Is Faith Enough?

Two men at the table were dropping hints about their hands before the flop. The man next to us was considering whether or not to call a raise. "I have faith in my cards," he said.

"Yeah, but faith without works is dead," we pointed out to him with a smile.

He didn't say anything in response to that, but we think our words rang a bell with him.  Those words are taken from the Bible....

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. - James 2:26 (KJV)

You may think your pocket Kings are the best hand - especially if the highest card on the flop is a Jack, and nobody else is betting. To think that requires a bit of "faith," based on what you know about the rules of poker. But that faith could be misguided; what if another player has pocket Jacks, and is quietly holding quads?

If everyone "checks it down" to the river, you could be right and win the pot.  But the only way to make sure your "faith" in a hand is valid is to make a bet.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. - James 2:17

Your bet could make everyone fold. You could get called, which might be an act of faith by someone else. Or that opponent with quad Jacks could go far over-the-top, and push all his chips in. That's the time to reassess how much faith in your cards you really have.

That's an example from the table - but let's take it outside. We've heard radio preachers say everyone has faith in something. The question is where you put it. If it's merely in your ability to play poker, that could be misguided. But if you put faith in something (or Someone) bigger, that's far better....

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. - Hebrews 4:14

Hold on to that faith until the end, and God promises a wonderful future - including a "crown of righteousness" with eternal life when Jesus returns (II Timothy 4:7-8). If you have questions about that kind of faith, please leave a comment; we'll be happy to help you.

The Real Story: 2015 in Review

Some people may be ready for 2015 to end.  But when it comes to poker, we're really not.

We entered the year having won money in live tournaments 25 times over eight years - with no cash for ten prior months.  But 2015 turned out to be our most successful year.... ever!

LIVE TOURNAMENTS: 18 final tables in 22 games (81.8%), 6 cashes.

That percentage is ridiculously high, because a lot of the tournaments we played only had enough people for one table. But our records show in multi-table tournaments, we still reached the final table seven out of 12 times (58.3%).

The cashes included two streaks.  One in late July and early August found us winning $1,000 in three consecutive events across Kansas. And we ended the year with back-to-back cash wins between Thanksgiving and "Christmas Eve."

LIVE CASH GAMES: One - loss of C$85.

We realize this is not our strong suit, so we don't do it much anymore - only during our Canadian "church convention" vacation.

OTHER CASINO GAMES: Ultimate Texas Hold 'em - Up $12.50.  Computer machine heads-up - Down $17.  Blackjack - Up $62.50.

Considering we lost $280 at Ultimate in 2014, this was a nice reversal. Blackjack had a small increase from the year before. The Texas Hold 'em "heads up" machine at Hollywood Casino may have been removed after we visited there in March; we couldn't find it in August.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER: Regular - none.  No-River Hold 'em - 1 final table in 4 games, one cash win.

That $10 win came in February. We had a tenth-place tournament at another tournament in mid-December, but that's not a final table because NLOP has gone to a "six-per-table" format there.

POKER STARS: Play money cash games - Up $20,183.

That huge boost came in only 24 sessions, primarily because of two huge hands. One in late July at a 50/100 table led to a $20,700 profit (our live table streak started the next day) - and another in late August at a 25/50 table earned up close to $7,000.

So to sum up, 2015 was the best poker-playing year we've had - and it happened even though we didn't play often, compared with recent years. Could there be a lesson in that for you? We'll leave that question open. In the meantime, we realize....

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth... - Deuteronomy 8:18

Some people "produce wealth" through hard labor, or smart investing. But we think God can help you make money in a variety of ways - as long as your focus and thanks is aimed toward Him.

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. - Proverbs 10:22

May God's blessing be upon you, as you play poker. But we think that blessing is much more likely to come to if God is in the center of your life.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. - Isaiah 26:3

Poker Day 460: Double Your Pleasure?

So if we could win money playing poker on "Christmas Eve," could we sweep the weekend and win on "Christmas Day"? We decided to find out by driving to Kansas Star Casino. It's had a "High Noon" Friday tournament all year. But in a potentially troubling sign, it's being phased out - and the poker room has moved to a place with only eight tables, instead of 13.

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-10 of diamonds

We won an early pot with pocket 6's, but haven't done much beyond that. Hopeful chances have turned into problematic folds. We've reached the first break, but with only 1,000 chips out of a starting 3,500.

A change of dealers during the break has done us a favor. We were supposed to be in the Big Blind for this hand. Instead, the button was accidentally moved twice so we're in the Small Blind. Either way, this is a pushing hand for us. When one man raises to 300, we go all in. He calls.... and shows A-Q. Uh-oh.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-3 (middle card may not be precise)

No help for anyone - and no diamonds to let us dream of a flush.

ON THE TURN: 3

The board pairs, and actually gives us some hope. If a second pair comes....

ON THE RIVER: K

It does come! Two pair + Ace kicker = split pot. Too bad the other players folded, because our gain is small - from 1,000 to 1,200. But at least we escaped to fight another hand.

And on that next hand, A-10 came again. Again we bet the bundle, and the Small Blind called.

"Second verse, same as the first?!" We borrowed from an old pop song as we showed.

Well, not quite. Our opponent turned over A-J. The board didn't pair for either of us, and he knocked us out. No sweep this weekend, as we finished 27th out of 42 players - but at least we won back $35 of our $50 buy-in playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'em.
 

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Sir, that's a very unusual card protector," a man to our right said as the first hand was dealt. We used a small salt packet.... for that very inquiry.

"I brought it to remind me," we said as we looked at cards and folded them, "that Jesus wants me to be the salt of the earth."

The man simply stared, perhaps chuckling a little. "What do you think of Jesus?" we asked him. "What does he mean to you?"

The man stared a few more seconds, said nothing, then turned back to the poker action. We can only guess what he thought of us. Perhaps he thought we'd pulled a Christianized version of "Punk'd" on him.

But the Bible really does say:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. - Matthew 5:13

We're simply trying to add some flavor to a poker table that might otherwise be drab and quiet - and we're ready to talk about the things of God at the table. On this day, that man said nothing. But the day is coming when that's going to have to change....

....That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:10-11

We get the feeling this means every tongue - without exception. And if they don't confess? Read Revelation 20 for an idea of the answer. So how do you plan to respond?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 173 final tables in 460 games (37.6%) - 31 cashes. Our next scheduled post will wrap up the final totals from our 2015 poker activity.

Poker Day 459: Nikki's at Night

Unless you're specifically looking for it, you might not find it after dark. Nikki's Poker Room has no lighting, save for a neon "Open" sign. Yet that's where we went tonight for the first time, thanks to an off night from work for.... well, we may bring up that "holiday" another time.

We walked into a room unlike any other in our city - in part because it has a full bar with drink specials. We settled for a $2 diet cola. Nikki's also has the least expensive tournaments in town. We only had a $12 buy-in tonight for 15,000 chips with slowly rising blinds. In other words, this place reminded us of our old Thursday night habit of playing poker in a Georgia bar - but could we play well?

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: 3-3

We took a disciplined approach to this tournament, and it worked to our advantage. We didn't win a pot for more than an hour, and that first one actually was a split. Yet we reached the first break after 90 minutes on the "plus side," at 17,000 chips. Now we're in the Small Blind, and no one's raising at a full table.  We call; about half the players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 9-3-8

A perfectly well-disguised three of a kind for us! So we lay low and check. Trouble is, everyone checks.

ON THE TURN: 10

Sitting first in line to act, part of us wants to bet now - but we decide to check again. Sure enough, someone jumps in - as a man across the table who's showing a bit of an attitude bets 2,000. He gets called.

"Raise - 5,000," we say quietly. That man calls; the other players step aside.

ON THE RIVER: 7

That card may smell like trouble (as in a straight), but we're not looking at it that way. We want to make a big move, so we bet 10,000 (about half our remaining stack). Our opponent calls.

"I've got two pair," he says - showing 10-8. (He also was on a flush draw, which he missed.)

"Abdul-Jabbars," we like to say of 3-3. Our opponent looks pained, as we claim a huge pot.

As we recall, that put our chip stack at 72,000 - enough to reach the final table on a night with two full ones. Weak cards hurt after that, until we went all in for 23,000 with A-10. The board displayed two pair, Q's and 7's - and our Ace kicker allowed us to jump to 101,000!

"Bet you didn't expect that to happen," a man across from us said. Indeed, he was right. And we had another low tide in chips later - but playing tightly and carefully allowed us to hang on and reach the money!

Three players were paid on this night - and as better cards came, our chip stack reached a match-high 291,000. At that point, a man across from us proposed splitting the prize money. We had the lead and could have claimed $82 for first place, but we agreed to a three-way split: $53 per player, with $1 extra for a dealer tip.

"You wore me out," one of the finalists said as the night ended. It turned out to be a four-hour contest, and we played with only about three hours of sleep. But caffeine and M&M's can work wonders - along with blessings from God, of course.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Since it was Christmas Eve night, the holiday came up in the discussion. "I can't wait for the 26th, for the carols to end," the dealer admitted.

"What gets me," we admitted to the table, "is how some people demand you say 'Merry Christmas.' I want to tell them: Show me in the Bible where someone says 'Merry Christmas'."

Uh-oh - did that comment surprise you?  Perhaps you expect a blog about a poker-playing Christian to wholeheartedly endorse Christmas.  But the fact that we went to a poker room instead of a "Midnight Mass" should have tipped you off right away that our view is different.

In fact, we'll throw our challenge out to you. Can you find a place in the Bible where someone says, "Merry Christmas" - or even "Happy Holidays"? If you can, please leave a comment and let us know. If you can't, consider these words....

Every word of God is flawless.... Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. - Proverbs 30:5-6

A lot of people have added to the words of God, probably without even realizing it. We think one example of that is the "War on Christmas" - going to great lengths to fight for a holiday which is never specifically mentioned in Scripture.

This admittedly puts us in a camp with atheists - but we'd rather be true to what God says, than add myths and fables which give people wrong ideas. Yes, we're thankful for Jesus Christ and all He does for us. But we try to do that in a way which upholds the Biblical example. After all, that's what Jesus left for us to follow.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 173 final tables in 459 games (37.7%) - 31 cashes. This makes a record six cash wins in live tournaments this year, plus one online at National League of Poker. Our total earnings for 2015 now are above $1,200!

The All-In Moment

In a perfect poker tournament, the winner might never have to go all-in. That player would slowly build a chip stack into a dominating position, then put others all-in victoriously.

But really now - can you think of any tournaments where that's happened? We'd guess it's a rare occurrence. Part of the drama in poker is that big stacks meet bigger stacks, and small stacks can take down big ones.

Away from the table, though, we'd like to ask: How many times have you gone all-in?  As in risking everything you have on something, with no guarantee of success?

You may have done it without realizing it - such as taking a spouse in marriage or buying a house. Those moments likely can be scary. Yet that's what God wants all of us to do, for Him.

God, whom I serve with my whole heart in Preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness.... Romans 1:9

The apostle Paul declared he was not half-hearted. No minimum bets here. His whole heart was all-in. He went on to write....

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - I Corinthians 15:58

Note how we're supposed to give ourselves - fully, not holding back anything. Some churches put it this way: Is your "all" on the altar?

To help you, well, more fully understand this, we offer a Bible study called "All-In." If you think the speaker is going to bring up poker right away.... well, listen to it. You might be surprised.

The Book on Daniel

How do you know when you've made the poker "big time?" These days, you might not have to win the WSOP Main Event. One modern sign of greatness is having your life story turned into a documentary.

Daniel Negreanu was the subject of a 90-minute film on Canada's TSN a couple of weeks ago, followed by his own Twitter chat. While we haven't seen the movie, KidPoker reportedly is about how Negreanu went from Las Vegas rookie to consistent winner and media star.

In one interview, Negreanu offered some of his advice for poker success:

“It’s trial and error to an extent -- not crying about what happens but getting on with it. So what if I got a pair of aces and lost? It happens. Keep going.”

When some poker players endure a big loss, they go "on tilt."  They bet wildly with an "I don't care" attitude (and sometimes they really don't) - which can be dangerous for everyone else, especially if that approach turns into a comeback.

Yet Negreanu's words speak of a more disciplined approach. We think it's also more Biblically-grounded.

Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house, do not raid his dwelling place; for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. - Proverbs 24:15-16

For years we've taken verse 16 as advice for someone who "falls" into sin - and we think the advice is valid. We need to climb out of our sinful hole and return to a righteous walk:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:8-9

Yet after looking at verses 15 and 16 together, we think there's a different point to that part of Proverbs: sinful people shouldn't spend their time trying to ruin the lives of righteous people. If they continue in a righteous walk, God can restore their losses and bless them even more. Consider Job, who was allowed by God to face extreme hardship from the devil:

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before... The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. - Job 42:10, 12

Compare verse 12 with Job 1:2, and you'll find his livestock "chip stack" doubled.

So the lesson of Daniel (as in Negreanu) as the same as that of Proverbs and Job. Don't get so down in the dumps from a big loss that you surrender everything that matters. "Keep going," Negreanu says - and we'd add: go in a right godly direction.

The One and Only

We don't play poker online very often these days. But on a chilly, rainy December Sunday with things to do, we did. And we did well - tenth places out of 145 players in National League of Poker No-River Hold 'em. (Only first place won money.)

As we played, this happened after we won a big pot....

MikeSiegrist: 　vnh
Me: 　Thanks
Me: 　Needed that - BBS
Dealer: 　DasLaz wins Main Pot ($975)
Me: 　PTL
MikeSiegrist: 　poker god likes you
Me: 　The One God does. Thankfu[l]ly.

"BBS" is short for Big Blind Special - as we hit a winning flush.  PTL, of course, stands for "Praise  the Lord." And we give Mike credit for referring to a singular poker "god."  Some players talk like there are many, but....

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. - Deuteronomy 6:4

Jesus Christ quoted this verse when He walked the earth (Mark 12:29). But here's the thing - some people took Jesus's words to mean He was proclaiming Himself to be God.

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" - John 8:58

That "I am" is a reference to the name God gave Himself in an encounter with Moses (Exodus 3:14). Is it possible Jesus really could have been calling Himself God?  The answer is....

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.... - John 1:1, 14

 The "One God" expresses Himself as both a Father and a Son who was named Jesus Christ. As the Son said elsewhere....

I and my Father are one. - John 10:30

Jesus dared to put Himself on the same level as God the Father. Are you ready to accept that - and live according to what Jesus said in the Bible?