You Want a Piece of Me?

Careful, now - please don't jump to conclusions about our title.  We're not talking about fighting or cyber-bullying. We're talking about what one radio report calls "diversifying your poker portfolio."

NPR reported this week that one of the players at a World Series of Poker Main Event final table didn't really win millions of dollars after all. The radio story didn't explain when it happened, but Jake Balsiger finished third in 2012. His listed winnings are $3.799,073. But his real take-home check was much less than one million.

Why? Because other players "invested" in Balsiger - buying a percentage of his winnings, in exchange for helping to pay his buy-in fee. At the Main Event, that's a steep $10,000.  It's a bit like an actor or performer hiring a talent agent to handle bookings and negotiations.


One of Balsiger's "investors" bought shares in several other WSOP players as well.  But what strikes us about this arrangement is that it goes against one of the basic concepts of poker. When a player goes "all in," he puts all his chips in the middle. Not anyone else's, unless they choose to push as well. And not 75 percent of his chips, unless he's called by someone with less.

If you think God works in the "portfolio" mode, we think you're mistaken. Jesus made clear God doesn't want simply a 10 or 15-percent commitment on your part....

No one 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. - Matthew 6:24

Straddling is the stuff of blackjack or roulette. It should not be the stuff of believers....

And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only...." - I Samuel 7:3

It's ultimately about commitment - a whole-hearted commitment. Do you have enough faith in God to invest everything you have in Him and His Son?  To borrow from a classic hymn: are you surrendering "all in?"

One By One

Some chess masters are so good at the game that they stage "simultaneous" events. They'll play 20, 30 or more people at different boards at the same time -- walking from table to table, looking over the situation, making their next move and moving on.

Why don't you see poker stars do that?  A clue to the answer comes from an article posted this week by a former "charity poker tournament director."  Among other things, Aaron Todd recommends NOT directing an event and dealing for a table at the same time:

I was shuffling one deck while dealing with the other, and I dealt a flop with the hand I was shuffling. One of the players pointed it out immediately, saying, "I think we have a problem; one of my cards is there on the flop."

"Multi-tasking" has become commonplace for many people. They walk down a street, checking their phone for messages with one hand, and maybe eat a hot dog with the other.  They deal with many "spinning plates" at the same time during the course of a workday, whether they're calls from clients or monitoring of urgent situations.

But when it comes to poker, many players see value in focusing on one game at a time.  And we think that's a good approach far beyond the table.  Here's why....

That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. - James 1:7-8

Who is "that man" in this passage? The preceding verses indicate it's someone who asks God for wisdom, yet who does so with doubt instead of faith (verses 5-6).  We've found that's a high standard - because there are times in poker when you think you've made the wise move, only to see it become a bad beat.

Those moments can create clouds of doubt.- and we admit we're not sure of the best way to remove those clouds.  Perhaps it comes in realizing the odds in a given hand, and accepting the fact that longshots sometimes happen.

But can we get a bit more personal with this?

No one can serve two masters. Ether 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. - Matthew 6:24

Jesus's words demand a decision from each of us.  Are you trying to "straddle" as you play poker -- making it the top priority, promising to get "back to God" sometime in the future?

The problem is that no one knows how much "future" we have left. We're all potentially one wrong step or missing breath away from the end of our lives.  Jesus wants you to serve Him and God the Father, above all other things.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33

If God's given you something to direct, direct it well - and share the other tasks as you can.  But may your ultimate focus be on the things which matter most. Above everything else.

All Means All

"I'm halfway in."

When was the last time you heard someone say that during a poker tournament?  Maybe you have, but we haven't.  The very sound of it seems wishy-washy and indecisive   And as they sometimes say in poker rooms, it's not good television.

No, the common phrase is to be all in.  In fact, we recently played in a tournament where the poker dealer pulled out an "all in" button to note the first player to push during a hand.  Every chip you have is at stake -- along with your future in the game.

Are you that way when it comes to other things in your life?  Do you live with an "all in" mentality?  Or are you like some players in other casino games -- and think it's more fun to straddle?

In one famous Biblical showdown, it was the God-fearing man who challenged people not to straddle:

So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.  Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. - I Kings 18:20-21

These were people from all over Israel (verse 19) -- and to borrow from cricket, they watched quite a one-day "test."  Read the entire chapter and you'll find the prophets of Baal tried to summon their god, but nothing happened.  Then Elijah called on his God, and fire dramatically came down from heaven.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord - he is God!  The Lord - he is God!" - I Kings 18:39

There's nothing like a momentous miracle to turn people into believers.  But we need to keep faith toward God all the time -- even on ordinary or bad days.  That's when you're really "all in" with Him.

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 hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16

The Bible shows Jesus said these words to a church, after His resurrection (verse 14).  You'd think church members would be all in for God.  But admittedly, sometimes lethargy can develop -- even with ministers:

Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. - II Timothy 1:6 (KJV)

You can ponder this idea some more by watching or reading an "all in" devotional.  It has part 1 and part 2.  And it might even get you thinking about how to use chip stacks, the next time you're tempted to push.

Double Your Fun?

This time it was NLOP's fault.  The poker site's computer had some kind of hiccup during a tournament, and everyone was locked out.  National League of Poker suspended play for about 30 minutes, then resumed where things stopped - an Internet poker version of a "rain delay."

But when we returned to the action, suddenly we faced more action than we expected.  Somehow we were entered into not one sit-n-go table, but three - and a separate "point play tournament" on top of that.  We left one game, and came back to about five!

We decided to forgo the sit-n-goes, but kept trying in the two tournaments.  That meant we were at multiple tables simultaneously, which we never had tried before.  This is nothing for some online poker pros, who have computers set up for four or five games at once.  But that would be an easy day for some chess masters; we've read about exhibitions where they go from table to table, taking on 20 opponents or more at a time.

There's a reason why we've tried to avoid MPD - what we jokingly might call Multiple Poker Disorder.  Believe it or not, it's found in Scripture....

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. - James 1:8 (KJV)

 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.... - Luke 16:13

It's better to stay focused on one thing at a time, if at all possible.  That may sound old-fashioned in an era when "multi-tasking" is common and almost expected, but it's what the Bible recommends.  But the verses we quoted actually go far beyond that.  To finish the words of Jesus:

....You cannot serve both God and Money.... What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. - Luke 16:13b, 15

Some poker games include "straddling," where players post double the big blind before the flop -- often without looking at their cards.  It might make pots more interesting, but it's an approach God will not allow when it comes to spiritual matters.  We can't straddle the fence; we must come down on one side or the other.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom, you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15

Joshua came down on the side of "Jehovah," the Lord who led Israel out of Egypt.  That's the side we recommend as well -- because when the day of judgment comes, there still will be no straddlers.

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. - Matthew 25:32-33

Read on through the end of chapter 25 to see what a difference it makes to be a "sheep" or a "goat."  The difference is enormous.

So how did we do on our two-tourney night?  Better than we expected, actually.  The point play tournament had 83 players, and we almost won points by finishing 12th.  But our top priority was the game for money we originally entered -- and a couple of Tuesday nights ago, we went all the way to second place out of 398 players to win cash!

So yes, we could engage in a little MPD and be successful at it.  But it's not what we recommend, and not what the Bible seems to recommend.  Besides, what if the games have different break times and you need to use the restroom?

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?