Tip For the Waiter

The hands kept coming, but the good cards for us did not.  When you see 8-5 or 6-3 offsuit with mounting blinds, that's not much inspiration for getting in a hand.

So when we pushed in last Sunday's tournament with J-J in the pocket, our dealer noticed.  "You've shown a lot of patience," he told us.

"We'll see if patience is a virtue," we answered.

It turned out the answer was no (see the post below).  But we still think patient play is a good approach to take in poker.  You're more likely to stick around in tournaments, leading to a better position in the standings. And we think you better show a godly example.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience.... - Galatians 5:22

The phrase "patience is a virtue" sounds like it ought to be in the Bible.  It's not.  But it's one of the "fruit" that should be reflected by people with God's Holy Spirit.  In fact, Jesus's disciples had to show patience before the Holy Spirit came.

He said to them... "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you...." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. - Acts 1:7-9

Some calendars mark today as "Ascension Day."  It's the day when Jesus ascended to heaven, 40 days after He was resurrected (verse 3).  The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus's apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) - 50 days after the resurrection (Leviticus 23:15-16).

What did believers do during those ten days? Acts 1 indicates they became organized, choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot. And....

They all joined together constantly in prayer.... - Acts 1:14

We suspect they were praying in anticipation of the Holy Spirit's coming.  And that sets a good example for us.  While we're waiting patiently for God to provide something, we should pray constantly about it.

Will God always provide pocket Jacks at the key moment, after hours of clunker cards?  Maybe. Maybe not.  But waiting patiently for as long as you're able allows more time (and hands) for God to work.  You might even impress someone at the table as you do.

Poker Day 439: Planting Small Seeds

"Speak softly and carry a big stick," President Theodore Roosevelt once said.  That advice can be applied to the poker room at times.  Watch how he tried it at Arrowhead Poker today....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: King of hearts - King of spades

On a holiday weekend, the turnout is small -- nine players total.  We lost a modest pot early when our pair of 9's lost to a pair of Queens.  Now we have cards even better than that -- but we're first to act pre-flop, so we take the "soft" step and call.  Sure enough, a player across from us raises to 1,200.

"Raise," we say when our turn comes again; "5,200."

This approach keeps three other big spenders in; the rest get out of the way.

ON THE FLOP: 6s-Qs-5s

We have an overpair - but even better, a big spade draw.  We know we should follow up strongly, so we offer a continuation bet of 5,000. A big bettor across from us raises to 10,000.  We call; the rest step aside.

ON THE TURN: As

Jackpot!  We clinch the nut flush, and have an opponent in a mood to gamble.  So we check.  But he checks, too.  Bummer.

ON THE RIVER: 8h (not a spade; suit may not be exact)

Since there's no pair on the board, there's no chance for a full house.  Give us the check mark - and now how about a bonus?  We bet 12,000, and our opponent shoves one of his two big stacks of chips at us. (We didn't ask for a count, to see how it is.)  We don't hesitate to go all-in, and he calls.

Then our opponent throws down.... a Jack of clubs?!?!  Seriously?!?!

"I've got the nuts," we say as we show.  Whatever else that man has, it's not winning.  We get a marvelous double-up, to about 147,000 chips.

"That Ace was the perfect card for you," another player says.  We agree - as it left the outcome practically beyond doubt in our favor.

Our pot kept building from there, as good cards came our way.  A-K of clubs eliminated one player who had A-Q, and lost a race.  Even J-9 won a race when two Jacks came on the board!  In this "bounty" tournament, we eliminated four players at $25 each - the first time we can recall ever claiming a bounty at a poker table.

We reached a chip-stack high of 440,000, and made it to heads-up action. At that point, we agreed to a settlement with our opponent.  With first place paying $90 and second place $54, we each accepted a $72 payout.

That plus four bounties plus our own "bounty chip" which we never lost meant our $60 investment wound up earning $197.  Our records show that's our second-best poker day financially ever - topped only by a Monday night in Florida in 2011. We're praising the Lord for a successful day!

MINISTRY MOMENT: On the way home from the poker room, we passed a regular spot for panhandlers - and two men were there, one with a sign declaring himself "homeless" and seeking help.

We stopped to talk with the men, and found both are staying in a shelter -- but saying things aren't going well there. One claimed he lost his medications to theft. That one also said about $200 was coming in a couple of days, so they could get a motel room for a short time while looking for work.

We admittedly were torn about how to help these men, and openly told them so.  They had a place to stay, but wanted someplace better.  They'd stayed with a friend the night before, and the temperature this night was going to stay above freezing.  So what would you do in such a case?

Against our better judgment (which was simply to walk away, concluding they really didn't need anything we could provide), we let them into our car and drove them to a nearby small motel for overnight lodging.  It was a place where we put a truly homeless man on a January weekend last year, when the temperature was much colder.

Why did we do this?  In part because....

...Freely you have received; freely give. - Matthew 10:8

God blessed us at the poker table, so it only seems right to share a blessing with others - especially people who seem much worse off than us.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? - James 2:15-16

Without even looking for them, we encountered more than 40 beggars last year -- in part because we live in a neighborhood with homeless shelters nearby.  We realize we easily could be in their shoes, if only a few things change in our life.  So we try to provide help where we can, especially meeting needs more than handing out cash.  Do you have a different suggestion?


UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 157 final tables in 439 games (35.8%), 26 cashes. Today was our first cash in a live tournament since February 2014.

Too Long at the Fair

We were due for a night like this.  We went to Kansas Star Casino hoping again to make quick money playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'em - but lousy cards came our way four hands in a row.  At a ten-dollar table, we lost $90 in no time.

We left and walked around the casino, pondering what to do.  Do we cash in our remaining $10 in chips and go home?  Do we dare risk that $10 on a cheap blackjack game?  (No, we concluded -- every time we passed a blackjack table, the dealer was getting heartbreaking wins.)  Do we reach into the "envelope of blessings" we carry for the remaining money inside?

After several minutes of sports-watching and pondering, we decided to reach.  We made change for the remaining $100, and only plunked down $50 at the table.  And what do you know -- the tide turned in our favor!  Several quick wins transformed our $60 into $160.  We had the money back, plus $10.

We knew that streak had to end eventually -- and it did on the next hand.  We could have packed up, left with a $10 loss and thanked God for a good comeback.  But we stuck around, hoping to get back on the "plus side."  Only we didn't.  The losses returned -- and we wound up going home with a $160 loss.

At that moment we were reminded of a man at a regular poker table who talked of losing $300 in a cash game.  "Why don't we ever get out?" he moaned.

That's a very good question.  Perhaps part of the answer can be found in a very familiar Bible verse:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. - I Timothy 6:10

Notice carefully: the love of money isn't the root of evil.... but it's certainly one of them.  We can be so eager after winning a little that we stick around, dreaming of winning a lot -- and the law of averages comes back to bite you.

You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God. - James 4:2

This may sound strange -- but looking back to the start of the night, we probably didn't pray enough about what was going to happen inside the casino.  We certainly didn't pray for God's wisdom in being a light to other people. (We tried to be in the second trip; that's an item for another post.)  Ignore God in prayer, and He well could ignore you....

Come near to God, and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. - James 4:8

We take the blame for not following the advice of fictional TV anchorman Ron Burgundy: "Let me out at the top." That door was open.  We didn't take it.  We needed to keep a wise godly head at that moment -- instead of waiting until we drove home, confessing our faults to God and resolving not to go back to that casino for awhile.

Poker Day 412: Better Late Than Never

We backed our car into a parking spot at Arrowhead Poker.  We got out of the car, having already checked our pockets for our poker tools (note pad, pencil, prop).  Then we realized we'd forgotten one very important thing.  It was a Sunday tournament with a $20 buy-in -- and we'd left our wallet at home.

Instead of going inside feeling embarrassed, we drove back home muttering about our own stupidity.  We could have said "Forget it" and worked on other things the rest of the day.  But we finally decided to grab our wallet and go back -- even though it meant showing 25 minutes after the starting time.

The poker room manager was reluctant for a moment -- but eventually split the one table of play into two, so we could have a seat.  Our chip stack was deducted for one round of missed blinds, so we had some catching up to do....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 4 of diamonds - 6 of diamonds

We regained our deduction right away, winning two pots in a row as soon as we sat down.  Now we're at around the starting number of 20,000, sitting in the Small Blind.  The group of five is playing somewhat tight, so no one raising before the flop allows us to simply call.

ON THE FLOP: A-4-2

It's a pair -- albeit a drab one.  We're first to act, and check.  But we're a little comforted to see the rest of the table checking as well.

ON THE TURN: 5

This brings four cards to a straight.  We decide to test how serious the table is, by betting 600.  (We do have a pair, after all.)  Two players call.  But something also tells us a good card is about to come....

ON THE RIVER: 3

Indeed it did!  This puts a straight on the table -- but our 6 gives us a higher straight.  So we bet 2,000, in a "truth or dare" challenge.  One man folds quickly.  The other thinks about it several seconds, then thinks better and surrenders.

We're in a somewhat giving mood, so we turn over our cards.  "I knew you had a 6," one of the folders said.  He was wise.  We're still happy, gaining about 2,000 chips.

We slowly kept building our stack, and reached the final table.  Then came some up-and-down moments, with a top of about 210,000 chips late in the tournament.  We finally held on to make the top three, which earned prize money!

But then a big all-in challenge when we held A-4 failed, as an opponent held A-Q and cleaned up.  That left us forced to go all-in with very little in the Big Blind, and our Queen-high lost to three of a kind.  Yet third place earned us $30 on a $20 investment -- not bad for someone who started the afternoon feeling stupid and ashamed.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our final-table seat was directly to the Dealer's left.  At one point he dealt the cards a bit loosely for a moment.

"I saw that," we said as he juggled a "burn card" back into the deck.

"What was it?"

"A red Ace."

Sure enough - it was the Ace of diamonds.  He displayed it to the other players.

"Thank you, sir.  Honesty is the best policy."

We agree with that -- but let's face it.  How many other poker players would agree with that view -- even serious ones?  The national news Sunday evening included a top U.S. military official who's under investigation for allegedly taking counterfeit chips to a poker room.

Some people think the phrase, "Honesty is the best policy," comes from the Bible.  That exact quote does not.  (We could find no original source for it.) But the principle is certainly Biblical:

Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.  Use honest scales and honest weights.... - Leviticus 19:35-36

This instruction probably refers to doing trade or business.  But shouldn't it apply to everything we do in life?  Look at what could happen if your answer is no....

Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?  Her rich men are violent; her people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully.  Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. - Micah 6:11-13

Verse 1 of this chapter makes clear God is saying these words.  Deceitful actions and words might make you rich in the short-term -- but God can make sure you pay for it in the long-term.  May our lives be like Shakespeare wrote in a play: "Every man has his fault, and honesty is his."

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 145 final tables in 412 games (35.2%) - 24 cashes.  Since moving to Kansas, our record has been strong: 6 for 8 in reaching final tables, with 3 cash wins.

Poker Night 309: Better Read Than Dead

You may have heard the line about "guys who can't commit."  In poker, commitment sometimes gets rewarded handsomely -- and sometimes blows up in your face.  Look at what happened tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: J-10 offsuit

We started the evening with 7,000 chips, and have slowly dwindled from there.  We actually had J-10 on the last hand, and we made top pair on the flop.  But we lost to a man who stuck around with 2-3, and made two pair on the river.  Hopefully that won't happen again, so we're ready to call with 4,400 chips left.  But a man to our right with a huge stack raises to 400.  With insistence, we call -- and four players from a table of six are in.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-7

Aha - top pair again!  The man who raised before makes a continuation bet (we suspect) of 1,000, and we're perfectly happy to tag along.  In fact, everyone calls.

ON THE TURN: K

Ugh.  We didn't really want to see that.  And to make things worse, the bettor now tosses out 2,000.  We have 3,000 left, so we think about this a moment.  Has be been betting all along because he has something - or because he has nothing?

"I'll call," we decide somewhat reluctantly.  We conclude the man is making a "go away" bluff bet to claim the pot.  The other two players don't seem to agree; they fold.

ON THE RIVER: 3

Our opponent looks at our "stack" -- in quotes, because we have one chip worth 1,000 left.  That's it.  He tosses a black chip out to match it.

"I've committed this far," we say, "so I'll call.  I'm all in.  I've got a pair of Jacks."

Too bad.  Our opponent shows A-K.

Our reasoning was right when it came to the flop, as we were leading then.  But he caught a winning card on the turn, which changed everything.  Our reading skills (assuming we have any) went bad, and we were out first at our table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: That man with a big stack also fell short in the prior hand, losing to the 2's and 3's.  "The river giveth, and the river taketh away," he said.

Hey - that sounds familiar.  "Blessed be the name of the Lord," we say in response.  We don't think he expected that.  So we decided to follow up with it a bit.  "Who said that quote?"

"The Bible," a woman said with a who-cares tone to her voice.

"Yes - but who in the Bible?"

"Jesus," a man guessed.  No....

"John?" the woman guessed.

"You're close, in a way," we said.  Then we offered the answer.  "It was Job." (Job 1:21)

A man at one end of the table recognized that name.  "Yeah, because God took everything from him -- then gave it back to him later."

Welllll.... is it really fair to say God took everything from Job?  Let's check the record:

"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied.... "But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."  The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." - Job 1:9, 11-12

Notice God did not instruct Satan to take everything away from Job!  The statement in verse 12 is open-ended.  Satan might say God granted permission to do it, but Satan didn't have to do it.  The devil made that choice - a mean-spirited and deadly choice, as the rest of Job 1 shows.

We blogged about this incident last week, and said we wouldn't give away the ending.  But since that other player mentioned it....

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.... The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. - Job 42:10, 12

So yes, God brought Job back to prosperity.  But did you notice what happened first?  It came after Job prayed for others - in this case, three friends who kept giving him lousy advice about his predicament.  Is there someone in your life who needs your prayers?  Maybe even someone who's made your life a little miserable?

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.  He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. - Matthew 5:44-45

We have to confess - we don't follow this instruction of Jesus anywhere close to enough.  We don't pray for the poker players who make fun of our efforts.  We plan to do that more.  Who knows what blessings might come from it - for everyone?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 109 final tables in 309 nights (35.3%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 216 point wins in 910 games (22.6%), 71 final tables, 7 cashes plus one non-cash win. No-River Hold 'em - 5 point wins in 20 games (25%), 4 final tables, 1 cash.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - CORRECTED: $71,007, down $6,060.  Suffice to say: not a good week all around.

Dust and Divinity

We've noted before how online poker players can have unusual names. A recent tournament at National League of Poker had an "all-in" clash between Samba and Sawdust. The chat went this way....

Dealer: Samba wins Main Pot ($3220) with Two pair, aces and deuces
Me: Samba dances past Sawdust
Samba: earth 2 earth sawdust 2
Me: well, dust
Samba: ty
Me: That's a Bible quote (sort of)
Samba: yep i thnk
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($735)
Samba: or superman said it lol
After checking a Bible concordance today, the quote we both had in mind is not scriptural after all. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" actually comes from an Anglican Church prayer book. But during the game, we quickly consulted a Bible and recalled something else:

Me: Found it : "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Me: Genesis 3:19
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($395)
Samba: yep near da front
Me: Yes it is
That quote was said by the Lord because Adam disobeyed His command not to eat of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17, 3:17). Sadly, humans have been disobeying God's commands ever since -- in a variety of ways, from murder and stealing to having images of false gods.

Of course, this discussion led to a question....

Me: Do you believe in the Bible?
Samba: yes ....
Samba: do u no y god can say with truth He new u be4 u were born
Me: He was around before I was. :-)

That statement by Samba isn't exactly in the Bible, either. But you'll find amazing statements by the apostle Paul:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.... -- Ephesians 1:4

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. -- II Thessalonians 2:13

Samba went on to write something about Albert Einstein proving all this -- but our table was split before we could learn more details. We're simply happy that Paul wrote all this. God has a plan for believers -- and apparently had it before time began!

So we ask: are you hindering God's plan for you? Accepting God's offer of salvation and walking in holiness can lead to something much greater than dust -- a gift of eternal life.

Quote of the Year (so far)

"You're a poker player! That is beyond white trash!"

-- Joan Rivers telling off Annie Duke on Celebrity Apprentice Sunday night.

First Brad Garrett, now this. Why is Annie Duke getting all this heat?