Two weeks ago we quoted a tournament director as saying new "league" rules would mean the end of poker nights at The Sports Page. Tonight we returned there, to see if he was right.
This time we used our half-price coupon more smartly -- eating a filling ribeye steak dinner. But this time, there indeed wasn't much in the way of poker. Only about 15 players were on hand -- apparently moved to a side room because the main bar featured the Daytona 500 stock car race.
But remember the explanation two weeks ago that players still could play for free, without being eligible for prize money? That was different tonight as well. We couldn't even join a table without playing five dollars. Or as one man put it: "Nobody's playing for fun."
That's too bad. We brought spare money to tip our server, but we didn't come prepared to "pay to play." In a casino or poker room, buy-ins obviously are expected. But at a sports bar on a local circuit known for "free poker," it stung a bit.
So our plan to play poker while watching our alma mater play basketball didn't quite turn out as we planned tonight. The "poker ministry" wound up being an explanation to our server about how we are not good -- only God the Father is. Are you familiar with that part of the Bible? Try to find it, and we'll have an explanation in a future post.
Showing posts with label sports page. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports page. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Real Game-Changer
"As of today, the rules for playing poker at The Sports Page have changed," the tournament director announced before Monday night's game. And it was NOT because we showed up for the first time in several months.
Up to now, the sports bar awarded cash prizes to the top two players -- and anyone who walked in and sat down had a chance to win the money. But the tournament director received a big surprise from the management Monday. The bar still will let anyone play for free -- but from now on....
This sudden change spoiled the mood at The Sports Page Monday night. It certainly changed our approach to the tournament; we didn't carry ten dollars with us, so we couldn't win a dime. And several people grumbled this effectively will mean the end of poker nights at the sports bar.
We don't know if the "end is near" there -- but it reminded us that many people are more comfortable when the rules are consistent. Texas Hold 'em works that way, after all; a flush beats a straight today every bit as much as it did 50 years ago.
The original "rule book" for mankind works the same way. God gave us a set of foundational laws long ago....
Some people think Jesus changed the rules of life's game when He came to Earth. But He said otherwise:
Read all of Matthew 5 and you'll find Jesus actually expanded the interpretation of one of the commandments (adultery), as well as other rules given to Moses. And the Lord went on to say....
Countries around the world still consider some of these commandments the settled law of the land today. But sadly, some places have abolished or ignored several of them.
The place where you play poker might change the "house rules" tonight or next week. But we can be thankful God's basic rules have not -- and obeying them is a way we can show love for our Creator (I John 5:3).
Up to now, the sports bar awarded cash prizes to the top two players -- and anyone who walked in and sat down had a chance to win the money. But the tournament director received a big surprise from the management Monday. The bar still will let anyone play for free -- but from now on....
- You have to pay a ten-dollar buy-in to be eligible for the prize money. (If a "freeroller" wins, he/she gets nothing.)
- Only first place gets the money.
- "The money" comes to only 25 percent of the total buy-in. Your $10 bill gets you a five-dollar voucher for food and drink that evening; $2.50 more goes into that night's jackpot, while the other $2.50 goes into a prize pool for a "major tournament" every couple of months.
This sudden change spoiled the mood at The Sports Page Monday night. It certainly changed our approach to the tournament; we didn't carry ten dollars with us, so we couldn't win a dime. And several people grumbled this effectively will mean the end of poker nights at the sports bar.
We don't know if the "end is near" there -- but it reminded us that many people are more comfortable when the rules are consistent. Texas Hold 'em works that way, after all; a flush beats a straight today every bit as much as it did 50 years ago.
The original "rule book" for mankind works the same way. God gave us a set of foundational laws long ago....
Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant -- the Ten Commandments. - Exodus 34:28
Some people think Jesus changed the rules of life's game when He came to Earth. But He said otherwise:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. - Matthew 5:17
Read all of Matthew 5 and you'll find Jesus actually expanded the interpretation of one of the commandments (adultery), as well as other rules given to Moses. And the Lord went on to say....
"If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" -- Matthew 19:17-18
Countries around the world still consider some of these commandments the settled law of the land today. But sadly, some places have abolished or ignored several of them.
The place where you play poker might change the "house rules" tonight or next week. But we can be thankful God's basic rules have not -- and obeying them is a way we can show love for our Creator (I John 5:3).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Poker Night 292: Two Too Many
Combine a 50-percent discount at a sports bar with a big college basketball rivalry on TV, and you have an entertaining evening. Add a poker tournament to that, and it's a trifecta for us. So we visited The Sports Page tonight for our first Monday night game in several months.
Except.... the discount didn't really happen, because there were conditions not shown on the discount form. And the poker tournament? Well....
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 5-4 of clubs
We're in the small blind, and have just been rewarded with 4,000 bonus chips for buying dinner before the game. Since we haven't won a pot yet, we're ready to rumble a little -- but small suited connectors don't seem fit for raising. Thankfully, we don't have to do it. No one raises; about two-thirds of the full table is in.
ON THE FLOP: J-5-J
We don't see any clubs -- but we see an opportunity to break out here with two pair. We offer an enticement bet of 400. Several players take the hint -- and fold. Only one man across from us calls.
ON THE TURN: 9
We have one opponent, and we're admittedly wary of him. Is he hiding a third Jack? We check, and he bets 1,000. Holding out hope for a full house on the river, we dare to call.
ON THE RIVER: 9
The last thing we want to see is a second pair on the board. We check again. Our opponent bets 2,000, and we fold in a hurry -- because our "second pair" of 5's is now only third-best. Too many cards beat us.
We admittedly played a bit on the loose side tonight, hoping to win a lot of chases. But we didn't -- and holding As-10c minutes later, we went all-in for our last 2,000 when an all-spades flop came out including 7-8. The turn was 9c, giving us a lot of outs for a flush and a straight draw. The river was Ah, giving us top pair -- but an opponent playing live poker for the very first time had A-9, and his two pair beat us. Our night ended in about 45 minutes, first out at the table. But we went home with our alma mater well ahead at halftime.
MINISTRY MOMENT: No smoking is allowed in the main restaurant at The Sports Page. That's good news for us -- and for another player at the table who doesn't smoke. "I have one life to live," he said.
"But there's something after that!" we tried to tell him. We don't think he heard us. But here's what we meant....
If Jesus doesn't come back before you die -- well, you're going to die. But the Bible indicates that's not all there is:
We write this two days after the death of singing star Whitney Houston. Some people are convinced she's in heaven now. We're leaving that decision on "judgment" up to Jesus -- and to be honest, we don't think that decision has happened yet. We'll explain why in our next post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 106 final tables in 292 nights (36.3%) - 17 cashes.
Except.... the discount didn't really happen, because there were conditions not shown on the discount form. And the poker tournament? Well....
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 5-4 of clubs
We're in the small blind, and have just been rewarded with 4,000 bonus chips for buying dinner before the game. Since we haven't won a pot yet, we're ready to rumble a little -- but small suited connectors don't seem fit for raising. Thankfully, we don't have to do it. No one raises; about two-thirds of the full table is in.
ON THE FLOP: J-5-J
We don't see any clubs -- but we see an opportunity to break out here with two pair. We offer an enticement bet of 400. Several players take the hint -- and fold. Only one man across from us calls.
ON THE TURN: 9
We have one opponent, and we're admittedly wary of him. Is he hiding a third Jack? We check, and he bets 1,000. Holding out hope for a full house on the river, we dare to call.
ON THE RIVER: 9
The last thing we want to see is a second pair on the board. We check again. Our opponent bets 2,000, and we fold in a hurry -- because our "second pair" of 5's is now only third-best. Too many cards beat us.
We admittedly played a bit on the loose side tonight, hoping to win a lot of chases. But we didn't -- and holding As-10c minutes later, we went all-in for our last 2,000 when an all-spades flop came out including 7-8. The turn was 9c, giving us a lot of outs for a flush and a straight draw. The river was Ah, giving us top pair -- but an opponent playing live poker for the very first time had A-9, and his two pair beat us. Our night ended in about 45 minutes, first out at the table. But we went home with our alma mater well ahead at halftime.
MINISTRY MOMENT: No smoking is allowed in the main restaurant at The Sports Page. That's good news for us -- and for another player at the table who doesn't smoke. "I have one life to live," he said.
"But there's something after that!" we tried to tell him. We don't think he heard us. But here's what we meant....
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.... - Hebrews 9:27 (NASB)
If Jesus doesn't come back before you die -- well, you're going to die. But the Bible indicates that's not all there is:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. - II Corinthians 5:10
We write this two days after the death of singing star Whitney Houston. Some people are convinced she's in heaven now. We're leaving that decision on "judgment" up to Jesus -- and to be honest, we don't think that decision has happened yet. We'll explain why in our next post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 106 final tables in 292 nights (36.3%) - 17 cashes.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Poker Night 249: A Real Page-Turner
The good news about The Sports Page is that it's considered a restaurant, so under Georgia law smoking isn't allowed. The bad news is that you need to spend at least five dollars to get bonus poker chips. Our two-dollar cup of diet soda wasn't enough tonight, so we walked into our first poker night there since the end of October with a basic 5,000 chips. That meant careful play, until the right moment came....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: 10-10
We haven't won a pot so far, yet cautious betting has brought us to the Big Blind with 4,375 chips. The table calls around to us, and we think about making a big raise -- but instead we check and wait.
ON THE FLOP: J-5-8
We didn't want to see that Jack show up. So we check, and a man across the table bets 700. It smells to us like an attempt to buy the pot, so we call. A woman to our left with a huge stack does as well.
ON THE TURN: 9
Hmmmm - suddenly we've stumbled into an open-ended straight draw. We check again, and the man across from us tries 1,200. Ooh boy, this smells like trouble -- but we're taking a stand, so we call. So does the woman. Now we quietly hope a third 10 does NOT show.
ON THE RIVER: Q
Thank you, Lord! With the straight made and no risk of a flush, we go all-in with our remaining 2,475.
"I've gotta call," the woman says. It's a bounty tournament, after all -- and eliminating us earns 5,000 bonus chips. The man across from us apparently had a lower pair, so he now folds.
"Do you have a 10?" we ask the woman.
"I've got two pair."
"I have a 10." Running cards for a surprise straight jumps us above 12,100 chips.
We reached the one-hour break with 11,000 -- then lost a big hand when A-10 fell to the woman's straight. But we rallied back by winning a pot with pocket Aces, then advanced to 33,000 by using K-J to make a "Broadway straight!"
That allowed us to coast to the final table, where bigger stacks collided to improve our standing. With five players left, we pushed in the Big Blind with 7-7 -- but a woman across from us with 8-8 eliminated us. Yet we went home satisfied. With no bonus chips to cushion us at all, we finished fifth -- our best result in a live tournament since late January.
MINISTRY MOMENT: It actually happened for us on the way to the game, as we stood in line at a discount store. We wound up behind a woman who had a cart full of groceries, and a body which only allowed her to unload dozens of cans very slowly.
"I'm open over here, if you don't have a return," a cashier a few aisles over said. But we couldn't move -- explaining we would have "flunked the test."
What test did we mean, and how could it apply to poker? Offer a comment with your answer; we'll compare notes in a couple of days.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 96 final tables in 249 nights (38.6%), 15 cashes.
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: 10-10
We haven't won a pot so far, yet cautious betting has brought us to the Big Blind with 4,375 chips. The table calls around to us, and we think about making a big raise -- but instead we check and wait.
ON THE FLOP: J-5-8
We didn't want to see that Jack show up. So we check, and a man across the table bets 700. It smells to us like an attempt to buy the pot, so we call. A woman to our left with a huge stack does as well.
ON THE TURN: 9
Hmmmm - suddenly we've stumbled into an open-ended straight draw. We check again, and the man across from us tries 1,200. Ooh boy, this smells like trouble -- but we're taking a stand, so we call. So does the woman. Now we quietly hope a third 10 does NOT show.
ON THE RIVER: Q
Thank you, Lord! With the straight made and no risk of a flush, we go all-in with our remaining 2,475.
"I've gotta call," the woman says. It's a bounty tournament, after all -- and eliminating us earns 5,000 bonus chips. The man across from us apparently had a lower pair, so he now folds.
"Do you have a 10?" we ask the woman.
"I've got two pair."
"I have a 10." Running cards for a surprise straight jumps us above 12,100 chips.
We reached the one-hour break with 11,000 -- then lost a big hand when A-10 fell to the woman's straight. But we rallied back by winning a pot with pocket Aces, then advanced to 33,000 by using K-J to make a "Broadway straight!"
That allowed us to coast to the final table, where bigger stacks collided to improve our standing. With five players left, we pushed in the Big Blind with 7-7 -- but a woman across from us with 8-8 eliminated us. Yet we went home satisfied. With no bonus chips to cushion us at all, we finished fifth -- our best result in a live tournament since late January.
MINISTRY MOMENT: It actually happened for us on the way to the game, as we stood in line at a discount store. We wound up behind a woman who had a cart full of groceries, and a body which only allowed her to unload dozens of cans very slowly.
"I'm open over here, if you don't have a return," a cashier a few aisles over said. But we couldn't move -- explaining we would have "flunked the test."
What test did we mean, and how could it apply to poker? Offer a comment with your answer; we'll compare notes in a couple of days.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 96 final tables in 249 nights (38.6%), 15 cashes.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Poker Night 203: Chicken-Hearted?
To ensure we avoided stray Halloween visitors, we made our first poker visit tonight to The Sports Page. It's perhaps the best-known sports bar in Columbus, and we've enjoyed their version of a "Scrambled Dawg" for years as a dinner to go with big-screen games.
The Sports Page also has become known as a busy poker spot, with tournaments three nights a week. So we had plenty of competition, and faced several big challenges....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: K-J of hearts
Because we ate a Scrambled Dawg before the tournament, we started with double the normal chip stack -- 10,000. But after winning the first pot of the night by making a diamond flush on the flop, we're down to about 7,500. When a player across the table raises to 500, we hope history will repeat itself. Several players call.
ON THE FLOP: Qh-Jc-8h (as best we recall)
The man who raised doesn't slow down, betting 2,000. A man between us calls. Now we have to think a moment. This is the flush chance we hoped to see -- but the bet is so large that we'd lose a lot of chips if we call and we're wrong. (We also suspect a bigger bet on the turn is coming.)
"I'm tempted -- but I'll fold," we finally say.
ON THE TURN: 2 of hearts
Ouch! The hand plays out to reveal the big bettor had two pair. We were the only one with two hearts, and could have gained a small fortune.
We show our cards afterward, and overhear someone to our left say something about "calling a raise pre-flop" and following up on it. That big bet on the flop probably was designed to scare off flush-chasers -- and we admittedly lacked the backbone to follow through with our hope nearly realized. (Hmmmm; there could be a lesson there for another post.)
We reached the one-hour break, but then tried to fight for our life with A-8 when a high-card 8 showed up on the flop. But a 6 which also was showing gave a man to our left two pair (8-6), and he eliminated us in about 31st place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Did I ever show you this?" we asked a man to our immediate right. We showed him the "Jesus as your Savior" coin. When we asked if he agreed with the message, he nodded -- barely.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 83 final tables in 203 nights (40.9%) - 15 cashes.
The Sports Page also has become known as a busy poker spot, with tournaments three nights a week. So we had plenty of competition, and faced several big challenges....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: K-J of hearts
Because we ate a Scrambled Dawg before the tournament, we started with double the normal chip stack -- 10,000. But after winning the first pot of the night by making a diamond flush on the flop, we're down to about 7,500. When a player across the table raises to 500, we hope history will repeat itself. Several players call.
ON THE FLOP: Qh-Jc-8h (as best we recall)
The man who raised doesn't slow down, betting 2,000. A man between us calls. Now we have to think a moment. This is the flush chance we hoped to see -- but the bet is so large that we'd lose a lot of chips if we call and we're wrong. (We also suspect a bigger bet on the turn is coming.)
"I'm tempted -- but I'll fold," we finally say.
ON THE TURN: 2 of hearts
Ouch! The hand plays out to reveal the big bettor had two pair. We were the only one with two hearts, and could have gained a small fortune.
We show our cards afterward, and overhear someone to our left say something about "calling a raise pre-flop" and following up on it. That big bet on the flop probably was designed to scare off flush-chasers -- and we admittedly lacked the backbone to follow through with our hope nearly realized. (Hmmmm; there could be a lesson there for another post.)
We reached the one-hour break, but then tried to fight for our life with A-8 when a high-card 8 showed up on the flop. But a 6 which also was showing gave a man to our left two pair (8-6), and he eliminated us in about 31st place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Did I ever show you this?" we asked a man to our immediate right. We showed him the "Jesus as your Savior" coin. When we asked if he agreed with the message, he nodded -- barely.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 83 final tables in 203 nights (40.9%) - 15 cashes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)