh-place finish.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "I have a bone to pick with you," a man said as soon as we walked in the door tonight. He called us over to the bar, and proceeded to disagree with the nice words we wrote here last week (and elsewhere online) about Mr. Wing.
"The service was terrible," the man told us. So were the wing prices, he added -- even though we never went into detail about the food menu, because we didn't order from it. The man claimed to speak for many when he concluded: "Your recommendation s*cked."
Instead of getting into a quarrel about it, we asked the man to forgive us. We tried to follow a Biblical example....
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 115 final tables in 324 nights (35.5%) - 17 cashes. Maybe we should give up the Thursday night games, because we've made seven out of the last nine final tables early in the week.
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: A-7 offsuit
We're in the small blind, at a table which has been playing "friendly poker" before the flop most of the evening. We won an early pot when our K-10 turned into a straight on the flop. But we've been biding our time otherwise -- and with no one raising, this gives us no reason to change. We call, and most of the table is in.
ON THE FLOP: 6c-6d-6h
Several players laugh at this, since enough people know the symbolism associated with those numbers. "That's a beast of a flop!" we declare -- but we're not sure how many get our play on words. (If you don't get that, your assignment is to read Revelation 13:11-18.)
After the commotion dies down, we check. So does everyone else.
ON THE TURN: A
That's practically the best card we could see at this moment. It gives us a full house -- but we bet 500, just in case.
"He's got the Ace," someone says.
"He could have a 6," another speculates. That would give us quads -- but we realize to earn a 5,000-chip house-rule bonus for quads, we have to carry the hand all the way to the river. So this bet actually should tell thinking players at the table we don't have quads. We hope they get the "next best thing" message and fold. Most of the table does, but one woman does not; she calls.
ON THE RIVER: 7
That card is really inconsequential. What matters is what that woman has. We think she most likely has an Ace of her own, which would mean we split the pot. We offer 1,000, to show we mean business in case she's holding a smaller pair. The woman responds by raising to 2,000. Oh no -- could she be the one with quads? We remain skeptical, and think this is a "dare and double dare" move.
"You'll have to show me the 6," we say as we call. "I've got an Ace."
After we show our cards, the woman dramatically turns over 7 of spades. Then 6 of spades! She played suited connectors and hit it big!
"I knew he had an Ace," the player out of the hand repeats to someone else. "He's been playing cautious all night." Thanks for the tip. At least he got our message; perhaps we should have read the woman's hint better.
We recovered our loss on the next hand, when 3-3 brought a third 3 on the flop. We went all-in with 3,025 left and won. Moments later, K-K brought another big gain. We rolled to the one-hour break at 21,700 chips -- then won a couple more modest pots in the second hour. A timely win with A-6 and a pair of 6's on the flop helped us reach the final table at 20,500.
But once there, we made a tactical blunder. We held a Queen, saw Queen-high on the flop and only bet 8,000 chips instead of pushing completely. A man stayed in with 5-6 and made a winning full house. It came down to an all-in move with K-9 for us -- but a woman with K-K topped us, so we settled for a seventh-place finish.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "I have a bone to pick with you," a man said as soon as we walked in the door tonight. He called us over to the bar, and proceeded to disagree with the nice words we wrote here last week (and elsewhere online) about Mr. Wing.
"The service was terrible," the man told us. So were the wing prices, he added -- even though we never went into detail about the food menu, because we didn't order from it. The man claimed to speak for many when he concluded: "Your recommendation s*cked."
Instead of getting into a quarrel about it, we asked the man to forgive us. We tried to follow a Biblical example....
Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. - Matthew 6:13But that man did not respond to our request by forgiving us. That's also a Biblical example:
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13We realize poker players can have differing opinions about everything from sports bars to the handling of pocket Jacks. We've learned to accept those differences, without turning them into a big fuss. Are you able to be that accepting? That's really the approach which shows a more Biblical attitude of humility.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 115 final tables in 324 nights (35.5%) - 17 cashes. Maybe we should give up the Thursday night games, because we've made seven out of the last nine final tables early in the week.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Poker Night 323: Anniversary Present
Several people were amazed at Lil Kim's Cove tonight, when we mentioned it was our fifth anniversary of live poker tournaments. They couldn't believe we remembered the date. But what happened during the first hour may have seemed even more unbelievable....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: J-J
We've already had a roller-coaster ride, even though the table is playing relatively tight. We made a straight on the flop holding 5-6 -- but only 150 at first, allowing two players to stay in and make flushes on the turn. Their big betting cost us thousands, but we were wise to fold on the river before going all-in. We've taken a couple of pots since then, including the Big Blind with 8-3. Now we're in the small blind with this, and choose to limp in. Most of the table gets in.
ON THE FLOP: 5-J-7
Triple J's look quite OK! So in lead position for action, we offer 600. That's too much for most of the table, but the dealer to our immediate right calls.
ON THE TURN: J
Whoa!! J now stands for jackpot -- but we know we can't claim a 5,000-chip bonus for quads unless the hand goes all the way to the river. So we check. The dealer checks as well.
ON THE RIVER: 7
We play innocent and check again. The dealer is in no mood for that -- and gives us even more than we expected.
"Four-thousand," he says. Now it's time for what they call in TV poker "Hollywooding."
"Four-thousand?!?!?" we ask with mock astonishment. We start counting our chips, because we're honestly not sure how many we have.
"Don't do it, man. Don't do it," the dealer advises.
"That might put me all in," we say while we count.
"You don't want to do it."
"I shouldn't do it?!" we ask with an added measure of uncertainty in our voice.
"Don't do it."
Nope. Our mind is made up. "I'm going to do it," we say with a hint of resignation. "I'll call." Our count totals 3,875, slightly below the dealer's bet.
"But I've got a boat," our opponent says. He flips over a 7, to show a full house.
"But I've got to call, when I've got quads."
We turn over the Jacks, and the table is stunned. One man guessed we might have pocket Aces, but nobody saw quads coming. We win a double-up and that 5,000-chip bonus.
"I had to bet. I had a boat," our opponent says in frustration -- not once, but several times. We can't really blame him. But he ran into an unexpected buzz saw. At least he was able to joke about it minutes later.
"You didn't have to call," he said.
"I know, but something told me I should call there."
"But you didn't have to listen to that something."
"I think it's called The Idiot's Guide to Poker," we said with a smile and a giggle.
That was the middle of three hands in a row which we won -- the following hand coming when we dealt ourselves Q-Q, and they prevailed. We reached the one-hour break with more than 20,500 chips. Trouble was, we lost half of them early in the second hour to a woman who made two big hands. A comeback with Queens returned us to 15,500. But a final push with A-Q and an Ace on the flop lost to a man who made three of a kind. Our anniversary night ended in 16th place - at least better than five years ago.
MINISTRY MOMENT: A young man walked over to our table during the one-hour break, and told some players about a couple of habits he's given up recently.
"I've stopped drinking. In fact, I gave up smoking pot."
One person described him as "clean and really sober." Then he continued.
"Several months ago, I made a promise to the man upstairs that if he'd help me give up pot, I'd quit. The man upstairs has given me the strength."
"God's helped you do it," we said -- making sure of which "man upstairs" he meant. Indeed, he gave God the credit. And he went on from there, to mention which church he attends every week -- a church which was familiar to a couple of people at the table, but not to us.
Two thoughts come to mind here. First, we're glad God has helped the man overcome those habits. If you have weaknesses or addictions in your life, God can help you as well.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 114 final tables in 323 nights (35.3%) - 17 cashes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 236 point wins in 992 games (23.8%), 76 final tables, 7 cashes plus 2 other wins. No-River Hold 'em - 6 point wins in 34 games (17.6%), 5 final tables, 1 cash win.
We mentioned the qualifying tournament we won last Friday. In addition, we came in seventh out of 203 players in a No-River tournament Wednesday.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $78,791, down $630.
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: J-J
We've already had a roller-coaster ride, even though the table is playing relatively tight. We made a straight on the flop holding 5-6 -- but only 150 at first, allowing two players to stay in and make flushes on the turn. Their big betting cost us thousands, but we were wise to fold on the river before going all-in. We've taken a couple of pots since then, including the Big Blind with 8-3. Now we're in the small blind with this, and choose to limp in. Most of the table gets in.
ON THE FLOP: 5-J-7
Triple J's look quite OK! So in lead position for action, we offer 600. That's too much for most of the table, but the dealer to our immediate right calls.
ON THE TURN: J
Whoa!! J now stands for jackpot -- but we know we can't claim a 5,000-chip bonus for quads unless the hand goes all the way to the river. So we check. The dealer checks as well.
ON THE RIVER: 7
We play innocent and check again. The dealer is in no mood for that -- and gives us even more than we expected.
"Four-thousand," he says. Now it's time for what they call in TV poker "Hollywooding."
"Four-thousand?!?!?" we ask with mock astonishment. We start counting our chips, because we're honestly not sure how many we have.
"Don't do it, man. Don't do it," the dealer advises.
"That might put me all in," we say while we count.
"You don't want to do it."
"I shouldn't do it?!" we ask with an added measure of uncertainty in our voice.
"Don't do it."
Nope. Our mind is made up. "I'm going to do it," we say with a hint of resignation. "I'll call." Our count totals 3,875, slightly below the dealer's bet.
"But I've got a boat," our opponent says. He flips over a 7, to show a full house.
"But I've got to call, when I've got quads."
We turn over the Jacks, and the table is stunned. One man guessed we might have pocket Aces, but nobody saw quads coming. We win a double-up and that 5,000-chip bonus.
"I had to bet. I had a boat," our opponent says in frustration -- not once, but several times. We can't really blame him. But he ran into an unexpected buzz saw. At least he was able to joke about it minutes later.
"You didn't have to call," he said.
"I know, but something told me I should call there."
"But you didn't have to listen to that something."
"I think it's called The Idiot's Guide to Poker," we said with a smile and a giggle.
That was the middle of three hands in a row which we won -- the following hand coming when we dealt ourselves Q-Q, and they prevailed. We reached the one-hour break with more than 20,500 chips. Trouble was, we lost half of them early in the second hour to a woman who made two big hands. A comeback with Queens returned us to 15,500. But a final push with A-Q and an Ace on the flop lost to a man who made three of a kind. Our anniversary night ended in 16th place - at least better than five years ago.
MINISTRY MOMENT: A young man walked over to our table during the one-hour break, and told some players about a couple of habits he's given up recently.
"I've stopped drinking. In fact, I gave up smoking pot."
One person described him as "clean and really sober." Then he continued.
"Several months ago, I made a promise to the man upstairs that if he'd help me give up pot, I'd quit. The man upstairs has given me the strength."
"God's helped you do it," we said -- making sure of which "man upstairs" he meant. Indeed, he gave God the credit. And he went on from there, to mention which church he attends every week -- a church which was familiar to a couple of people at the table, but not to us.
Two thoughts come to mind here. First, we're glad God has helped the man overcome those habits. If you have weaknesses or addictions in your life, God can help you as well.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26How does this happen? How does God become your strength? It begins by confessing your weak areas to God -- and admitting you need His help.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.... I can do everything through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:6, 13Our second thought may seem a bit nit-picky -- but it involves the wording that young man used. We think some people use the phrase "man upstairs" to avoid possibly offending people with a direct mention of God. The apostle Paul took a similar approach when he addressed a crowd in Athens....
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. - Acts 17:30-31Paul never named the name of Jesus Christ in this mini-sermon -- but that's clearly the "person" he was describing. A few men followed Paul after that address, and believed in God (verse 34). Perhaps this young man's testimony (even posted here) will help others do the same.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 114 final tables in 323 nights (35.3%) - 17 cashes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 236 point wins in 992 games (23.8%), 76 final tables, 7 cashes plus 2 other wins. No-River Hold 'em - 6 point wins in 34 games (17.6%), 5 final tables, 1 cash win.
We mentioned the qualifying tournament we won last Friday. In addition, we came in seventh out of 203 players in a No-River tournament Wednesday.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $78,791, down $630.
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