Beyond That Name

Our last post explained the name of this blog. It's called "On the Flop" for several reasons.

But to be honest, there have been times over the years when we wonder if we misnamed it - and should have mentioned the two cards after the flop instead.

The turn card is fourth out of five on the board, in standard Texas Hold 'em. If you're one card away from a flush or straight on the flop, you could make it here. A lot can, well, turn on that card.

In the same way, God wants all of us to "make the turn" in life. That advice began early in history - long before "come to Jesus moments" became a cliché:

The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. - Deuteronomy 30:10 (NLT)

That "Book" was what Jews call the Torah - the first five books of the Old Testament. The "turn" to God should be complete, not holding back anything in our lives. And it means obeying what God says - or in our time, what He has inspired to be written in the Bible.

So a great change can happen "On the Turn." And in poker, the river card comes after that. It comes out last, but many times it's not least. Big pots and tournament titles have been decided by a dramatic river card.

The Bible speaks of rivers as well, often in symbolic terms. Consider this one....

Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. - Amos 5:24 (NLT)

The prophet (and, by extension, God) was not satisfied with simply "noisy hymns of praise" (verse 23, NLT). Praise music has its place, but living "On the River" in a godly way is even better.

But make no mistake - that "come to Jesus moment" still matters. In fact, Jesus puts it all together:

Now on the last day, the great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" - John 7:37-38 (NASB)

The "rivers" here refer to the Holy Spirit of God working in your life (verse 39). It comes when you repent of your sin - admitting you're a "flop" in God's eyes, then "turning" your life over to Him.

All that may sound hard to do - harder than winning any poker tournament.  But we're reminded of what NASCAR pit reporter Winston Kelly said one day during a race: "It takes a pretty brave man to admit he made a mistake." May you have the courage to admit your mistakes and sins to God - then start moving toward the river.

Poker Day 527: The Perfect Storm

The old cliché says lightning never strikes twice in the same place. But is that really true? Before we answer, take a look at an amazing hand today in the tournament at Kansas Star Casino.... and yes, there will be a connection:

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-Q offsuit

We won two nice pots in the first hour, including one with pocket Aces. Then A-J paid off to eliminate a player, and move us to 7,700. But a couple of hands before this one, an amazing thing happened. We pushed with K-K, ran into a man with A-A - yet we caught a King on the river to stay alive!

So we start this hand with more than 14,000 chips. The man we beat moments earlier is sitting two seats to our right, and going all in for 2,500.

"I'll help him out," we say as we call - realizing he could be pushing with anything. But two other men at the table call. This could be huge.

ON THE FLOP: K-Q-8

We're quietly thrilled by this - top two pair! We're first in line and bet 2,000, expecting the other men in the hand to concede. Trouble is, they both call. Do they have pocket Kings or Queens?

"This could buy you right back in," a man out of the hand says to the player who went all-in.

ON THE TURN: 9

Seemingly harmless - but now we want to make sure, and we have the chip stack to back it up.

"Four-thousand," we say - emphasis on the four. A young man at the end of the table ponders it for a moment. Then he goes all in! And if that's not enough, the other man in the hunt pushes behind him! Have our worst fears become reality?

"I'll do it," we say - becoming the fourth player to go all in. After all, we've committed a lot of money to the pot and our hand is strong.

The dealer sorts out all the chips, and it turns out we have fewer than the man at the far end. So there are two sidepots. But who has what? It's time to show....

Man at far end: A-K
Man across the table: A-K
Man who pushed for 2,500 to start all this: A-Q

"I have two pair, though," we point out. No one else does, so we have a big lead!

CORRECTED: Let's take a moment to analyze this. All four Kings are showing. If a Queen comes on the river, we make a full house to beat the first pusher's three of a kind. No straight or flush is in play. The only thing that can hurt us is the lone remaining Ace. We can knock out two players out, win a massive (estimated) 40,000 chips and probably cruise to the final table - if we dodge one card.

ON THE RIVER: A

"Yes!" understandably says the man at the far end. Based on what's showing, the odds of that Ace coming are 39 to one!

The two men with A-K split all the chips. The two players knocked out include us - as we finish tied for 22nd place, out of 56 entries.

So yes, in poker lightning can strike twice at the same table. And in real life, it can happen as well. The Empire State Building gets it several times a year.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man sitting next to us mentioned the time he walked past a slot machine modeled after TV horror movie host Elvira. "Suddenly it said, 'Come here and play with me.'" That shook the man up a bit.

"Try the voices," we advised him, "to see what sort of voices they are."

We were reminded on Christian radio this evening of a young man in the Bible who faced somewhat the same situation.

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am!" And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me".... - I Samuel 3:3-5

But Eli explained he didn't call Samuel, and sent him back to bed. Then the call by God happened a second time, with a similar response....

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord.... Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. - I Samuel 3:7-8

Eli was one of God's priests (I Samuel 1:3), so he was clearly sensitive to such things. He sent Samuel back to bed with different instructions (3:9).

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." - I Samuel 3:10

That marked the official start of a long and beautiful relationship between God and Samuel. In perhaps the same way, we would ask: Is God calling you - perhaps not through dreams, but through other people or events in your life?

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call. - Acts 2:39

If God "makes the call" on your life, "call" as in poker. Go heads-up with Him, but in a humble way. After all, He holds all the cards - but we think going all-in for God is the best decision you'll ever make.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 191 final tables in 527 games (36.2%) - 39 cashes. Experiment update: Down $75.

Poker Night 508: The Old Man and the Shove

On our last night before leaving a church convention, we decided there was time to try one more tournament at Casino Choctaw-Durant. The finish was better - and also more memorable:

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We won the first three hands of the tournament, then claimed several more after that. That's led us to the final table, after more than three hours of play. But with seven players remaining, we're now desperate. With only 2,000 chips left, good cards may have come for us in the nick of time.

"I'm all-in, and I call," we tell the table. But an older man across from us (we'd guess at least 75) is distracted by what happened a few hands ago. A woman won a big pot from him, by staying in a hand he thought she should have avoided. After accusing her of "not knowing how to play," he seems to be on tilt. Yet he doesn't raise, and five players get in for the minimum.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-4 (third card may not be precise)

This doesn't look promising for us - and even less so when players start betting. The woman to our left offers (as best we recall) 3,000. The older man responds by going all-in.

"What are you going to do?" he asks us. Answer: sit and watch.

"I'm all-in," we remind Mr. Accuser. Other players have folded, except for the woman who has him bothered. She takes a moment to think about this.

"Hurry up. I've got to go home and feed the dog," the older man says. We can't resist laughing out loud at that line. The woman finally calls, and it's time to show our cards.

The woman at our left has J-9. The older man shoved with 9-2. She's in the lead thanks to her kicker, but we have two very live cards.

ON THE TURN: 8

This card helps no one - and leaves us at the brink.

ON THE RIVER: 2

Aw, c'mon! We get knocked out, but the older man gets an amazing escape by hitting a second pair. So he starts singing the chorus of "Old Man River" - and we almost join him on the final notes, as we shake his hand!

We leave in seventh place, on a night with only 16 players. But at least we can say we made a final table at a casino where big tournaments happen - and we leave with the funniest poker story we've had in a long time.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We carried our "Lord's Supper" card protector again, and showed it to a woman sitting next to us. "What do you think of Jesus?" we asked her. She seemed surprised by the question.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "He did everything He came to do.... He came to save the world."

It turned out that woman and two others at our table admitted to having Jesus as their Savior. That's good. But is that saving work finished yet?

...God our Savior.... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. - I Timothy 2:3-4

That's what God wants. But we fear that's one place where skeptics point fingers of doubt. If God is all-powerful, can't He achieve what He wants? Why have some notorious people died, seemingly without coming close to being saved?

The answer may sound strange, but it's this: God is not trying to save everyone now. It would be great if that happened, but it's not the plan....

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.... - Romans 11:25-26

By "Israel," we think the apostle Paul refers to members of the "12 tribes" descended from Old Testament Israel (Romans 9:4/11:1). God has opened a way at this time for people outside those tribes to enter His family, while....

...The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." - Romans 11:7-8

If some of our posts about the Bible leave you puzzled or confused.... well, believe it or not, we understand your confusion. In fact, it may be part of God's grand plan. We'll explain more about that in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 185 final tables in 508 nights (36.4%) - 37 cashes. This was our first final table since June; we'd missed five in a row.

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:

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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River Without Rats

The last card that's dealt in a Texas Hold 'em poker hand has a name with more symbolism than you might think.

Why is it called "the river"? One theory we found online says that card actually was a cheater's card long ago - and gamblers would throw it over the side of a riverboat if they got caught. Into the river, you see.

But big things happened at rivers long before poker came along. Consider a few examples....

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them... as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.... So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. - Joshua 3:14-16

The nation of Israel entered God's "promised land" by crossing the Jordan River. Decades of wandering ended, and a payoff was achieved.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John... As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:13-17

The Son of God agreed to be baptized in a river, and God used that moment to make a major statement about Him.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. - Acts 16:13

The apostle Paul went to the riverside to pray - and more baptisms followed (verse 15).

So historic events can happen at rivers. Perhaps you can think of more from the Bible. But we've been reminded of this lately by a big song on Christian radio - ironically, by a singer with "Jordan" in his name. It talks about a "river" offering something far more valuable than poker pots.

Poker Day 443: Just Hanging Around

The schedule has been so busy for us in recent weeks that today marked our first trip to a poker tournament in almost two months.  The format at Arrowhead Poker hasn't changed, which for our city is a bit surprising.  But would the success rate change?

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: King of clubs-King of diamonds

A full table of ten players has shown up today.  Some early feelers have fallen short for us, so we have about 58,000 of a generous 60,000 starting chips.  When we see this high pocket pair late in the betting order and no one has raised, we obviously should.  We go up to 1,000; about half the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: 3h-5d-7h

Unless someone jumped in with a small pocket pair, this flop seems harmless.  So when the table checks, we put out 1,200.  Most players get the message and surrender, but one man at the opposite corner from us calls.

ON THE TURN: 10h

Hmmm - now three hearts are showing, and we don't have one.  But we don't want to back off with an "overpair," so the bet goes up only a little.  Our opponent checks, we offer 1,500 and he calls.

ON THE RIVER: As

It's not a heart, but it's practically the last card we want to see.  Yet our opponent seems delighted, because he now bets 6,500 instead of checking.  Even if he was laying low with a flush, any Ace has us beaten.  We mumble a little and fold.  Then he turns over.... sure enough, an Ace.

"He let you hang around," another player tells our opponent.  Indeed.  But a big bet on the turn with three hearts showing could have been risky.

We rallied after several losses to win a big pot with Q-Q, to get above 63,000 chips.  But we never won another pot after that.  A pre-flop push for 31,000 with A-K found us heads-up against K-Q, but a Queen on the flop doomed us.  Not even a King later allowed us to beat his two pair.  Out of 11 total players, we finished middle-of-the-pack in sixth.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our handling of pocket Queens with big bets frustrated a man sitting next to us at the table.  "Jesus Christ," he said on the turn.

"He's my redeemer," we said confidently.

Our opponent didn't react to that statement - but you may be asking what we mean by that.  The idea of being redeemed goes back to long before Jesus was born:

Therefore, say to the Israelites: "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment." - Exodus 6:6

The Lord "redeemed" Israel from slavery -- as in buying their freedom.  In fact, Israel didn't have to pay much for that freedom besides sacrificing lambs at the Passover and putting their blood on doorposts (Exodus 12:1-30).  In the same way, Jesus Christ can redeem you spiritually now:

....We wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. - Titus 2:13-14

The blood of Jesus redeems believers from wicked, sinful ways.  They can become "God's people," and God wants pure sinless people.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - I Peter 2:9

The world of sin can be a very dark place.  Wouldn't it be better to have Jesus redeem you from your sins, so you can follow the One who says He is "the light of world"? (John 8:12)  We'll consider that a bit more in our next post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 160 final tables in 443 games (36.1%) - 26 cashes.

Shall We Gather at No-River?

Some poker pros are described on TV as "cash game specialists" -- which apparently means their record in tournaments isn't very good.  In the last couple of years, we've found one particular form of online tournament which could be our "specialty."

We won with it Friday afternoon at National League of Poker!  A huge comeback from about 320 chips (helped by quad 5's and some timely Ace pairs) brought us victory in a 97-player "No-River Hold 'em" tournament (formerly called Knockout Hold 'em, when UFC was a sponsor).  The winning hand was pocket Jacks -- not usually much in this format, but good enough heads-up.  It's our second win with this format since we started it in February 2011.

No-River Hold 'em deals each player three cards, instead of two.  There's a flop and a turn card -- but no river card (thus the name).  Yet in a way, we think it removes some Biblical symbolism from poker.  Consider what we mean....

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead.  Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -- to the Israelites." - Joshua 1:1-2

After decades of wandering, the "promised land" awaited Israel on the other side of that river.  When the people crossed it, they saw miraculous help:

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.  Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.  It piled up in a heap a great distance away.... So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. - Joshua 3:15-16

It was a "dry ground" crossing (verse 17) without any makeshift bridges -- and not unlike what occurred decades before when leaving Egypt.

Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back.... Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.... Psalm 114:5, 7

Many songs have been written comparing that journey to our own lives.  For instance, believers walk with God until death, then trust Him to lead them across "the river" to eternal life.  You may be able to think of other comparisons.

The river card in poker is decisive.  It can determine winners and losers - who thrives and survives, and whose hopes will end in heartbreak and disappointment.  Are you seeking God's help in dealing with the "rivers" of your life?  Even the greatest one of all, waiting at the end?

Poker Night 390: The 5-K Race

It was the night of Presidents' Day, and The Red Barn was packed with poker players.  But strangely, most of the people we met didn't seem to realize it was Presidents' Day.

"I'm not a President," one man said skeptically when we mentioned the holiday.  He went on to dismiss all U.S. Presidents as "crooked," because they lie to people.  We're led to think some poker players would fit in well with them.  But would they pull a fast one when a lot of chips were on the line?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: J-10 of hearts (suit may not be precise)

The evening was a disappointment until only a few hands before this.  We had K-9, looked at K-Q-9 on the flop, went all-in and scored a double-up plus a 5,000-chip "Rodney hand" bonus.  Now we're feeling better with around 14,000 chips.  No one raises before the flop, so we're happy to call with suited connectors.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-3

Now we're even happier -- but only for about five seconds.  A woman down the counter from us (we're playing on a counter top again) bets 5,000.  She did this on the K-9 hand, which put us all-in.  She had Q-9 then.  We're puzzled by what she has now -- perhaps a second high pair?!  But there's little question about the right move: we call with three of a kind.  Everyone else gets out of the way.

ON THE TURN: 5

The respect level seems to be mutual at this point.  The woman checks.  So do we.

ON THE RIVER: J

Wow -- now we want our opponent to make another bet.  But instead, she checks.  We will not.

"Five-thousand," we say as we bet.  The woman calls.

"I've got a 10," she tells us -- and then she sees our 10-J.  It gives us a winning full house, as her kicker card is a 6.

"You got it on the f**king river," she says in frustration.  "You did it to me twice!"

"No way either of you were going anywhere, with a 10," a man between us comments.  He's right.  We're happy.  We simply smile, as our stack of chips jumps to around 29,000.

Those two hands were the only ones we won all night, as we became very "card dead" after the one-hour break.  Pocket 8's and pocket 5's were trumped by big cards on the flop and big bets which followed.  But our two big wins were enough to reach the final table, then hang around through some drama involving other players.

With seven players remaining, we were forced to go all in for our remaining 10,000 chips with J-8.  The flop brought an 8.  The river brought a Jack.  Trouble was, that Jack put four spades on the board.  We didn't have one, while a man on our right did (Qs).  He sent us home in seventh place.  But on a night with about 30 players and lots of huge stacks, we were pleased.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "There's the man with that little pencil again," a man said at the semifinal table.  We've recorded hands for this blog with a small pencil and paper for a long time.  But in the last couple of weeks, that pencil has become a card protector as well.

"I bring it to remind me," we said across the table, "that my name is written in the Lamb's book of life."

This reference appeared to puzzle several people.  But it's mentioned near the very end of the Bible:

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. - Revelation 21:27

You may be listed in the telephone directory.  But this "book of life" is much more important -- because if your name is there, you're in the running for a reward which may sound like only a dream:

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming out of heaven from God. - Revelation 21:10

"But wait," you may be asking; "isn't Jerusalem on Earth now?"  Yes, there's a city in the Middle East with that name.  But this is a new one, which God will bring down from heaven to Earth after Jesus returns (verse 2) -- and the incredible scene described through Revelation 21 indicate it will be forever pure, for God and Jesus Christ will live there (verse 23).

But that leaves a big question: how can you get your name in this "book of life"?  What's your answer to that question?  Feel free to leave it in a comment, and we'll offer our thoughts in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 135 final tables in 390 nights (34.6%) - 20 cashes.  This was our first live final table since the end of January.

Poker Night 379: Two Your Request

It's a rare day when a player recommends we blog about a particular hand.  But it happened tonight at Lil Kim's Cove.  Check what happened, and you might understand why....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 2-2

After winning a couple of nice early pots, we've been moved to a "back table" across the bar from the others.  Five players are here, jokingly moaning about being far from society.  But at least we have the blessing of about 17,000 chips.  So in the dealer's position, we're willing to call with the smallest of pocket pairs.  No one raises.

ON THE FLOP: Kc-7s-9s

We didn't gain much from this.  Or did we?  The table checks; so do we.

ON THE TURN: 10s

Three spades now are showing, but the table keeps checking.  Since we're dealing, we take advantage of playing last and bet a modest 500.  A man to our left calls; the other players fold.

ON THE RIVER: 2

We forget exactly what this suit was - but it was NOT a spade.  That's good news for us, especially after our opponent checks.  We bet 2,000.  The other man seems puzzled by this for a moment, but he calls.

"Three deuces," we say as we show.

We might as well have announced Florida had fallen into the ocean.  Our opponent is stunned.

"You stayed in all the way to the f***ing river!" he says in frustration.  He finally turns over K-7, showing he had two pair on the flop.  But he admits he was hesitant to bet, because so many spades were showing.

"Write that one down, and put it in your blog," the runner-up recommends.  And so we have.

A couple more nice pots brought us to the 34,000 range at the one-hour break.  Then back at the main tables, we went all-in with pocket Queens and scored a big win over two players who missed draws.  That returned us to around 39,000.

But a stunning turn occurred at the semifinal table.  We called an all-in bet of 13,000 with pocket Kings, then another all-in bet of 17,000 more on a flop of 8-9-8.  But a man with J-10 made a straight, and the first player to push scored a full house.  They combined to knock us down to 5,000.  Then came A-10 in the Big Blind, and we went all-in again -- but an Ace on the turn couldn't top a man with another straight.

All in all, we had a good night at the table.  But the chips that came with relative ease left in a hurry, and we walked home shaking our head in 16th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We had pocket Jacks in the first hour, and was betting them despite a King appearing on the flop.  The river card was another King, so we checked.  Then a man across the table faced a big decision.

"Should I try to steal this?" he asked aloud as he held out a yellow chip worth 5,000.

"Don't do it," a player to our left recommended.  We said nothing, but quietly hoped that suggestion would be accepted.

After some long thought, the man across the table checked.  The entire table checked, and our Jacks were good enough to win.

"Thank you for following the rule, 'Thou shalt not steal,'" we told that man as we dragged away the chips.  "You went by the original rule book."

A couple of players laughed a little at our words.  We'd like to think they knew what "rule book" we meant:

Thou shalt not steal. - Exodus 20:15 (KJV)

A four-word command from God which seems simple and to-the-point.  But He expanded on it as the Bible unfolded....

Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.... - Leviticus 19:13

Can robbery through fraud occur at a poker table?  Many players watch the action closely, to make sure no one tries to put in less than the required number of chips.  But it can happen in other ways - for instance, when a player claims to have a straight to run people away from a pot, then shows cards to the contrary.  No wonder the New Testament warns:

....And that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.  The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. - I Thessalonians 4:6

Have fun on your poker nights - but play fair.  "Stealing a pot" with a big bet (even if it's misleading) is part of the game, and we understand that.  But saying things which bear false witness (as another commandment puts it) is something else.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 131 final tables in 379 nights (34.6%) - 20 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 279 point wins in 1,316 games (21.2%), 89 final tables, 11 cashes, 10 wins.  No-River Hold 'em - 21 point wins in 86 games (24.4%), 16 final tables, 1 cash win.

We had two strong showings in large evening tournaments again this week - finishing 20th out of 1,218 players Sunday night, then 27th out of 664 in a "Turbo Tuesday" tournament.  Casinos would have paid off; NLOP only rewarded players making the final table.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $89,594, down $1,577.

July Poker Studs Championship: Three-Quarter Time

Lil Kim's Cove still is in a Tuesday night poker mood, instead of Thursday.  So in other weeks, we would have traveled to Soho Bar and Grill for Wednesday night action -- but not this week.  We qualified weeks ago for the National League of Poker's monthly "Poker Studs" tournament.  We saved on gas and didn't have to pay for soda -- but could we turn a profit?

:01 IN: We have 8-9 offsuit, but we notice a lot of "instant folding" at our table.  So with a flop of 6-3-3, we bet the minimum 30 -- and apparently due to absences, the table folds!  We win $105, and wind up taking three more small pots that way in the next three minutes.

:05 IN: We have K-10 on the button, and our main rival at the table doubles the blind.  We call.  The flop is 6-5-K.  We bet 100, and he calls.  The flop is Q.  We both check.  The river is 3, and our bet of 100 brings a fold.  We win $435.

:10 IN: We have 7-6 of diamonds.  The flop is 5x-7x-Qd.  We bet the minimum 40, and call a doubling by an opponent.  The turn is 9 (not a diamond).  We both check.  The river is 3.  We both check - and our 7's beat A-5!  It's a $380 gain.

:20 IN: After splitting a pot with K-A, we have K-Q of spades "under the gun."  A player goes all-in for 655, and we dare to call along with another player.  The flop is Jx-3x-4s.  Our opponent bets 180, and we reluctantly fold.  Too bad; the turn is Q, and our pair of Queens would have topped the 9-9 and 4-5 the others have.  That costs us about half our stack.

:25 IN: We have 3-4 of spades, realizing we need a comeback.  Playing them gets rewarded with a flop of 3-4-7.  We go all-in for 400, and the table folds!

That brings us to the half-hour break at 1,100 chips -- above the starting 1,000, and putting us in 206th place.  There are 306 players still in the running.

:39 IN: We have 3-5 of diamonds in the Small Blind, and choose to try them.  The flop is 6-K-4.  The table checks, to our joy.  The turn is 5 -- and with our pair, we bet the minimum 150.  The table folds, for a $900 win.

Not much else happens for us in the second period, so we reach the one-hour break with only 700 chips.  We're still in the tournament, but barely -- 118th out of 126 players.  But then....

1:08 IN: We come out of the break with A-Q, and decide to push immediately for 675 (subtracting an ante of 25).  A caller shows A-3!  The flop is 8-Q-10.  The turn is 2.  The river is 8.  We practically "triple up" again, to $2,050.

1:11 IN: We have Q-K of clubs in the Big Blind.  The flop is 10-2-K.  We bet 500, and get two callers.  The turn is 3.  The table checks.  The river is 7.  An opponent goes all-in; we dare to call -- and the opponents can't beat our Kings!  (They have 10-J and A-J.)  We eliminate one player, and seize a pot of $5,255.

1:15 IN: We have A-8 on the button.  The flop is 2-5-A, and our minimum bet of 400 brings a caller.  The turn is K.  Everyone checks.  The river is 3.  We bet 600 - and our opponent folds!  It's a pot of $3,850, putting our stack above 7,400.

1:27 IN: We have A-K in the Small Blind, and decide to limp in.  The flop is 3-J-8.  An opponent bets the minimum 600, and we call.  The turn is 5; everyone checks.  The river is 9.  We dare to bet 600 with two top "overcards," and our opponent folds!  It's a win of $4,875; now our stack is above 8,100.

1:29 IN: The next hand brings us K-K on the button!  An opponent goes all-in for 1,670; we call along with one other player.  The flop is 4-6-7.  Our bet of 1,600 chases the other player off.  The pusher then shows K-10 - and he's gone, after the turn and river are 3-6.  The pot is worth $6,410.

1:30 IN: The very next hand brings us A-K again!  An opponent bets 2,100; of course we call - but he shows 7-7.  The flop is 9-9-Q.  The turn is Q.  The river is J -- and the two pair on the board plus our Ace wins us the $6,300 pot!  We score a "three-hand slam," improving our stack to $16,870.

1:37 IN: We have 9-9 in the Big Blind.  An opponent goes all-in for 406 more.  Sure we call -- and lead his 3-K.  The flop is 2-2-A.  The turn is 10.  The river is.... K.  Ouch, so close to another one!

But that electrifying third period brings us to another break with $12,410 - a gain of 1,773 percent from 30 minutes earlier!  With only 51 players left, we sit in 16th.

1:42 IN: We return from the break with K-7 in the Small Blind.  The flop is 2-4-J, all spades -- and our King is a spade.  The table checks.  The turn is 9c.  The table checks again.  The river is 5c.  We try a minimum bet of 1,200, and wind up with a sidepot of $2,612.  (A player who pushed pre-flop takes the main pot with 9-K.)

1:48 IN: We have J-10 offsuit, and decide to "play it safe" by folding.  Bad move -- as the flop and turn bring 10-K-10-K.  The players still in the hand had nothing close to our potential full house.

1:52 IN: We have K-K on the button, as our stack drops from rising blinds and antes.  When our turn comes, we go all-in for $6,872.  A player calls with A-K.  The flop is J-5-2.  The turn is J.  The river is.... Ace!  Ouch, does that hurt.  Our opponent claims a $12,904 pot -- and suddenly we're down to $1,670.

1:55 IN: We have Q-Q, and realize we have little choice.  We go all-in for 1,520, and a second player pushes with us.  The flop is 9-J-5.  The turn is 7.  The river is 6 -- but that other pusher has 9-5!  He claims the main pot.  We take a side pot worth a grand total of $24.  "Nice consolation prize," we write on the chat line.

1:56 IN: The antes force us to put those $24 in with the very next hand.  We have A-J, so there's hope -- and our only opponent has K-6.  But the flop is 6-7-3.  The turn is 6.  "Of course," we write as the river is 7.  We're finally eliminated to an unlikely full house.

We're convinced we played the last four hands exactly right; the cards simply didn't come out right for us.  Yet 31st is our best finish ever in the "Stud of the Month" contest.  And with 861 entries in this tournament, we would have been rewarded with a nice check at a casino.  sadly, the NLOP tournament only paid off the final table of 10.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 253 point wins in 1,064 games (23.8%), 78 final tables, 7 cashes plus 3 other wins. No-River Hold 'em- 7 point wins in 40 games (17.5%), 6 final tables, 1 cash win.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $79,880 (corrected), down $2,047. (We missed $200 somewhere.)

Water Works II

Let's go back to a recent online poker game, where Jesus and "the river" came together in conversation.  We found ourselves simply tagging along, as others dominated the discussion....

CoolMedic:  PTL
Me:  Of course.
Studmaster8:  I love him too but
Dealer:  PokerGodx wins Main Pot ($1465) with One pair, sevens
Studmaster8:  this aint the proper
Studmaster8:  forum

There are some people who think the only proper forum for discussing religious matters is in a house of worship, such as a church building.  But that's not how the first-century church looked at it....

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distresses to see that the city was dull of idols.  So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. - Acts 17:16-17

You might say Paul was a "street preacher".  But open talk about the Christian walk is not for ministers only:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. - Hebrews 10:24

It's part of the commission Jesus gave....

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." - Mark 16:15

The poker chat moves on:

Studmaster8:  ice cool
CoolMedic:  lol
Studmaster8:  better than being
Studmaster8:  luke war
Studmaster8:  m

That's a Biblical reference as well, aimed at church members by Jesus....

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm - neither cold nor hot - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16

Some poker games have "straddles," but Jesus doesn't want that in His children.  Either live an "all in" Christian walk or don't:

No servant can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money. - Luke 16:13

As best we recall, we won a pot at that point by going all-in with King-high and making a pair.  That inspired more Christ-centered thinking and chatting....

Studmaster8:  That K came from
Studmaster8:  the river of living
Studmaster8:  waters
CoolMedic:  I hear theres a King there too
Studmaster8:  KofK

Jesus refers to this "river" in John 7, but its fulfillment will come at the end of the Biblical story:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.  On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.  And the leaves of the tree are for the hearing of the nations. - Revelation 22:1-2

This is a vision of the "New Jerusalem" which will come down from heaven (Revelation 21:2), after Jesus returns to rule this present world for 1,000 years.  It's a city where God's people "will reign for ever and ever" (22:5).  We don't know for sure if poker will be played there -- but doesn't the offer of eternal life make you interested in drawing close to "the King of Kings" now?

Water Works

Sometimes we get into interesting discussions at online poker tables.  And once in a while, we don't even have to provoke them.  Here's one recent example from National League of Poker....

CoolMedic:  come down to the river
CoolMedic:  my favorite hymn
Studmaster8:  Too cold
Me:  But there's a Man\
Studmaster8:  I like when his
Me:  Walking on the water
Studmaster8:  warm love surronds me
CoolMedic:  amen
Me:  Amen for that!

We may have our hymn idea mixed up with CoolMedic's here.  But a popular Southern gospel song has the chorus, "Let's all go down to the river - there's a man walking on the water."  Only one problem: it's not quite Biblically accurate.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. - Matthew 14:25

The King James Version calls this body of water a "sea."  No Bible passage indicates Jesus walked on a river -- although based on this account mentioned in three gospels, we suspect that would have been no problem for Him. Instead, Jesus used a river for another purpose:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.... As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.... - Matthew 3:13, 16

(Mark 1:5 confirms this refers to the Jordan River.)


"The river" can be the most dramatic card in a poker hand.  You can make a winning flush, or watch an opponent eliminate you by completing a full house.  Jesus's river illustrates an even bigger life-changing moment - becoming baptized.

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38

Jesus was sinless, so He had no need to repent.  But He set an example for all of us to follow, by going into the river.  The entrance of the Holy Spirit into your life can transform you, moving you away from a worldly path onto a godly one.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. - Galatians 5:16-18

To "live by the Spirit" requires asking God to renew His Spirit in you -- day by day, and if necessary even hour by hour.  Read farther in Galatians 5 and you'll get two lists of standards to check yourself.  One list shows sinful acts, the other "fruit of the Spirit."  Which list do you think is better?


(NOTE: This online chat had other Biblical points; we'll get to those in a future post.)

Poker Night 288: From Rags to Riches

Poker tournaments sometimes can be roller coaster rides.  In fact, even individual hands can be that way.  We jumped into the middle of one tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: K-8 offsuit

We won a big pot in the first hour with.... well.... let's just say our opponent is sure we hit a "Broadway straight" on the river.  But after reaching the one-hour break with 12,500 chips, we've lost a couple of heartbreaker hands (losing with 10-10 at one point).  We start this hand with 4,000 -- and we're in the big blind to boot.  Thankfully, no one raises ahead of us (we would have folded if someone had), so we can check.

ON THE FLOP: 8-7-4

Top pair and a nice kicker give us a little hope.  "I'm all-in for 2,000," we say.  Two players generously call.

ON THE TURN: Q

The callers now are fighting over a sidepot -- except as we recall, they both check.  We're not sure what to make of that.

ON THE RIVER: K

We could make something very nice from that!  A player across from us bets big enough (4,000, we think) to make the other player fold.  So there's no real sidepot after all.

"I've got two pair," the opponent tells us.  "Queens and Eights."

"I've got Kings and Eights," we say as we show.

"You hit the river!" he says -- giving us credit for a nice escape.  Our stack triples to 12,000.

But sad to say, it didn't advance from there.  A lack of good cards drained us, even though we reached the semifinal table again.  Forced to go all-in in the small blind with 6-9, we missed a straight draw and lost to a man with a pair.  So it's another fairly good finish in 12th -- but not really good.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Are you doing good?" a woman asked as she sat down at our table to begin the evening.

"I'm trying to do good," we answered.  "But that's not always easy.  I want to do good, but then bad things happen.  And sometimes I do bad things, when I really want to do good."

We're not sure if the woman realized it, but we were paraphrasing the words of the apostle Paul....

For I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.... So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. - Romans 7:18-21

Have you ever faced moments like this?  We probably all have at some point, to some degree.  Note this admission came from a church apostle - and Paul noted one chapter earlier that our sins lead to death (Romans 6:23).  But in his frustration, he found hope....

What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! - Romans 7:24-25

Look to Jesus for rescue, by repenting of your sins (Acts 2:38) and praying to God for salvation through His Son (Acts 4:12).  Then try to do the good things -- seeking God's help through the Holy Spirit to succeed in them.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 105 final tables in 288 nights (36.5%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 187 point wins in 805 games (23.2%), 64 final tables, seven cashes.  We made a final table online earlier in the day, finishing ninth out of 99 players in a Senior qualifying tournament.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $67,239, down $515.

Poker Night 282: Little Becomes Much

One of the most-talked about Christian movies of the year is Courageous.  While we admittedly haven't seen it, the game of poker can offer plenty of opportunities to test your courage (as well as other things).  We faced a few of those moments tonight at Lil Kim's Cove -- and the results were mixed.

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 4-10 of clubs

We're in the big blind, at a table with a couple of empty chairs being played "as if."  We had a three-way split of an early pot, then won another one.  So we're comfortable checking here with about 11,000 chips, when no one raises ahead of us.  Most of the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: Q-8-4 (as best we recall, the Q was a club)

We have bottom pair in lead position (the small blind is one of the empty seats), and make a safe check.  But a long-haired man across from us bets 500.

"He bluffed on the last hand," another player recalls.  In fact, he won with that bluff after chasing other players away with a huge bet.  But this bet is modest and we do have something, so we call.  Four players stay in the hand.

ON THE TURN: 7 (not a club)

The flush dream fades, but a pair remains.  So we check again and hear, "500 again" from the long-haired man.  We decide to hang tough and call once more.  The other players do, too.

ON THE RIVER: 10

That's a good card for us -- so good that we decide to take control right away in lead position: "One-thousand."

The man to our immediate left responds much as we thought, and even wanted.  He's stunned.  He never saw this bet coming.

"You can't have a straight," he says to us.  (Except it's possible.)  "Have you got two pair?"  We stare back and forth at him and the board, saying nothing.  "You can't have a flush."  (That's true; there's no more than two of any suit showing.)

"He might have a Queen," the player next to our guesser speculates.  "Slow playing that [censored]...."  Both of them fold, leaving the long-haired man with a decision to make.

"Fifteen hundred more," he announces.  Something tells us he's trying another acting job, so we don't hesitate  and call.

"All I've got is a pair of 10's, man, " he admits.  He hit the river -- but we hit it better!  "Nice hit," he admits as our two pair brings a gain of about 6,000 chips.

We reached a high of 19,000 chips at the one-hour break.  But then our aggressive pre-flop nature began to miss flops.  And when a pre-flop bidding war began at another table, we dared to go all-in with A-J.  Trouble was, this raising opponent was not bluffing.  He showed J-J, and caught the missing Jack on the flop to win with three of a kind.  We joined another player on the rail, finishing tied for 15th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: An online tournament during the afternoon had an even better finish.  We were sixth out of 119 players, to qualify for the monthly Senior Championship -- and along the way, we met a player named "IICor5_17".  He went all-in almost immediately, so we knew we had to act fast:


Me:  Hi II Cor
Dealer:  oreo1 wins Side Pot 1 ($380) with Full house, aces full of tens
Me:  I;m new in Christ. :-)
Dealer:  oreo1 wins Main Pot ($2355) with Full house, aces full of tens
Me:  Bye.
Me:  That's what that Bible verse talks about.


If you don't understand, that screen name is an abbreviation of this Bible verse....

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - II Corinthians 5:17

No one online responded to our explanation -- but we invite you to do so.  What does that verse mean to you?  Offer a comment; we'll offer ours in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 102 final tables in 282 nights (36.2%) - 16 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 179 point wins in 784 games (22.8%), 62 final tables, 7 cashes.

Despite continuing connection problems, we had a very good week at NLOP: two final tables in five tournaments (including that fourth place out of 397), and one spot away from a third.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $66,424, down $783.

The River, or Something Like It

We're covering three points made by a fellow player last Thursday night, when we asked him if he believed in Jesus. "I'm saved. I'm baptized," he answered. What is this "baptism" thing about?

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. - Matthew 28:19

Jesus gave this instruction to His disciples before ascending to heaven. And Jesus set an example for them several years earlier....

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.... As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.... - Matthew 3:13, 16

Our Lord was baptized in a river -- even though John indicated in verse 14 Jesus didn't need it. Why would John say that? Because something else goes hand-in-hand with baptism:

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38

The Bible indicates repentance is part of the process -- meaning a turn away from sin to a sin-free walk. (This is way the words turn and river in poker have always struck us as fascinating.)

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. - Romans 6:4

That "new life" isn't always easy -- especially if you're used to a life revolving around poker, with temptations from tobacco and alcohol to heavy gambling. That's why you need the third part of our friend's answer. We'll get to that next.

Poker Night 233: Down By the Riverside

Our evening started well at Lil Kim's Cove, as we won a nice pot with a pair of Aces. But then the fireworks started -- with players making huge speculative bets while holding marginal hands. We laid low through all of that, then had timely pocket Aces in the small blind during the second hour. Our stack jumped from 5,000 to 26,000 -- and then came another tempting moment:

BLINDS: 2,000/4,000

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We're in the middle of the betting order at the semifinal table. Applying our personal motto "Limp early, bet late," we call this potentially big hand. No one raises, and four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: A-3-7

That's a nice flop, and we're tempted to risk it all right now. But when the play checks to us, we decide to make an alluring bet to keep people in. We toss out 7,000. A man to our left calls; the others bail out. We conclude from the call our opponent might have an Ace, but does not have a better kicker card.

ON THE TURN: 6

We're first to act, and we're thinking as we count our chips aloud. Do we push now, against a man with a much bigger stack? We conclude we should. "I'm all-in -- 15,000."

Our opponent calls, and confirms our read. He has A-8. "You have me outkicked," he admits....

ON THE RIVER: 8

"Not anymore!" he adds. Our opponent makes two pair on the river -- and for the second week in a row, a fatal river card eliminates us. We finish 14th, at the semifinal table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I'm a little drunk," a man admitted as he sat down to our left at the semifinal table. We should stop right there and get your thoughts on that statement. Is a little drunk like saying a woman is "a little pregnant?"

We didn't show the man our can of diet soda, but we replied minutes later: "I choose to do things in moderation."

Admittedly, some critics could say we really don't -- because we don't drink alcohol during poker tournaments at all. They'd say that's abstinence, not moderation. But at least we were following the Bible's advice....

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

How do you do that? And do you do it merely in the way you drink? Ponder that (and comment if you'd like); we'll offer our thoughts in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 233 nights (40.3%) - 15 cashes. It's now been seven months since we won any money at local tournaments.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments -- 121 point wins in 609 games (19.9%), 46 final tables, four cashes.

If the two big championship games we played this week had awarded NLOP points along with money, we would have gone four-for-four in point wins -- and our point percentage would have moved above 20 percent.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $41,822, unchanged (no play).

Poker Night 162: The River Wild

When players sit down for a free poker tournament at a bar, anything can happen. Egos can come out, in the form of trash talk and "i dare you" bets. Should a serious player play along with that approach, or wait for things to calm down? At Lil Kim's Cove tonight, we decided to take a chance....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We're third in line to bet. The first man in order likes to bet big early in the game, so he tosses out 1,000. We won an early pot, stand at around 9,000 and decide it's worth a call. A man to our left then raises all-in, adding 2,500 more. The man to our right calls -- and our hand is simply too good to fold, so we call.

ON THE FLOP: J-8-5 (last two cards may not be precise, but they were small)

We're admittedly concerned the man to our right might bet again -- but he checks. So do we.

ON THE TURN: 4

The concern continues -- so we're thankful for another check. Ditto.

ON THE RIVER: A

"That killed me," the all-in man mutters. But despite gaining top pair, we're still wary -- so when the man to our right checks, we check once more.

"Queen high," the man to the right announces.

"I have an Ace," we say modestly.

"F**k!!!" curses Mr. All-In -- and throw-slams a pair of Kings onto the table. He'll be muttering for the next couple of hands about how we escaped on the river.

"Sorry," we say quietly to him a couple of times -- but we're thankful to jump to more than 17,000 chips.

That big gain helped us endure through a lengthy drought, as well as an open-ended straight draw we folded which came through on the river. On a pre-holiday weekend night with only three active tables, We survived to our sixth final table in a row. Then we finished in seventh place, when our K-10 all-in bet failed to bring a pair.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that your card protector tonight?" a man to our immediate left asked as we were dealing. Our protector was a small travel pack of tissues.

"I brought this to remind me," we explained after the hand, "when Jesus Christ comes back, there will be no more tears, no more crying. He'll wipe away every tear."

The man to our left seemed stupefied by our explanation. "Do you believe Jesus Christ is coming back?" we asked.

"When?" was all the man could quietly answer.

"That's the question," we responded. "No man knows the day or the hour."

We mentioned several Bible verses there. Do you know where to find them? We'll let you look, and have the answer in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 66 final tables in 162 nights (40.7%) - 11 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 41 point wins in 250 games (16.4%), 19 final tables, 1 cash.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $11,363, down $465.

Poker Night 158: Turned Too Soon

Poker rooms and casinos have dealers on the payroll, who keep order and sometimes act as referee. Free tournaments in local bars usually don't have that, and the players take turns dealing. Sometimes that can be a bad thing, as we found out tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 5,000/10,000

IN THE POCKET: K-9 offsuit

We've reached the final table (for the second time today; more on that below) -- and we're in the big blind, with a healthy stack of 75,000 chips. The play calls to us, and we check.

ON THE FLOP: 5-5-7 (memory a little fuzzy on the third card)

We check, as do the three other players in the hand. (Only six remain at this point.)

ON THE TURN: K

With two pair, we try to claim the pot by betting 20,000.

"Eight more," says a man to our left. He raises 40,000 and puts himself all-in. Two women then fold.

"All right," says the dealer nonchalantly, without looking at us....

ON THE RIVER: 9

She turns over the next card before we can call the all-in bet! We were prepared to call before seeing this card. Now our two pair has improved, and we're glad about it.

"Well, I'll call," we say.

"That card ought to be shuffled back into the deck," our opponent notes. Under our usual rules, he's correct. We probably could have appealed to the Tournament Director and raised a fuss, but we accept this because we still feel confident about our King.

ON THE RIVER II: Q

We go ahead with the call, then declare: "I have Kings with a 9."

"Kings with an Ace." Ouch -- our opponent wins.

Because of inattentive dealing, our opponent made a huge chip gain. Our big stack was cut to 15,000. We were eliminated a few hands later, when A-4 failed to pair on the board. And even though we finished sixth for the second live tournament in a row, we were left to mumble about what might have been.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We did even better earlier in the day, at a National League of Poker online tournament. For the fourth time in as many weeks, we reached the heads-up final twosome -- and this exchange occurred when we took out the third-place player:

Imamirage: nh
Me: Thanks (handshake)
imamirage: what is ptl
Me: Praise the Lord.
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($12000)
Me: Is Jesus your Lord?
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($68720)
imamirage: yeah
Me: Good!

Mr. Mirage admitted later he wasn't very good with acronyms. But he was good in heads-up poker -- entering with a 2-1 chip lead, and defeating us after about five minutes. Here's hoping he praised Jesus for his $10 win.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 62 final tables in 158 nights (39.2%) - 11 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Five/six-player sit-n-goes - 3-8-3-1-0. Full tournaments - 37 point wins in 230 games (16.1%), 16 final tables, 1 cash.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: $11,733 - down $1,240.

Poker Night 137: A Trip to the River

We're not sure how the last card on the board in a poker hand came to be called "the river." The Christian side of us guesses it comes from the Jordan River, which Israel finally crossed to enter the promised land (Joshua 1:2). Yet earlier today, we heard a deceased radio pastor declare people who build close to rivers are guilty of "greed and avarice." (He somehow pulled that out of James 1:13-15.)

At Club Eighty-Five tonight, we saw several cases where people may have come to the river card thinking greedily of winning a pot -- only to see someone else cross on to victory. Take this case....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 9-10

We started with 5,500 chips, but haven't won a pot yet and are down to 4,350. A player to our immediate right raises to 400. Looking for something to mount a comeback, we call. So do a couple of others.

ON THE FLOP: 9-3-9

The man who raised before is being incredibly quiet -- except to tell people to watch him, instead of waiting for him to say something. Now he simply sets his stack of 1,025 chips on the table.

"I've gotta call," we say. No one else does. We show our set of 9's. The bettor doesn't turn his cards over.

ON THE TURN: 6

"That's good," we say.

ON THE RIVER: K

That's bad. The opponent flips over K-K -- still saying nothing. The cards speak volumes, as he hits the river and more than doubles up. (Oh yes -- we weren't greedy. Simply hopeful.)

The cards eventually came our way in one hand -- as a King on the turn gave us a K-9 straight. Our all-in bet of 2,125 came through as a triple-up. We held on from there to finish ninth on the night -- and in the process, making the final table on Monday night for the sixth week in a row!

MINISTRY MOMENT: A young man we'll call Hubert grabbed our "Jesus as your Savior" coin from our seat during the evening, and gave it a close look.

"Do you believe that message? Is Jesus your Savior?" we asked.

"Yes. Absolutely," he said.

Hubert stunned the poker room with something else tonight -- he's decided to give up alcohol. During a break, he explained he reached this decision after a recent DUI arrest. "I decided it was either give up beer, or give up driving. And I can't give up driving." We think Hubert made a wise decision -- and maybe that's why he lasted at the final table longer than we did.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 56 final tables in 137 nights (40.9%) - 10 cashes.

That's four final tables in our last five nights - but it appears a busy schedule will require us to take a break from live tournaments for the next week or so.

Who's in charge here?

We won a critical pot online the other day, when a key card came on the river. That led to this chat discussion:

Dealer: flopblog wins Main Pot ($1025) with Two pair, aces and nines
Me: alleluia
Me: Lovely river.
init_2winit: amen
init_2winit: u r the king of rivers
Me: not me.
Me: Simply a child of a King.

After thinking it over, maybe we understated our position a bit. Consider Revelation 5:9-10 from the Moffatt paraphrase Bible:

"Thou deservest to take the scroll and open its seals, for thou wast slain and by shedding thy blood hast ransomed for God men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation; thou hast made them kings and priests for our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

With apologies for quoting some old English, the "Thou" here is Jesus Christ our redeemer for sin. Revelation 19:16 declares Jesus "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." But did you notice the Lord makes humans kings as well? (And we don't making "a set of Kings" at the poker table.)

Christian groups debate whether believers can claim the title of "King" now, or have to wait for the return of Christ to take it. Either way, it's quite a promise. Have you accepted the One who paid the ransom price, so you can wear a crown? If you'd like to know more about that, e-mail us -- we'll be happy to help.