In or Out?

A previous post mentioned a poker table discussion which apparently (we're still not sure) dealt with beauty-related items and the Bible.

People wear all sorts of outfits to major poker tournaments -- from the "hoodie" of Phil Laak to the suit-and-tie business wear of Mike Sexton. But of course, outward appearance only gets you so far. How you play determines whether you're a winner or not.

We think the same thing is true, when it comes to the Christian walk. Some denominations and church groups are anti-jewelry or anti-makeup. We'll never forget a man we encountered aboard a rush-hour train, who started preaching: "Jesus Christ didn't have red lips. The apostle Paul didn't have red lips." (Perhaps because they were males?!) But we lean toward Jesus emphasized....

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.... If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? -- Matthew 6:28, 30

It comes down to what's more important in your mind. If it's merely about looking good at a poker table, you might not last long. If it's merely a right appearance at a worship service, Jesus says you're forgetting something:

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

The kingdom of God, He means. It's an endeavor which should work from the inside out, beginning with the Spirit of God dwelling in you.

If you want to study deeper into what the Bible says about fashion and beauty issues, check this article we posted several years ago largely for a Church of God audience.

Three For the Money

"Three cards???" we asked tonight when we tried the latest addition to National League of Poker. "UFC Knockout Hold 'em" is unlike any breed of poker we've seen. You're dealt and bet on three cards, not two. Then the flop comes as usual. Then a turn card. And that's it. No river.

So how did we do in our first try? All we did was ACE the exam! We finished first out of 106 players, to win $25 - our second NLOP cash win in two weeks!

After a slow start, we started winning good pots. (And we hit flushes on the turn to save us from elimination a couple of times.) We reached the final table in eighth place out of nine -- but as we hung around, two players who abandoned the game were forfeited. That left five. Then we were down to three - with only about 3,500 chips compared to two players in the 45,000 range.

Yet careful play allowed us to climb the mountain, despite a couple of stumbles. It took 163 hands for us from semifinal table on, but we grabbed the lead from "karatemonkey" with a run of several big hands while blinds were at 2,000/4,000.

Our camera batteries died at the crucial moment, but here's how the final hand looked. We played 5-Q-6 against our opponent's K-7-7, and made a straight on the flop while he made fatal "trips." His all-in bet was only natural. But so was our call - and an Ace on the river gave us victory!

There were plenty of PTL's on our part along the way. And this is a great example of how no deficit in poker is impossible to overcome. Hmmmm -- overcoming would be a great topic for another post.

Poker Night 231: A Soothing Quartet

We took tonight's tournament at Lil Kim's Cove somewhat seriously. We looked the part, after all -- still wearing a dress shirt and tie from a new workplace. And our chip stack looked the part, since a three-dollar cheeseburger earned us 6,000 bonus chips to add to our starting 5,000.

Then came the game -- and nice cards reached us several times. We were dealt pocket Aces twice, and the second pair took out a man who went all-in with 8,350 on a flop of 2-2-Q. (We never saw what he had.) But that wasn't the biggest thrill of the night....

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: 10-4 of clubs

We're trying to control feeling giddy, with a chip count in the 30,000. Having taken an opponent out minutes before with K-K, we can afford to "take a flier" on this one. We call, and no one raises.

ON THE FLOP: J-10-6 (no clubs)

We have middle pair and a good bit of momentum - so when the play checks to us, we put in a feeler bet of 2,000. A man to our left then goes all-in for about 7,500 more. The table folds, and it's up to us. We can afford to make the call, but this is chancy. A lot of things could top us. Yet for reasons we really can't explain....

"I'll call it. I've got a 10."

Lo and behold -- our opponent admits we have him topped, but he doesn't show his cards.

ON THE TURN: 10

Now we must really have him topped. We have the "three 10'ers" for the second time tonight.

ON THE RIVER: 10

"Whoa!" we exclaim -- as the 10'ers came running, to give us quads! Our bankrupt opponent never shows his hand, as we rake in a big pot plus a 5,000 chip quad bonus.

That momentum easily put us at the final table -- but then we were joined by people with racks full of chips. We held on for awhile, then attempted an all-in push with 6-6 one hand after another player tried it. For him it worked. For us it didn't -- as a King on the board meant a higher pair for a woman, knocking us out in a respectable sixth place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: With two tables left, two women at the table next to ours started talking about the Bible. We heard one say, "I haven't found that in the Bible anywhere." So with a foldable hand, we went over to hear what it was about.

"Black nail polish," one woman said.

"Nothing," said the other.

So we're not sure what really was going on here -- but would you believe some Christians make beauty items such as nail polish a big deal? They base it on verses such as these....

What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why shade your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. -- Jeremiah 4:30

The Bible never speaks positively about makeup, the critics say -- so Christian women should not wear it. What do you think about this? We'll share our thoughts in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 231 nights (40.7%) - 15 cashes. Heads-up tournaments: 14-21.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 118 point wins in 601 games (19.6%), 44 final tables, 3 cashes.

A check from NLOP came in the mail today, for a video poker win in early December. (Talk about a long lag time.) But as we expected, online poker play has dropped substantially due to a new work commitment.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $42,122, down $535.

The New Normal

After months of free time for playing online and in-person local poker, our schedule changed today. We're involved with a new project that (at least for a few weeks) will keep us busy 40 hours a week -- making guaranteed money, as opposed to the hope and dream of winning poker money.

At this point, it appears the change will mean a lot less online poker for us. We've already decided to reduce our number of local poker nights from two to one per week. But On The Flop will keep going, as our schedule and topics permit.

You might say we're starting a new life. We'd encourage you to do the same. And come to think of it, a schedule change might be involved there as well....

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. -- II Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

"Creature" is translated "a new creation" in other translations. God wants to put a new life in you, through "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Then He wants you to get together with others who have enjoyed the same experience.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. -- Acts 2:46-47 (KJV)

You might not be able to attend a church service every day. But at least once a week, it's good to join others in praise and worship. The "pots" might have soup or chili instead of poker chips, but we think they can be every bit as satisfying.

NLOP Weekly Championship 12: One Big Thing

It may have been Super Bowl XLV to many people, but the dream was A-A for 1,414 players in tonight's National League of Poker Weekly Championship. We qualified for this big-bucks game for the second time in three weeks -- but what could we do with it?

:04 IN: We have 6-K of spades. The flop is 4-A-6 (no spades), and we offer a probing bet of 60. Two players call. The turn is a 4, and everyone checks. The river is a 2, and we bet 60 again. A woman calls - and shows 7-7 to top our two pair.

"Couldn't run you off," we write her in chat.

"You could have," she answers. But with an Ace sitting out there, it really wouldn't have been wise.

:06 IN: We have 3-A. The flop is 8-5-3, and we call an initial bet of 30 - but an all-in raise runs us off. (A player making 9's and 8's would have had us topped.)

:24 IN: We have A-10 of diamonds, and choose to limp. The flop is 3-7-A (no diamonds) and we're ready for action - but a player across the table bets 1,340, which would put us all-in. We smell at least two pair and fold. The opponent shows 7-6! "Aaaargh," we write.

:25 IN: On the very next hand we have A-8. The flop is 3-8-7, and when a player bets the minimum 100 we double in a raise. The turn is a doctor-ordered A, and we go all-in with 290 left. A player calls with a mere K-7, and we wind up climbing to 1,680.

:29 IN: We have K-10 of clubs - and when a player raises to 520, we dare to call. A flop of Q-4-4 (no clubs) runs us off when the raiser bets big again. Too bad for us; Q-4 follow to give several players a full house.

At the half-hour break we have 1,260 -- in the middle of the pack, with 745 players left.

:34 IN: We have J-A in the big blind. Two players stair-step the bet from 100 to 400, and we call it. The flop is 2-Q-2, and we're forced to fold when an opponent goes all-in. A-9 follow, giving a player with A-9 a two-pair winner.

:35 IN: We have A-Q of hearts in the very next hand, as small blind. A player raises to 500, and we feel forced to push all-in with 860 left. A second player pushes all-in as well -- and we both wind up being eliminated when the board shows 2-K-6-7-7, with only one heart showing. The winner had pocket tens.

Final result: 687th place -- a Miami Dolphin-level finish in this past season.

Poker Night 230: My Weekly Reader

"The best liar wins at poker. The best player doesn't," someone declared at our table tonight at Lil Kim's Cove. Part of the strategy, uh, lies in figuring out when your opponent means business and when he doesn't. We were reminded of this right away....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: A-J of clubs

It's the first hand of the night and we have a chance to seize the lead, so we announce: "200 more."

"Already?" the player to our right asks. Why, sure - and about half the table calls.

ON THE FLOP: A-3-5 (3 is a club)

It looks good to us, so we make a continuation bet of 300. Two players call it.

"That's a good bet," says an opponent to our left. But then he adds, "Be careful. I've got two pair."

ON THE TURN: 3

"Now I've got a boat," our big talker continues. But we've heard this kind of tune before from this man, and we're not buying it. So we bet 400 ahead of him. He calls; the other man in the hand folds.

ON THE RIVER: 7

We're feeling modestly confident. But just in case our opponent actually is telling the truth, we limit our bet to 500.

"I missed the boat," our opponent admits as he folds - and we gain more than 2,000 chips right away.

"If I had raised, would you have called?" the man then asks. "If I had gone all-in, would you have called?"

"Wellllll...." is all we say. Others at the table guess we would have folded. What would you have done?

We won another nice pot later, to reach the one-hour break at 13,500 chips. But the second hour was a roller-coaster ride. We lost several thousand chips with two pair to a man with a straight. Then we made a flush on the river, after going all-in. We guessed an opponent was bluffing with a big bet, but his two pair topped ours. Then we pushed with A-6 after seeing an Ace on the flop, and it topped a man with A-2.

But the wild ride finally stopped when we were dealt A-K and raised to 5,000 with it. An opponent went all-in, and we had to call with 10,000 left. He showed K-J - and a Jack on the flop was good enough for him to eliminate us in 22nd place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that a real dollar?" a man to our right asked before the game began. No, it wasn't - he'd spotted our "Lord's Supper" card protector.

"Do you believe in Jesus?" we asked the man. He said he did -- and we sincerely hope you do.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 93 final tables in 230 nights (40.4%) - 15 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 117 point wins in 598 games (19.6%), 44 final tables, 3 cashes.

We mentioned in another post our second-place finish Tuesday night - but earlier today, we almost made the final table in a big tournament again! We finished 11th out of 622.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $42,657, up $3,850.

One vs. 1,000 (Almost)

Think about the odds of winning a major poker tournament. The field can have hundreds of players, or even thousands. It's why we sometimes tell people we don't have to watch the TV game Survivor -- we live it.

Tuesday night marked our most satisfying moment yet along those lines. We played the 10:30 p.m. ET tournament at National League of Poker, with 963 players entered -- and almost three hours later, we were playing heads-up for the top prize!

We don't normally keep track of our hands in these nightly games. But It started with an all-in bet we made with about 485 chips left. That win pushed us above 2,000. Then a couple more in the following minutes advanced us to 3,998. Despite a setback or two, we hit a winning river card or two. We kept winning big pots, besides -- and by the final table, we had more than 150,000 chips!

As contestants dropped at the final table, we hit a high of about 460,000 chips with only two opponents remaining. But then we lost a giant pot with two pair to "TxFlyBoy" who made a well-hidden straight. But the third player fell off before we did, putting us heads-up with a huge chip disadvantage of more than 20 to one.

After a few hands, TXFlyBoy prevailed. But we wound up with second place and a $25 prize (first won $50). At a casino, the payoff on our "1,000-point" investment would have been massive - we estimate more than $70,000.

"This has been one h**l of a tournament," someone wrote at the final table.

"It's been heavenly for me," we responded. And come to think of it, our lives can be like that....

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. - Acts 14:22

A big payoff usually requires a good bit of effort. But when the reward comes, it's quite satisfying. The reward for believers of God's kingdom will come when Jesus returns. If you're in the middle of hardships right now, ask God to provide spiritual strength and wisdom through it all.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12