Poker Night 324: The Devil, You Say

A TV station in our area surprised us a few weeks ago, by making a big fuss about new license plates.  The station managers decided to exchange three news car tags which had the numbers 666 in them -- even though a fourth number followed the sixes.  Should you be afraid of that series of numbers?  That issue actually came up tonight at The Red Barn....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-7 offsuit

We're in the small blind, at a table which has been playing "friendly poker" before the flop most of the evening.  We won an early pot when our K-10 turned into a straight on the flop.  But we've been biding our time otherwise -- and with no one raising, this gives us no reason to change.  We call, and most of the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: 6c-6d-6h

Several players laugh at this, since enough people know the symbolism associated with those numbers.  "That's a beast of a flop!" we declare -- but we're not sure how many get our play on words.  (If you don't get that, your assignment is to read Revelation 13:11-18.)

After the commotion dies down, we check.  So does everyone else.

ON THE TURN: A

That's practically the best card we could see at this moment.  It gives us a full house -- but we bet 500, just in case.

"He's got the Ace," someone says.

"He could have a 6," another speculates.  That would give us quads -- but we realize to earn a 5,000-chip house-rule bonus for quads, we have to carry the hand all the way to the river.  So this bet actually should tell thinking players at the table we don't have quads.  We hope they get the "next best thing" message and fold.  Most of the table does, but one woman does not; she calls.

ON THE RIVER: 7

That card is really inconsequential.  What matters is what that woman has.  We think she most likely has an Ace of her own, which would mean we split the pot.  We offer 1,000, to show we mean business in case she's holding a smaller pair.  The woman responds by raising to 2,000.  Oh no -- could she be the one with quads?  We remain skeptical, and think this is a "dare and double dare" move.

"You'll have to show me the 6," we say as we call.  "I've got an Ace."

After we show our cards, the woman dramatically turns over 7 of spades.  Then 6 of spades!  She played suited connectors and hit it big!

"I knew he had an Ace," the player out of the hand repeats to someone else.  "He's been playing cautious all night."  Thanks for the tip.  At least he got our message; perhaps we should have read the woman's hint better.

We recovered our loss on the next hand, when 3-3 brought a third 3 on the flop.  We went all-in with 3,025 left and won.  Moments later, K-K brought another big gain.  We rolled to the one-hour break at 21,700 chips -- then won a couple more modest pots in the second hour.  A timely win with A-6 and a pair of 6's on the flop helped us reach the final table at 20,500.

But once there, we made a tactical blunder.  We held a Queen, saw Queen-high on the flop and only bet 8,000 chips instead of pushing completely.  A man stayed in with 5-6 and made a winning full house.  It came down to an all-in move with K-9 for us -- but a woman with K-K topped us, so we settled for a seventh-place finish.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I have a bone to pick with you," a man said as soon as we walked in the door tonight.  He called us over to the bar, and proceeded to disagree with the nice words we wrote here last week (and elsewhere online) about Mr. Wing.

"The service was terrible," the man told us.  So were the wing prices, he added -- even though we never went into detail about the food menu, because we didn't order from it.  The man claimed to speak for many when he concluded: "Your recommendation s*cked."

Instead of getting into a quarrel about it, we asked the man to forgive us.  We tried to follow a Biblical example....

Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. - Matthew 6:13

But that man did not respond to our request by forgiving us.  That's also a Biblical example:

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13

We realize poker players can have differing opinions about everything from sports bars to the handling of pocket Jacks.  We've learned to accept those differences, without turning them into a big fuss.  Are you able to be that accepting?  That's really the approach which shows a more Biblical attitude of humility.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 115 final tables in 324 nights (35.5%) - 17 cashes.  Maybe we should give up the Thursday night games, because we've made seven out of the last nine final tables early in the week.

NLOP Weekly Championship 27: Aces Up, Aces Down

If we really desired, we could enter the National League of Poker $1,000 Weekly Championship every couple of weeks.  All that's needed now is a 50,000-point buy-in.  With our total around 400,000, we thought Father's Day might be a good time to sneak in and play well.  Did we?

:01 IN: We have A-2 under the gun on the second hand.  The flop is 5-8-2.  We bet the minimum 30, but someone raises to 160 and we call it.  The turn is 7.  The raiser bets 130, and we've seen enough.  We fold.

:03 IN: We have A-J in the Big Blind, and wind up heads-up with the Small Blind when the rest of the table folds.  The flop is A-2-5.  We bet 70, and our opponent folds.  Would they were all that simple....

:04 IN: We have A-A and the button!  So we raise to 230, and get one caller.  The flop is 4-3-2, and our opponent leads for the minimum 30.  We call, cautious about that board.  The turn is K; we call another bet of 30.  The river is 8; we call another minimum bet as we remain suspicious.  But there was no reason; our opponent has K-10 -- so we win $875.

:18 IN: After a few hopeful flops get overpowered on the turn, we have A-10 of clubs.  The flop is 7s-Qc-As.  A player bets the minimum 60; we raise to 120 only to be re-raised to 180.  We call and stop there.  The turn is 2s.  Our opponent bets 160, and we dare to call.  The river is Qs, and our opponent goes all-in.  We dare not call, even though we have top two pair -- not with four spades showing.

:21 IN: We have 4-10 and fold -- only to see a flop of 2-3-A, and a turn of 5 which would have given us a comeback straight.

We hobble to the half-hour break with 385 chips.  Out of 584 players still in the running, we're a lowly 559th (tied).

MINISTRY MOMENT: At about this point in the tournament, we landed at the same table as a player named "FatherofLies".  That player split a pot, and it led to this exchange....


Me:  Can't root for 
Me:  FatherofLies, sorry....
Me:  I support God.
FatherofLies:  I understand....
FatherofLies:  Atleast you know me
Me:  Even if I
Me:  would rather not :-/

Why would we write such a thing?  Because yes, we understand the origin of that phrase....

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44

Jesus called the devil the "father of lies."  Many ministers say this is a reference to Satan appearing as a serpent in the garden of Eden:

"You shall not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.  "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:4-5

God had told Adam he would "surely die" if he ate of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (2:17).  The serpent (Satan) then came along and lied to Eve.  Eve accepted the serpent's view over God's warning -- and the result has been sin and death ever since (5:5).

Come to think of it, we played poker with a "father" on Father's Day - one who takes his screen name from Satan.  Which father would you rather have?  An untrustworthy devil - or God, a heavenly father?

Now back to the tournament in progress....


:43 IN: We have 6-A as decisive blinds approach.  So we go all-in with 235 chips left.  Several players call to give us hope.  The flop is 6-9-K, which offers a bit more hope.  But 7-9 follow with three spades showing, and another player makes a winning flush.

So there's no championship for us again -- but 437th out of 1,255 entries beats the first-hand bust-out we had earlier in the day.

Father Figures

Today is Father's Day in the U.S.  It's a day to celebrate Dads who are living, and perhaps reflect on memories of those who are deceased.

Laurence A. Burkard: 1921-2001

How do you remember your parents?  Do you have anything special around your home -- or maybe in your wallet or purse?  It's a question that ties in well with one we asked in a recent post: do you carry any reminders with you of God?  After all....

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? - Deuteronomy 32:6b

Are you surprised by the location of that Bible verse?  All the way back in the Old Testament, God was referred to as a "father" -- long before Jesus the Son appeared on Earth and recommended:

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...." - Matthew 6:9

We can't really carry a picture of God or Jesus in our wallets, because all we have are artist's depictions -- and there's plenty of debate among religious groups over how accurate those depictions are.  But the Bible shows there are plenty of things in this world which can symbolize God, and remind us of Him.  For instance:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

We've never taken a rock or a horn to a poker night, to use as a card protector.  (After looking up this verse, that might change!)  But regular blog readers know we take other things -- admittedly more as conversation starters than physical reminders of God.

There's one big thing Jesus provided for stirring up memories of Him, and of heaven....

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me." - Luke 22:19

Christians know this as the "Lord's Supper," communion or the New Testament Passover -- introduced by Jesus on the night before His death.  The church group we attend only does this "remembrance" once a year.  It's considered that big a deal -- so big that our Pastor tends to lead up to it with three months of Passover-related sermons.  Of course, the world only tends to make Father's Day a once-a-year event as well.

So how do we remember our fathers at other times of year -- especially our heavenly Father?  We wrestled with this topic here a couple of years ago.  Despite what some ministers say, we still see nothing wrong with carrying reminders of God -- as long as you don't worship those things.  Doing that crosses a Biblical line:

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.... - Exodus 20:4-5

We realize bowing before a little bottle of Liquid Paper would look very silly.  May you honor your physical father in a way which doesn't dishonor your heavenly Father -- the One who gave both of you life.

Poker Night 323: Anniversary Present

Several people were amazed at Lil Kim's Cove tonight, when we mentioned it was our fifth anniversary of live poker tournaments.  They couldn't believe we remembered the date.  But what happened during the first hour may have seemed even more unbelievable....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: J-J

We've already had a roller-coaster ride, even though the table is playing relatively tight.  We made a straight on the flop holding 5-6 -- but only 150 at first, allowing two players to stay in and make flushes on the turn.  Their big betting cost us thousands, but we were wise to fold on the river before going all-in.  We've taken a couple of pots since then, including the Big Blind with 8-3.  Now we're in the small blind with this, and choose to limp in.  Most of the table gets in.

ON THE FLOP: 5-J-7

Triple J's look quite OK!  So in lead position for action, we offer 600.  That's too much for most of the table, but the dealer to our immediate right calls.

ON THE TURN: J

Whoa!!  J now stands for jackpot -- but we know we can't claim a 5,000-chip bonus for quads unless the hand goes all the way to the river.  So we check.  The dealer checks as well.

ON THE RIVER: 7

We play innocent and check again.  The dealer is in no mood for that -- and gives us even more than we expected.

"Four-thousand," he says.  Now it's time for what they call in TV poker "Hollywooding."

"Four-thousand?!?!?" we ask with mock astonishment.  We start counting our chips, because we're honestly not sure how many we have.

"Don't do it, man.  Don't do it," the dealer advises.

"That might put me all in," we say while we count.

"You don't want to do it."

"I shouldn't do it?!" we ask with an added measure of uncertainty in our voice.

"Don't do it."

Nope.  Our mind is made up.  "I'm going to do it," we say with a hint of resignation.  "I'll call."  Our count totals 3,875, slightly below the dealer's bet.

"But I've got a boat," our opponent says.  He flips over a 7, to show a full house.

"But I've got to call, when I've got quads."

We turn over the Jacks, and the table is stunned.  One man guessed we might have pocket Aces, but nobody saw quads coming.  We win a double-up and that 5,000-chip bonus.

"I had to bet.  I had a boat," our opponent says in frustration -- not once, but several times.  We can't really blame him.  But he ran into an unexpected buzz saw.  At least he was able to joke about it minutes later.

"You didn't have to call," he said.

"I know, but something told me I should call there."

"But you didn't have to listen to that something."

"I think it's called The Idiot's Guide to Poker," we said with a smile and a giggle.

That was the middle of three hands in a row which we won -- the following hand coming when we dealt ourselves Q-Q, and they prevailed.  We reached the one-hour break with more than 20,500 chips.  Trouble was, we lost half of them early in the second hour to a woman who made two big hands.  A comeback with Queens returned us to 15,500.  But a final push with A-Q and an Ace on the flop lost to a man who made three of a kind.  Our anniversary night ended in 16th place - at least better than five years ago.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A young man walked over to our table during the one-hour break, and told some players about a couple of habits he's given up recently.

"I've stopped drinking.  In fact, I gave up smoking pot."

One person described him as "clean and really sober."  Then he continued.

"Several months ago, I made a promise to the man upstairs that if he'd help me give up pot, I'd quit.  The man upstairs has given me the strength."

"God's helped you do it," we said -- making sure of which "man upstairs" he meant.  Indeed, he gave God the credit.  And he went on from there, to mention which church he attends every week -- a church which was familiar to a couple of people at the table, but not to us.

Two thoughts come to mind here.  First, we're glad God has helped the man overcome those habits.  If you have weaknesses or addictions in your life, God can help you as well.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26

How does this happen?  How does God become your strength?  It begins by confessing your weak areas to God -- and admitting you need His help.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.... I can do everything through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:6, 13

Our second thought may seem a bit nit-picky -- but it involves the wording that young man used.  We think some people use the phrase "man upstairs" to avoid possibly offending people with a direct mention of God.  The apostle Paul took a similar approach when he addressed a crowd in Athens....

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. - Acts 17:30-31

Paul never named the name of Jesus Christ in this mini-sermon -- but that's clearly the "person" he was describing.  A few men followed Paul after that address, and believed in God (verse 34).  Perhaps this young man's testimony (even posted here) will help others do the same.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 114 final tables in 323 nights (35.3%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 236 point wins in 992 games (23.8%), 76 final tables, 7 cashes plus 2 other wins.  No-River Hold 'em - 6 point wins in 34 games (17.6%), 5 final tables, 1 cash win.

We mentioned the qualifying tournament we won last Friday.  In addition, we came in seventh out of 203 players in a No-River tournament Wednesday.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $78,791, down $630.

Our Grand Opening

On this anniversary, you may be wondering how we did on our first live poker night five years ago.

We wrote about it, of course.  The Blog of Columbus is now closed, but the entry from 15 June 07 is still there -- the good, the bad and the funny.

If It Was Real: After Five (Years)

Today marks five years since we walked down the street to a bar in our city, to play our first live poker tournament.  The goal in 2007 wasn't primarily on ministry; we wanted to see if we could compete against the other poker players in town.

We've had a good bit of success, over five years and 322 poker nights.  Our final table percentage was in the 40-percent range for a long time, only to drop to around 35 percent in the last year or so.  And we've finished "in the money" (winning cash) at live tournaments 17 times -- including a two-for-two record at Florida poker rooms, which offer prizes in the hundreds of dollars.

But what if we played in poker rooms or casinos all the time?  We've kept track of that, using a tournament prize formula from a casino in our home area of Kansas City -- with a $50 buy-in paying $500 for first place, $400 for second, and on down to $100 for fifth.

Since we crossed the 300-game mark, we've made six final tables in 22 games.  But we've only made the top five in two of them, and one of those was a fifth-place tie.  We plug those into our earlier records, and here's the result:


BUY-INS: 322 nights x $50 = $15,600

First -- 5 ($2,500)
TIE for first: 1 ($450)

Second - 9 ($3,600)

Third -- 9 ($2,700)
TIE for third: 1 ($250)

Fourth - 12 ($2,400)
TIES for fourth:
4 two-way ($600)
1 three-way ($67)

Fifth -- 16 ($1,600)
TIES for fifth:
5 two-way ($250)
1 three-way ($17)

TOTAL -- 64 for $14,434


Our "buy-in investment" would have lost 7.5 percent over five years.  But we would note in local tournaments, the odds often are stacked against us -- as we usually only buy one soda for extra poker chips, while other players accumulate tens of thousands through sandwiches and beer buckets.  (Lil Kim's Cove even allows you to buy 15,000 extra chips for five dollars now.)

A few weekly tournaments in our city now have the Florida or casino format -- a buy-in tournament (normally five dollars) with NO extra chips given from the bar.  The result is a bigger payout, and a more level "playing field" (OK, table) for all the players.  But we have not entered one of those tournaments yet; our reason why is being held for another day.

In the meantime, we thank God for whatever success we've had -- both financially and in spreading "good news" about Jesus.  After all, the Bible reminds us....

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. - Proverbs 11:4

Where's the Evidence? II

That poker table discussion last Thursday night involving a religious skeptic brought up so many issues that we're still sorting through them all.

"Skeptic?" you might be asking.  "She sounds like an atheist."  In fact, someone at the table asked the woman if she was -- and she said she wasn't.  She doesn't believe in Jesus or the Bible, but she claims she's not atheistic.  Yet our dictionary defines atheism as "disbelief in or denial of the existence of God."  That's different from agnosticism, which "does not deny God but denies the possibility of knowing Him."

Some Christian ministers would turn at this point to a blunt message in the Psalms....

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."  They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. - Psalm 53:1

But while this woman made some bold statements about not believing in Jesus and having power over her own life, we're reminded of a prayer Jesus offered to God the Father shortly before His death:

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. - John 17:6

While God wants everyone to be saved (I Timothy 2:4), you might be surprised to learn He's not revealing Himself to everyone right now.  We even heard one player at the poker table mention that skeptical woman will have a "second chance" to understand Jesus someday.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened... The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. - Revelation 20:12

Those demanding proof of Jesus's existence will have it then -- because the Bible refers to this as "the judgment seat of Christ" (II Corinthians 5:10).  In other words, He'll be there.

This discussion went on well after we were eliminated from the poker tournament -- and we told the young woman at one point this issue ultimately is a matter of faith.  She seems to put plenty of faith in herself.  But the years of life may well reveal to her how we even let ourselves down at times.

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. - I Corinthians 2:5 (KJV)

P.S.  We received a comment via Facebook about this discussion.  She says using Bible wisdom is not the best answer in this case....

I think a good place to start is to try and show her that the Bible truly is the Word of God by revealing its accurate prophecies etc. 

One of the most amazing prophetic proofs involves Daniel 11.  It takes some time and digging in a library using encyclopedias (and the old-fashioned hardback versions are going out of style at many libraries) -- but years ago, we verified how historical events recorded by Daniel have been fulfilled, all the way through World War I.  Some ministers maintain the "time of the end" events from verse 40 on still have yet to occur.