Our Memorial Day poker tournament at The Red Barn included one of those memorable hands you might see only once in a lifetime. But we don't want to give away the plot:
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: Q of clubs - Q of spades
We're in the small blind with a potentially big hand. The play calls to us, and we raise 400. A couple of other players call.
ON THE FLOP: Kh-Qh-Qd
Potentially?!?! We have just hit quad Queens on the flop!!!! But we're first to act, and remember a Big Dog Poker rule: you can only claim a 5,000-chip bonus for quads or a straight flush if the hand lasts through the river card. So we play dumb and check.
The Tournament Director sits across from us, and bets 600. A woman to our right raises to 1,200. We call. So does the Director. Poker face is turned on.
ON THE TURN: 4d
We innocently check again. So does the Director. But the woman to our right bets 1,500.
"1,500?!" we ask, pretending to show stunned disbelief. With a sigh, we call. The Director does as well. Sweet.
ON THE RIVER: Ah
The appearance of this card assures us the quad bonus. But since our neighbors are in such a betting mood, we check once more to them. The Director checks. Now the woman bets 1,800.
"1,800 more?!?!" we say in the same tone of voice. But we notice at this point something unusual -- top three hearts are on the board. A royal flush is possible. But that's so unlikely, and we've quietly dominated this hand all along!
We pretend to bumble with the chips a bit as we call. The Director amazingly calls again. Now comes the big moment for us to announce our quads: "Q is...."
"This has never happened to me before," the woman interrupts, "but I have a straight flush!"
Shock of shocks -- she has J-10 of hearts! She was on an open-ended straight flush draw, and wound up with a ROYAL flush to top our quads!! The gold chip for a 5,000 bonus goes to her. We get nothing but words of consolation.
The Tournament Director had 3-4 of hearts, for a flush of his own. "If this was a casino, everybody would have won," he says. Some poker rooms have "bad beat jackpots" for the worst loss of a tournament. He called this the "worst of all bad beats." Oh yeah -- we agree.
(So put yourself in our chair -- how would you have reacted to this moment? We'll reveal what we did in our next post.)
That hand obviously cost us a lot of chips -- but minutes later, Q-Q came our way again. This time we simply called. But when the flop showed J-J-8, we pushed all-in with 1,425 left. Trouble was, the Tournament Director had a Jack. His three of a kind eliminated us in 17th place. But if you have to get bounced from a tournament early, it might as well be in a way that will have people talking.
MINISTRY MOMENT: That woman who hit the royal flush is one of the few poker players we've met who's able to talk somewhat about the Bible. We had a follow-up discussion with her tonight about last Monday night's chat concerning salt and light.
"I thought you said He was the salt of the earth," the woman said. She misheard us. Jesus actually said in Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth...." We promised to double-check for verses where God or Jesus is called salt -- and we found none.
But both Jesus and you qualify for the "light of the world" title. Jesus called Himself that in John 8:12, then added: "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Christians need to be mirrors, reflecting the light of their Lord.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 66 final tables in 163 nights (40.5%) - 11 cashes. A streak of six consecutive final tables ends. The hard way.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
NLOP Championship 4: Turned Away
A fourth-place finish in a Friday afternoon combined with a strong showing Saturday night qualified us for the weekly National League of Poker championship tonight, for the third time in four weeks. Things started well -- maybe too well....
:00 IN: We begin in the big blind with J-Q. The flop is Q-3-3, and a man goes all in We dare to call, and he has little. We eliminate him with two pair, and double our starting $1,000 stack to $2,080.
:01 IN: Next hand, small blind - A-K! We double the pre-flop bet. Then A-K arrive on the turn and river. We gain another 600.
:03 IN: Third hand, a lowly 4-3. But we limp in to A-9-3 on the flop. When a 7-J follow, we dare to bet 70 -- and chase the table away. Another small gain!
We lose a bit after that, but reach the first break (15 minutes in) at $1,875.
:21 IN: We have A-8. The flop is 9-3-3. No one bets. K-9 follow. We bet 100 with two pair and an Ace, and it's good enough. We gain $650.
:31 IN: We have 10-9 of hearts. The flop is 5-Q-9. No one bets. 7-J follow. Still no one bets -- but our pair of 9's prevails for $1,500. We reach the second break at $3,325, in the top 100 out of 556 still playing (1,301 started).
:38 IN: We have 7-5 of clubs in the big blind. The flop is 5-6-8, with the 8 a club. We call a bet of 640, with a straight draw. The turn is Kc. We call a player's all-in bet for hundreds more -- and 2c comes on the river! We gain 2,640.
At the third break, we're up to $3,677 -- in the top half of the table, with 322 players left.
1:03 IN: We have K-K in the big blind, and double the bet. The flop is 2-10-6. An opponent goes all-in for 756, and we call. A-3 follow -- but our Kings are good enough for a $3,422 gain.
1:10 IN: We have A-2. The flop is 10-9-10. No one bets. 3-9 follow, again giving us two pair with an Ace. Our minimum 400 bet makes the table fold. Our stack increases at the fourth break to $6,476 -- in 62nd place, with 198 players left.
1:18 IN: We have 6-5 of hearts, and call an opponent's all-in bet for an extra 177. The flop is 6s-7h-Jh. Then the turn is 3h -- and holding a flush, we call another player's all-in bet. But that player has K-9 of hearts, for a bigger flush. Ouch.
That was the turning point of the evening, due to rising blind and mid-range hands which didn't fare well. It came down to....
BLINDS: 600/1200/125 ante
IN THE POCKET: A-9 of clubs
With only 1,300 left, it's now or never. We go all-in, and a few players call.
ON THE FLOP: 10-9-A
Two pair. We have to like that.
ON THE TURN: 3
Inconsequential card.
ON THE RIVER: A
We're confident we've made a big comeback with a full house -- until another player turns over A-10! A bigger boat brings a bad beat, and sinks our ship. But we finished 109th out of 1,301 -- our best weekly finish yet. If this wasn't a weekly championship, we would have earned points for next week.
:00 IN: We begin in the big blind with J-Q. The flop is Q-3-3, and a man goes all in We dare to call, and he has little. We eliminate him with two pair, and double our starting $1,000 stack to $2,080.
:01 IN: Next hand, small blind - A-K! We double the pre-flop bet. Then A-K arrive on the turn and river. We gain another 600.
:03 IN: Third hand, a lowly 4-3. But we limp in to A-9-3 on the flop. When a 7-J follow, we dare to bet 70 -- and chase the table away. Another small gain!
We lose a bit after that, but reach the first break (15 minutes in) at $1,875.
:21 IN: We have A-8. The flop is 9-3-3. No one bets. K-9 follow. We bet 100 with two pair and an Ace, and it's good enough. We gain $650.
:31 IN: We have 10-9 of hearts. The flop is 5-Q-9. No one bets. 7-J follow. Still no one bets -- but our pair of 9's prevails for $1,500. We reach the second break at $3,325, in the top 100 out of 556 still playing (1,301 started).
:38 IN: We have 7-5 of clubs in the big blind. The flop is 5-6-8, with the 8 a club. We call a bet of 640, with a straight draw. The turn is Kc. We call a player's all-in bet for hundreds more -- and 2c comes on the river! We gain 2,640.
At the third break, we're up to $3,677 -- in the top half of the table, with 322 players left.
1:03 IN: We have K-K in the big blind, and double the bet. The flop is 2-10-6. An opponent goes all-in for 756, and we call. A-3 follow -- but our Kings are good enough for a $3,422 gain.
1:10 IN: We have A-2. The flop is 10-9-10. No one bets. 3-9 follow, again giving us two pair with an Ace. Our minimum 400 bet makes the table fold. Our stack increases at the fourth break to $6,476 -- in 62nd place, with 198 players left.
1:18 IN: We have 6-5 of hearts, and call an opponent's all-in bet for an extra 177. The flop is 6s-7h-Jh. Then the turn is 3h -- and holding a flush, we call another player's all-in bet. But that player has K-9 of hearts, for a bigger flush. Ouch.
That was the turning point of the evening, due to rising blind and mid-range hands which didn't fare well. It came down to....
BLINDS: 600/1200/125 ante
IN THE POCKET: A-9 of clubs
With only 1,300 left, it's now or never. We go all-in, and a few players call.
ON THE FLOP: 10-9-A
Two pair. We have to like that.
ON THE TURN: 3
Inconsequential card.
ON THE RIVER: A
We're confident we've made a big comeback with a full house -- until another player turns over A-10! A bigger boat brings a bad beat, and sinks our ship. But we finished 109th out of 1,301 -- our best weekly finish yet. If this wasn't a weekly championship, we would have earned points for next week.
When the Time is Right
Our Thursday night poker game included a discussion of Jesus's second coming -- and the big question: When will it happen?
Good poker players know how to wait for the right set of cards, before making a move. They could be Aces in the pocket, or they could be on the board in the formation of a flush (real or bluffed).
We'd like to think God is waiting for the right time, before sending Jesus back to Earth. It may not be the time that's most convenient for us, but it will be the right time.
Much of Matthew 24 contains a list given by Jesus of things which must occur before He comes back. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days.... then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.... and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (24:29-30).
When Jesus said these words, He didn't know the exact timing of that great event. He said in verse 36 "my Father only" knows. If Jesus knows the precise moment now, there's no Scripture to indicate it -- despite what some so-called Bible experts might tell you.
Whenever that precise moment happens, the Bible indicates it truly will be an "all-in moment" for God. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True.... his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses...." (Revelation 19:11-14) We assume those "armies" to mean angels.
God's final push for victory is coming. Are you rooting for it? And are you ready to welcome it?
Good poker players know how to wait for the right set of cards, before making a move. They could be Aces in the pocket, or they could be on the board in the formation of a flush (real or bluffed).
We'd like to think God is waiting for the right time, before sending Jesus back to Earth. It may not be the time that's most convenient for us, but it will be the right time.
Much of Matthew 24 contains a list given by Jesus of things which must occur before He comes back. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days.... then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.... and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (24:29-30).
When Jesus said these words, He didn't know the exact timing of that great event. He said in verse 36 "my Father only" knows. If Jesus knows the precise moment now, there's no Scripture to indicate it -- despite what some so-called Bible experts might tell you.
Whenever that precise moment happens, the Bible indicates it truly will be an "all-in moment" for God. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True.... his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses...." (Revelation 19:11-14) We assume those "armies" to mean angels.
God's final push for victory is coming. Are you rooting for it? And are you ready to welcome it?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Poker Night 162: The River Wild
When players sit down for a free poker tournament at a bar, anything can happen. Egos can come out, in the form of trash talk and "i dare you" bets. Should a serious player play along with that approach, or wait for things to calm down? At Lil Kim's Cove tonight, we decided to take a chance....
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
We're third in line to bet. The first man in order likes to bet big early in the game, so he tosses out 1,000. We won an early pot, stand at around 9,000 and decide it's worth a call. A man to our left then raises all-in, adding 2,500 more. The man to our right calls -- and our hand is simply too good to fold, so we call.
ON THE FLOP: J-8-5 (last two cards may not be precise, but they were small)
We're admittedly concerned the man to our right might bet again -- but he checks. So do we.
ON THE TURN: 4
The concern continues -- so we're thankful for another check. Ditto.
ON THE RIVER: A
"That killed me," the all-in man mutters. But despite gaining top pair, we're still wary -- so when the man to our right checks, we check once more.
"Queen high," the man to the right announces.
"I have an Ace," we say modestly.
"F**k!!!" curses Mr. All-In -- and throw-slams a pair of Kings onto the table. He'll be muttering for the next couple of hands about how we escaped on the river.
"Sorry," we say quietly to him a couple of times -- but we're thankful to jump to more than 17,000 chips.
That big gain helped us endure through a lengthy drought, as well as an open-ended straight draw we folded which came through on the river. On a pre-holiday weekend night with only three active tables, We survived to our sixth final table in a row. Then we finished in seventh place, when our K-10 all-in bet failed to bring a pair.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that your card protector tonight?" a man to our immediate left asked as we were dealing. Our protector was a small travel pack of tissues.
"I brought this to remind me," we explained after the hand, "when Jesus Christ comes back, there will be no more tears, no more crying. He'll wipe away every tear."
The man to our left seemed stupefied by our explanation. "Do you believe Jesus Christ is coming back?" we asked.
"When?" was all the man could quietly answer.
"That's the question," we responded. "No man knows the day or the hour."
We mentioned several Bible verses there. Do you know where to find them? We'll let you look, and have the answer in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 66 final tables in 162 nights (40.7%) - 11 cashes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 41 point wins in 250 games (16.4%), 19 final tables, 1 cash.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $11,363, down $465.
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
We're third in line to bet. The first man in order likes to bet big early in the game, so he tosses out 1,000. We won an early pot, stand at around 9,000 and decide it's worth a call. A man to our left then raises all-in, adding 2,500 more. The man to our right calls -- and our hand is simply too good to fold, so we call.
ON THE FLOP: J-8-5 (last two cards may not be precise, but they were small)
We're admittedly concerned the man to our right might bet again -- but he checks. So do we.
ON THE TURN: 4
The concern continues -- so we're thankful for another check. Ditto.
ON THE RIVER: A
"That killed me," the all-in man mutters. But despite gaining top pair, we're still wary -- so when the man to our right checks, we check once more.
"Queen high," the man to the right announces.
"I have an Ace," we say modestly.
"F**k!!!" curses Mr. All-In -- and throw-slams a pair of Kings onto the table. He'll be muttering for the next couple of hands about how we escaped on the river.
"Sorry," we say quietly to him a couple of times -- but we're thankful to jump to more than 17,000 chips.
That big gain helped us endure through a lengthy drought, as well as an open-ended straight draw we folded which came through on the river. On a pre-holiday weekend night with only three active tables, We survived to our sixth final table in a row. Then we finished in seventh place, when our K-10 all-in bet failed to bring a pair.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that your card protector tonight?" a man to our immediate left asked as we were dealing. Our protector was a small travel pack of tissues.
"I brought this to remind me," we explained after the hand, "when Jesus Christ comes back, there will be no more tears, no more crying. He'll wipe away every tear."
The man to our left seemed stupefied by our explanation. "Do you believe Jesus Christ is coming back?" we asked.
"When?" was all the man could quietly answer.
"That's the question," we responded. "No man knows the day or the hour."
We mentioned several Bible verses there. Do you know where to find them? We'll let you look, and have the answer in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 66 final tables in 162 nights (40.7%) - 11 cashes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 41 point wins in 250 games (16.4%), 19 final tables, 1 cash.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $11,363, down $465.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What Are the Odds?
"I don't know if God likes poker I know lady luck does...." So someone wrote during one of our recent online poker tournaments. Another National League of Poker game brought up the "L-word" as well....
dokerbohm: guess it time to go as usual at this site
dokerbohm: good luck all
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($2150)
dokerbohm: cause thatsll you need here luck
Me: What percentage of poker (in general) would you say is luck?
Gonad: skill wins here bwahaha
boondock618: Cant u hear the violin in the background
dokerbohm: use to think it was 70 precent luck 30 precent skill
dokerbohm: but here its 95 luck and 5 precent skill
boondock618: so it is skill to go all in with 1o jack
dokerbohm: constant river saves way beyond industry norms
We've also lost our share of big pots and all-in bets online, to opponents catching river cards. So does that mean poker is entirely a game of chance -- and condemned by the Bible as wrong?
We'd answer NO to both parts of that question. There's a measure of skill (how much is open to debate) in terms of knowing if your cards are good, and utilizing them properly. And believe it or not, we heard a legendary U.S. Southern Baptist Pastor on radio the other day saying risk can be biblically acceptable.
The late Adrian Rogers based that view on the book of Ecclesiastes. "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecc. 11:5-6)
A farmer has no guarantee his planted seed will yield a bumper crop. All sorts of things could happen, from pestilence to a killing frost. But a farmer plants in faith -- and a believing farmer trusts God with the outcome.
We do the same when we play poker. A bad beat could come early. A big pot could come our way, leading to a win. The outcome is in God's hands, and we trust that His outcome is best for us.
"Trust in him at all times, O people.... for God is our refuge," says Psalm 62:8. Is that where your trust is -- at all the tables of life?
dokerbohm: guess it time to go as usual at this site
dokerbohm: good luck all
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($2150)
dokerbohm: cause thatsll you need here luck
Me: What percentage of poker (in general) would you say is luck?
Gonad: skill wins here bwahaha
boondock618: Cant u hear the violin in the background
dokerbohm: use to think it was 70 precent luck 30 precent skill
dokerbohm: but here its 95 luck and 5 precent skill
boondock618: so it is skill to go all in with 1o jack
dokerbohm: constant river saves way beyond industry norms
We've also lost our share of big pots and all-in bets online, to opponents catching river cards. So does that mean poker is entirely a game of chance -- and condemned by the Bible as wrong?
We'd answer NO to both parts of that question. There's a measure of skill (how much is open to debate) in terms of knowing if your cards are good, and utilizing them properly. And believe it or not, we heard a legendary U.S. Southern Baptist Pastor on radio the other day saying risk can be biblically acceptable.
The late Adrian Rogers based that view on the book of Ecclesiastes. "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecc. 11:5-6)
A farmer has no guarantee his planted seed will yield a bumper crop. All sorts of things could happen, from pestilence to a killing frost. But a farmer plants in faith -- and a believing farmer trusts God with the outcome.
We do the same when we play poker. A bad beat could come early. A big pot could come our way, leading to a win. The outcome is in God's hands, and we trust that His outcome is best for us.
"Trust in him at all times, O people.... for God is our refuge," says Psalm 62:8. Is that where your trust is -- at all the tables of life?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
May Senior Championship: Small or Large?
Poker star Vanessa Rousso talks on TV about playing "small-ball" - winning several small pots to build a stack, as opposed to one big pot. That approach worked for us at the National League of Poker monthly Senior Championship tonight. For awhile, at least....
:00 IN: We begin with A-9 on the button. The 9 is a club, and a club flush develops. We take the lead, with a $480 pot. (We're at a very tight-playing table, so the hands move quickly and gains aren't that big.)
:04 IN: We have 3-3. A third 3 hits the river, and we win $290.
:08 IN: It's 3-3 again. The board shows 6-4-9-2-Q, but no one pairs! It's a $300 win.
:21 IN: We have 8-7 of hearts. A heart flush shows up for us by the turn, and we win a $550 pot.
:28 IN: We have A-7. The flop doesn't thrill at 9-2-Q, but a 7 on the turn allows us to bet the 200 minimum -- and everyone folds.
:31 IN: The big blind gives us 10-5. But a 10 comes on the flop, followed by a 5 on the turn! We bet. They fold. We gain $900.
:32 IN: Next hand, the small blind looks grim with 3-2 of clubs -- until the flop shows 7-A-Q, all clubs! We bet 500, hoping to scare chasers away from the flush we already have. It works; we gain $1,475.
:34 IN: We take a chance on 9-5 of diamonds. We're rewarded by a 9 on the flop, and another on the turn. Our big bet is declined, and we gain $1,300 more!
Those two big wins get us to the second break at 3,070 -- 53rd place. Another 1,300 pot came our way after the break, thanks to A-K of spades. But then came the turning point....
:46 IN: We have A-Q offsuit. The flop is hopeful at 7-K-J, and an opponent bets for us. But when J-Q follow, we lose to an opponent's K-9. Calling minimum 300 bets cost us a lot.
1:06 IN: We've dropped to 650 chips, and go all-in with 9-9. The board brings three Queens, giving us a full house! Trouble is, another player has the "case Queen" for quads! A classic bad beat eliminates us in 116th place, out of 774 players.
:00 IN: We begin with A-9 on the button. The 9 is a club, and a club flush develops. We take the lead, with a $480 pot. (We're at a very tight-playing table, so the hands move quickly and gains aren't that big.)
:04 IN: We have 3-3. A third 3 hits the river, and we win $290.
:08 IN: It's 3-3 again. The board shows 6-4-9-2-Q, but no one pairs! It's a $300 win.
:21 IN: We have 8-7 of hearts. A heart flush shows up for us by the turn, and we win a $550 pot.
:28 IN: We have A-7. The flop doesn't thrill at 9-2-Q, but a 7 on the turn allows us to bet the 200 minimum -- and everyone folds.
:31 IN: The big blind gives us 10-5. But a 10 comes on the flop, followed by a 5 on the turn! We bet. They fold. We gain $900.
:32 IN: Next hand, the small blind looks grim with 3-2 of clubs -- until the flop shows 7-A-Q, all clubs! We bet 500, hoping to scare chasers away from the flush we already have. It works; we gain $1,475.
:34 IN: We take a chance on 9-5 of diamonds. We're rewarded by a 9 on the flop, and another on the turn. Our big bet is declined, and we gain $1,300 more!
Those two big wins get us to the second break at 3,070 -- 53rd place. Another 1,300 pot came our way after the break, thanks to A-K of spades. But then came the turning point....
:46 IN: We have A-Q offsuit. The flop is hopeful at 7-K-J, and an opponent bets for us. But when J-Q follow, we lose to an opponent's K-9. Calling minimum 300 bets cost us a lot.
1:06 IN: We've dropped to 650 chips, and go all-in with 9-9. The board brings three Queens, giving us a full house! Trouble is, another player has the "case Queen" for quads! A classic bad beat eliminates us in 116th place, out of 774 players.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Poker Night 161: Knowing Me, Knowing You?
When a poker night only has enough players for two tables, getting to the final table should be easy. And if you're a regular player, you're likely to be around people you know. Know their tendencies, get a read on their actions -- easy, right? Let's see if it worked tonight at The Red Barn....
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 9-6 offsuit
It's early in the evening, and we're in the small blind. No one raises ahead of us, so a call is relatively harmless....
ON THE FLOP: 9-6-2 (6 is a spade)
....and potentially profitable. A dreamy top two pair land in our lap, so we bet 400. A man to our immediate left pauses for a moment at this.
"You ought to be thankful I'm just calling," the man then says. A couple of other people call as well.
ON THE TURN: 5 of spades
It's still top two pair, so we remain confident: "400 sounds good again." But now, the man to our left raises to 1,300. Other players fold, and now it's our turn to think. This man isn't afraid to bluff in a move to shove people off pots. That's what we think he's doing, so we call.
ON THE RIVER: 10 of spades
Three spades are now showing. But we still aren't persuaded our opponent has anything substantial, so we check. That's probably a bad tactical move, as we let him engage in some creative betting. He bets 1,050. We call, unconvinced.
"I had a straight, and it's now a flush," he says matter-of-factly. Ouch! Our opponent has 7-8 of spades, and truly has us overwhelmed. That hand cost us substantially.
We were down to about 1,800 chips near the one-hour mark. But then we gained a big double-up, and picked up a couple more big pots. Yes, we made it to the final table -- and we survived for quite awhile, reaching the two-hour break with 25,000 chips. But the man to our left did it to us again, persuading us to call his all-in bet. We had A-10, but his pocket Jacks brought a Jack on the flop and eliminated us in fifth place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Several players figured out our card protector of the night -- a small restaurant packet of salt. They knew if referred to being "the salt of the earth."
"I try to be a light of the world," one woman responded.
"I think you can be both," we answered. After all, Jesus mentioned both traits together in Matthew 5:13-14. What do you think?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 65 final tables in 161 nights (40.4%), 11 cashes.
BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: 9-6 offsuit
It's early in the evening, and we're in the small blind. No one raises ahead of us, so a call is relatively harmless....
ON THE FLOP: 9-6-2 (6 is a spade)
....and potentially profitable. A dreamy top two pair land in our lap, so we bet 400. A man to our immediate left pauses for a moment at this.
"You ought to be thankful I'm just calling," the man then says. A couple of other people call as well.
ON THE TURN: 5 of spades
It's still top two pair, so we remain confident: "400 sounds good again." But now, the man to our left raises to 1,300. Other players fold, and now it's our turn to think. This man isn't afraid to bluff in a move to shove people off pots. That's what we think he's doing, so we call.
ON THE RIVER: 10 of spades
Three spades are now showing. But we still aren't persuaded our opponent has anything substantial, so we check. That's probably a bad tactical move, as we let him engage in some creative betting. He bets 1,050. We call, unconvinced.
"I had a straight, and it's now a flush," he says matter-of-factly. Ouch! Our opponent has 7-8 of spades, and truly has us overwhelmed. That hand cost us substantially.
We were down to about 1,800 chips near the one-hour mark. But then we gained a big double-up, and picked up a couple more big pots. Yes, we made it to the final table -- and we survived for quite awhile, reaching the two-hour break with 25,000 chips. But the man to our left did it to us again, persuading us to call his all-in bet. We had A-10, but his pocket Jacks brought a Jack on the flop and eliminated us in fifth place.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Several players figured out our card protector of the night -- a small restaurant packet of salt. They knew if referred to being "the salt of the earth."
"I try to be a light of the world," one woman responded.
"I think you can be both," we answered. After all, Jesus mentioned both traits together in Matthew 5:13-14. What do you think?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 65 final tables in 161 nights (40.4%), 11 cashes.
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