Poker Day 457: The Honeycomb Hideout

"It's a perfect day to play poker," a man said before today's tournament at Arrowhead Poker.  "Cold and windy."

The cloud cover and breeze were a bit deceiving, as the temperature actually was in the mid-50's F. at game time. But since poker sometimes is a game of deceit, that would be OK - as in this hand.

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: A of clubs - 8 of spades

We made an early flush to move ahead in chips.  Now we're one off the Big Blind at this one-table eight-player tournament, and these cards seem worth the trouble. We call. No one raises.  Three players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 3c-5c-7c

We're one card away from something very nice. But we don't have it yet, so we check. As we recall, everyone checks.

ON THE TURN: Qc

The very nice "nut flush" is ours! But we decide to be deceitful polite about it in lead position, and check. A man to our left bets 2,000.  A man across from us calls. Now Hollywood is calling.

"Two-thousand?!?" we ask with a bit of uncertainty in our voice. We shake our head a bit, then seem to reluctantly say, "I'll call."

ON THE RIVER: 10d (as best we remember)

This card doesn't matter. We keep playing our part and check again. The man to our left checks.  But the man across from us bets 10,000 - exactly as we hoped.

"Double," we now say with no trepidation; "20,000."

This causes a hubbub for some at the table, who clearly didn't see this coming.

"He really slow-played that Ace," the man to our left says as he folds. Our poker face is on, and we're not commenting.

"I have to call," the man across from us says. He matches the 20,000, and shows why. He has the King of clubs.

"You thought I slow-played that," we say to the man at our left. "You're absolutely right." We show the Ace and score a big chip gain of more than 24,000.

This was a classic case of what poker players call "letting others bet into you." We let our opponents do all the work, until we sprang the trap with a check-raise at the river.

Those big hands gave us the chip lead for awhile, with a high of 104,000. That helped us through a period of dry cards and habitual folds.

But then with six players left, we over-reached. In the Small Blind with 8-8, we doubled our opponent who turned out to have Q-10. When 7-9-10 came on the flop, he went all-in for 60,000 and we instant-called. Our open-ended straight draw missed (we had ten outs, if two remaining 8's are counted), and we dropped to a lowly 5,000.  A desperation push with A-2 failed, and we ended the day tied for fifth (officially sixth).

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Before we begin, I have some sad news," a regular player who manages another poker room said at the top of the tournament. "One of our everyday players, Bobby, died."

The newspaper obituary for Bobby Kallail was posted on the poker room bulletin board. There we learned things he'd never revealed at poker games - about how he operated a once-popular downtown-area nightclub, and was a part of high school and college wrestling teams.

The man who announced Bobby's passing thinks he might have been heading for the poker room when he died in a car crash. Several players were comforted to know that at least he'd played poker the day before, and was doing what he wanted to do.

"I have hope of seeing Bobby again someday, beyond this life," we said. Only one other player at the table seemed to acknowledge that - and that one barely did. We would ask: do you have such a hope?

If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. - Job 14:14

The ancient Job expressed hope of a resurrection. And the New Testament indicates it will happen for everyone.

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

Were not sure if Bobby ever expressed faith in Jesus as his Savior. All we know for sure is that his funeral will take place at an Orthodox Christian Church. But the Bible shows a time of resurrection and judgment is coming - for him and for you. Are you prepared for that moment? Have you prepared, by giving your life to Christ?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 171 final tables in 457 games (37.4%) - 29 cashes.

We have cashed in four out of 19 in-person tournaments this year. Our next event (probably not until mid-December) will determine whether our percentage hits 20 or 25 percent.

Evening Joe

It's the biggest win for Philadelphia since the Phillies won the 2008 World Series over Tampa Bay. Joe McKeehen from the suburbs wore Eagles and 76'ers gear, as he rolled to victory Tuesday in the World Series of Poker Main Event.

One report on the "November Nine" indicated McKeehen was able to dominate because he never lost a pot which cost him a lot of chips. But not everything went perfectly for McKeehen in Las Vegas. Last Saturday he tweeted:

hey thanks Rio and @wsop for the suite with the shower that doesn't work AND the lack of customer service to have anybody fix it!

— Joe McKeehen (@dude904) November 7, 2015

McKeehen later tweeted he "instantly felt 10 times better" after leaving that hotel.  And hopefully a champion's prize of $7.5 million will improve on that.

But isn't it interesting how small things can become big annoyances -- with social media around to make them seem even bigger? Here's what the Bible recommends instead:

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. - Proverbs 17:9

Hotel showers will fail.  Customer service teams will let you down. But how you handle those moments reveals the sort of person you are.  You can start a Twitter or Facebook rant and bring the weight of your friends down on someone. Or....

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. - Matthew 18:15

Jesus gave this advice about personal relationships. We think it can work with fellow poker players, and even with businesses hosting poker tournaments.

So best wishes to what one news report called the "soft-spoken" Joe. And may we all learn to communicate softly at all times - promoting love that pours out better than any shower head.

Nine to Go

The long wait is over. The "November Nine" gather around poker's ultimate final table tonight in Las Vegas, competing for the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.

Pierre Neuville of Belgium makes history as the oldest player ever at a Main Event final table. He's 72, and talked with WSOP.com about what he likes most about the international poker circuit: "To meet the world, and to meet them friendly, even if we are fighting so hard at the table."

To meet the world in a friendly way is one thing. To become friends with the world.... well, according to the Bible, that can be trouble:

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. - James 4:4

Why would God hate the world? After all, didn't He create it? Yes, God did -- but the people of this world have made it a sin-filled place.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned... - Romans 5:12

So in God's eyes, if you choose to be friends with this world, you become friends with sin. Our sinless God would much prefer you become friends with Him  -- and with Jesus Christ, who said:

You are my friends, if you do what I command. - John 15:14

Wherever you play poker, do it the way Neuville recommends. "Meet them friendly" - but develop an even better friendship with Jesus. Go through the New Testament to see what He commands of us. Then be daring enough to do it.

OK, enough of the preaching. Who's your pick to win the Main Event - and why?

Making the Saints

We asked a question in our last post about saints. Who is one? How do you define one? Is it as easy as bringing drinks for a poker home game?

Let's see what a New Testament apostle wrote about this:

To all in Rome who ae loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 1:7

Being a saint is a calling from God.

Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greeting. - Philippians 4:21

Saints are "in Christ Jesus." We're led to think that means they've accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord - and the commitment doesn't stop there:

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. - Revelation 8:3

Based on verse 2, saints offer prayers toward God in heaven.

...(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) - Revelation 19:8b

Saints also perform acts of righteousness. We think that goes beyond buying two-liter bottles of soda for the poker group. It means living a righteous life, in obedience to God.

Our last post quoted I Corinthians 1:2, about being "called to be holy." Here's how another Bible translation has that verse:

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.... - I Corinthians 1:2 (KJV)

So saints should believe in God and Jesus Christ. They should pray. And they should live holy, righteous lives.

Can you do all that and still play poker? We think so - if what you do at the table reflects a saintly conduct in the rest of your life.
.

Poker Day 456: Small Blind Ordinary

Many poker players dream of hitting the "Big Blind Special" - strong cards in the Big Blind that bring a huge pot.  Today at Arrowhead Poker, we had that once.  But could history repeat itself, to keep us alive in a tournament?

BLINDS: 2,000/4,000

IN THE POCKET: Ac-5s (suits may not be precise)

We've had an up-and-down day at this one-table 10-player tournament.  We scored a big gain when 9-10 in the Big Blind turned into a King-high straight, and we topped a man with three Jacks.  But then we lost about half our stack when we made three Jacks on the river, and lost to a straight.

Now we're in the Big Blind with 37,000 chips, looking for a big moment.  No one raises in front of us, so we call and hope.

ON THE FLOP: 8-8-5

Two pair and top kicker looks very good!  The Small Blind checks.  We could push right now, but instead we bet 10,000 and try to finesse as much out of the table as possible. A man to our left calls, as do two others.

ON THE TURN: 8

Now we have a full house -- and we really have little choice.  "All of it," we say after the Small Blind checks. We commit our last 23,000.

"I'll call," the man to our left says. Uh-oh - that's not exactly what we wanted to hear. What if he has an 8, for a higher full house?

A man across the table folds. The Small Blind thinks it over, then calls. Huh?!  Could they both be trying to outbluff each other?

ON THE RIVER: J

The only way this seems to change anything is if someone has pocket Jacks.  The two remaining players who can bet check each other.

"I've got an Ace," the Small Blind says. (Actually A-9.) Good.

"I've got a full house," we say hopefully as we show.

Then the man to our left turns over.... 8-5!!! It was what we feared, and in abundance! He hit his full house on the flop, and we never had any real hope.  We shake his head, shake our head and leave the table in seventh place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: On one hand, the flop was 6-6-6.

"A beast flop," we declared. "And on All Saints Day!"

A man across the table recognized what we were talking about - and as we left the table after finishing seventh, we repeated it. "May you all be saints, on this All Saints Day."

Let's make one thing clear right away: we are not Roman Catholic. All Saints Day is a traditionally Catholic event. It's not a day we personally celebrate (short of buying Halloween candy at half-price). But we realize several of our fellow players are Catholic - and we tried to offer a thought-provoking comment about it as we left.

We didn't grasp until we reviewed the link that All Saints Day is supposed to be a "solemn holy day." The Bible lists several "holy days" of God (see Leviticus 23), and this is NOT one of them. But our question to the table would be what we're asking you: Are you a saint?  Now - even before you die?

Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. - Psalm 30:4

Could this command really be given to dead people?  We think living saints are supposed to sing praise. But how do we define a saint - or better put, how does the Bible define one?

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? - I Corinthians 6:2

Note the distinction: "the saints" and "you" are the same things to the apostle Paul. This letter was written to....

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours. - I Corinthians 1:2

So saints appear to be church members, sanctified believers and people who call on Jesus's name. The fact that saints were mentioned in Psalms indicates they existed in Old Testament times, as well as New.

How else would you identify a saint?  Offer comments if you wish; we'll share more about this in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 170 final tables in 456 games (37.3%) - 29 cashes.

Drinking Game?

An unusual invitation sat on one of the poker room dining tables. The two-page, neatly-printed offer asked for ten players to join in a tournament.... after getting drunk.

We know plenty of casual poker players who would jump at the chance to join this offer. In fact, they'd probably be stunned to see someone printing out the idea -- because they do it in bars and clubs all the time.

Yet as you might guess, this proposal was different. It's a "scientific" research study being done by a university in our town, to see if alcohol really affects someone's poker-playing skills.

The academic behind this offer sat down with us for an alcohol-free tournament, and asked the table for their general opinions about the idea.  Most people guessed the addition of liquor would hurt someone's poker skills. But we recalled several times when people clearly went past their alcohol limit, yet succeeded - sometimes hitting more "lucky cards" than normal.

So are we going to join in this experiment? No. That's not what we do - or what we've done throughout our life:

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness.... Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. - Romans 13:13-14

The Bible clearly opposes getting drunk. But admittedly, some Christian groups have taken this to the other side of the road and declared any alcohol consumption is wrong. That's not really Scriptural.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and he master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.... "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." - John 2:7-10

If drinking wine is wrong, why would Jesus turn a lot of water into wine? As "the first of his miraculous signs," at that (verse 11)?

The proper middle ground seems to be that alcohol is OK to drink, as long as you don't drink too much:

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

In other words, don't go over the edge and drink yourself "under the table." Playing poker under a table probably would get you removed from the tournament, anyway.

So what do you think of this experiment?  Have you seen alcohol make a poker-player's performance better? Worse? Or is there no difference? Your comments are welcome.

Gad or God? Part 2

Our last post focused on a three-letter Hebrew word: gad.  It looks like "God," but it's very different. It refers to luck or fortune - and the book of Isaiah shows if you put all your hope in those things, in a poker room or elsewhere, you're going to be disappointed.

So where should we put our hope? God challenges you to believe the Bible - and put it in Him.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. - Psalm 62:5

But how do we do that?  Simply by saying a prayer?  Well, that's a good way to start....

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12

God needs to fill us with a proper hope:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. - I Timothy 6:17

God can provide you with many blessings if you put your hope in Him. But again.... how?

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. - I John 3:3

God wants the people who believe in Him to be pure. That means getting the sin out of our lives.

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. - II Corinthians 7:1

The goal is to be holy, and that's done by holy living....

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. - Romans  7:12

Is this how you're living?  Have you gone all-in for God, instead of "gad?"  If not, go back to that first step. Admit to God in prayer you've gone in the wrong way, and ask for His help in turning toward holiness. Then examine your life, put out the things which are impure -- and have hope God will help you with the rest.
.