The Best Read of All

A player named Watership was eliminated from an online poker tournament early Sunday.  That led to this chat, which has been edited a bit:


Me:  Watership down
ronrhoades55:  55 left
kman:  lol
ronrhoades55:  watershop down 
kman:  down know until two left
ronrhoades55:  hmmmm aint that about rabbits or some s****
Me:  Never read it
ronrhoades55:  I did
Dealer:  Vangor wins Main Pot ($1,300)
ronrhoades55:  its about rabbits
Dealer:  Mendocinobud wins Main Pot ($2,800)
ronrhoades55:  if you actually know how to read flop you should read it***....its quite good
ronrhoades55:  like a peter rabbit animal farm kinda thing

Yes, we know how to read books.  And attitudes -- especially when a player such as Ron tries to be an "insult comic."  But we know how to respond to such slaps....

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. - Luke 6:29

So instead of writing a verbal slap in response, we stuck to the facts:

Me:  Oh OK.

ronrhoades55:  no sex but still intriguing

Me:  Too busy to read such things.

Dealer:  MoNeYmAkEr77 wins Side Pot 1 ($540) with Two pair, jacks and eights

Dealer:  Pinebro52 wins Main Pot ($11,405) with Three of a kind, eights

ronrhoades55:  well just stick to your porn then

Me:  I don't do that.

Me:  I read the Bible.

If you want to improve your skill at playing poker, you might buy and read a book by a pro.  (We have a couple.)  If you want to improve the life you live, there's one book that's better than any other -- the one God wrote.

All Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - II Timothy 3:16-17

There's no better time than now (even before 2013 begins) to start reading God's Bible.  Read it with an open mind -- and as much as you're able, without the "spin" church groups and preachers try to put on certain verses.  You may be surprised by what you read.  You may be convicted, and see a need to repent to God.  But the training will do you good -- and hopefully will benefit  many people around you.

Poker Night 375: Present Perfect Tens

When poker night comes around at a bar, the machismo in some players comes out.  They want to talk big and play bigger.  But sometimes you can make a lot of noise simply by being present.  That worked for us tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 10-10

Our seven-player table has several "type-A" personalities, fond of one-upping each other and talking in tones barely this side of a bar fight.  So we've been waiting for the right moment to get serious with a hand.  Holding about 10,775 chips, this nice pocket pair looks like the right time.  We call; no one raises pre-flop.

ON THE FLOP: K-K-Q

Would all those letters scare you away?  It might as well be a caution light for the table.  Everyone checks; we do it because other players are behind us and we want to see if anyone gives a hint at making a big hand.

ON THE TURN: 5

Feeling better now?  A man across from us hopes we don't; he opens the bidding for 800.  The Tournament Director sits to our right, and raises to 2,000.  Yet something tells us these guys are simply being as blustery as the winter weather.  Since we have two pair, we call.  No one else does, as even the original bettor gets out of the way.

"Now I'm concerned; you called," says our only opponent.

ON THE RIVER: 3

Now our reputation at local tournaments comes into play.  The Tournament Director checks.  We're admittedly wary that he might have a face card, so we check as well.

"He's got a King, man," the original bettor predicts about our cards.

"Nope - a pair of 10's," we say as we show.

"That beat me," the Tournament Director admits.  He shows 6-6.  A little toughness and a good read pays off, as we gain several thousand chips.

We won a couple more nice-sized pots in the first hour, taking advantage of opponents making speculative chases -- including one win with J-A, when a Jack came on the flop.  We reached the one-hour break with 28,775 chips.  Then when we were moved to another table in Hour 2, K-J resulted in a straight on the flop.  A check-push move on our part brought a gain of about 20,000 more.

We stood at 45,000 chips after two hours, and endured with 30,000 to reach the final table.  Winning the draw for dealer allowed us to hang around even longer.  But with the blinds approaching, we tried going all-in with K-3 of spades in response to another player's push.  It failed to bring even a pair, and a young man eliminated us in seventh place.  At least it wasn't tenth again!

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that some Chap-Stick?" a man across from us asked about our card protector.  Nope.  Instead, we brought a little travel-sized bottle of shampoo from a hotel similar to our photo.

"I brought that to remind me," we explained, "that Jesus can cleanse me of all my sins."

We asked a man at another table if he believed Jesus can do that.  "I sure need it," he answered.

"So do it," we admitted.  "We all need it."  The early apostles would agree with that....

But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin.... - Galatians 3:22a

But you'll notice the man's "answer" to our question wasn't really an answer.  We come back to that word "belief," which we mentioned in our last post -- and which the apostle Paul goes on to mention:

....so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. - Galatians 3:22b

Put simply: God's promises are for God's believers.  And that belief is shown through godly action.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. - I John 1:7

Are you walking in a way which shows Jesus has purified you -- cleansed better than any shampoo can do?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 130 final tables in 375 nights (34.7%) - 20 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 275 point wins in 1,293 games (21.3%), 86 final tables, 10 wins, 11 cashes.  No-River Hold 'em - 21 point wins in 81 games (25.9%), 16 final tables, 1 cash win.

Our two strong finishes in NLOP championship tournaments this week again brought no points.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $89,523, down $2,855.

Believe? You? Me?

We mentioned "believing" in a post earlier this week.  It's a word which can come up in poker, every bit as much as it does at church.

Let's say you have pocket Kings, and are looking at a flop of 5-6-7.  You might be in the lead  - or your opponent in the Big Blind might have been dealt 4-8, and is sitting on a well-hidden straight.

If you believe your Kings are best, what should you do?  Do you merely say, "I've got you beat" - then throw in your cards?  Of course not.  You stay in the hand, and perhaps bet for the pot.  By doing that, your belief is backed by action.  The Bible puts it this way:

But someone will say: "You have faith; I have deeds."  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. - James 2:18

Bragging about your poker skills might scare a table for a hand or two -- but sooner or later, someone with strong cards will rise up and challenge you.  Your faith in your skills will have to be put into action.  And in life as well as poker, our actions should speak louder than our words.

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. - Romans 2:13

God wants not only action - but obedient action.  And every little act helps:

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  He replied: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." - Luke 17:5-6

You say you don't know much about the Bible and walking with Jesus?  That's OK.  Act on what you know.  Then study the Bible daily and learn more.  Then apply what you learn.  And keep repeating the process.  That's how faith in God can build - not by merely saying you're a Christian, but by putting belief into action.

December Senior Championship: Need a Lift

Poker playing seems to take no holidays.  Ask anyone who's ever watched a WSOP marathon on ESPN on December 24.  Or us -- as "Christmas 2012" found us playing in the National League of Poker monthly Senior Championship.  One month ago we finished 35th.  We'd need to make the Top 10 tonight to win money....

:00 IN: The second hand of the night brings us 3-A under the gun.  The flop is 3-A-A.  We offer a wimpy bet of 30 with a full house, a man across from us raises to 60, we re-raise to 360 and get called.  The turn is 5.  We bet 300 and get called.  The river is 5.  Now we bet 1,000 (everyone starts with 2,500 chips).  Another call comes.  Our opponent has A-8!  The running 5's save him, as we split the pot with matching full houses.  Net gain: $30.

:02 IN: We have 10-K in the Small Blind.  The flop is K-3-10.  We bet 70 with two pair, and get callers.  The turn is 2.  We bet 150 and get called.  The river is 5.  We bet 200 and the table surrenders.  We win $730.

We wind up winning nine more pots in the first half-hour, helped by the fact that only four of the ten players at our table showed up to play.  But we had a couple of setbacks, so we reach the break at $3,960 (our high was around $4,500) - 113th place out of 740 still playing.

:38 IN: We have 6-A of diamonds.  The flop is 8x-8x-3d.  The table checks.  The turn is J.  The table checks.  The river is a third 8.  We dare to call a bet of 180 -- and apparently it was a bluff, because our Ace is high enough to win the $1,090 pot.

:56 IN: We have J-2 of spades in the Big Blind.  The flop is As-Ax-Jx.  We bet 200 with two pair, and get called.  The turn is 6 (not a spade).  Everyone checks.  The river is 5.  We bet 200, get called -- but our opponent has 10-Q.  We win $1,400.

:58 IN: We have J-A of diamonds, and face a player going all-in for 1,025.  We call, and face A-6!  The board brings Q-8-K-9-Q, so we win $2,350.

The second break finds us up to $5,055 - 134th place, with 585 players left.

1:12 IN: We have A-9 in the Small Blind.  The flop is 5-6-9.  We bet the minimum 300, and get called.  The turn is Q.  An opponent bets 300, and we call.  The river is J.  The table checks - and we're relieved to see our opponent has A-K.  A pair of 9's wins us $3,300.

1:34 IN: After a four-way split of a pot and a nut flush chase which falls short, we have 4-A in the Big Blind.  The flop is K-9-A.  We bet the minimum 400, saying to ourselves, "We need this."  We get called.  The turn is 5.  We call a bet of 400.  The river is K.  When a bet of 400 comes, we feel compelled to stop a possible bluff and call -- but the opponent has 6-K.

A disastrous third term drops us to $1,855.  We're down to 193rd place, with 341 remaining - but the blinds are getting steep.

1:47 IN: We have K-A.  The flop is 3-6-2, and an opponent puts us all-in for our last 1,065.  The turn is 5.  The river is 9.  But our opponent only has 7-A!  It's a $4,960 comeback blessing.

1:52 IN: We have Q-A on the button.  The flop is 10-6-A.  We bet 1,000.  Other players with bigger stacks take the hint.  They fold; we win $4,150.

1:57 IN: We have pocket Aces!  Another player doubles the blind, and we tag along by calling.  The flop is 2-3-9.  We go all-in for 3,735, get a caller -- but the caller has only 4-4!  The turn is 8.  The river is 10.  We knock an opponent out, and jump to a nightly high of $15,670.

2:02 IN: We have A-6 in the Big Blind.  The flop is 2-5-J.  The table checks.  The turn is K.  More checking occurs.  The river is 3.  An opponent bets the minimum 800.  We dare to call -- and he has 8-Q!  Ace high survives, and we win $4,000.

A walk in the Big Blind wraps up a huge half-hour - as we end at $15,470, or a gain of 834 percent!  With 110 players still in the running, we're now "mid-list" at 55th.

2:22 IN: We have pocket Jacks.  The flop is 8-K-A.  An opponent bets the minimum 1,600, and we dare to call.  The turn is 2, and we stubbornly call another bet of 1,600.  The river is Q.  The same bet comes.  We think it's a bluff, so we call -- and we were partially right.  He has no big cards.  But he has pocket 2's.  A sneakily-played three of a kind costs us a lot.

2:28 IN: We have Q-J of hearts in the Big Blind.  The flop is 6-4-J, all spades.  An opponent bets 1,600, and we call.  The turn is 4.  We dare to go all-in for 4,695 with our two pair -- but give the appearance we could have much more.  The opponent ponders, then folds.  Good timing wins us $14,045!

2:47 IN: After missing with 6-A and 4-A, we're blessed with pocket Aces again!  Our notes don't show it, but we believe we went all-in again.  A player called - with K-K!  The board brings J-Q-6-10-7.  It's another escape, winning $7,785.

A lost $600 ante in the next hand ends the fifth period, leaving us with $7,185.  That's not worth much now, as we're in 46th place with only 50 players left.

2:59 IN: We have 9-2 in the Big Blind.  The flop is 3-7-4, and we're forced to fold to a minimum bet of $4,000.

3:00 IN: Now we're in the Small Blind, and can't afford to post it.  After the ante, we're all in for our last $1,285.  We're dealt a piddling 5-3.  The flop is 9-J-6.  The turn is A.  The river is 9 - and we know we're sunk. a player with Q-J wins the pot, and ends our night.

We actually dropped a few spots from the November Senior Championship, finishing 46th out of 867 players.  That still would have won us money in a live tournament - and done so for the second time this week.  In the Sunday night weekly championship, we finished 68th out of 1,024 players.  Only 52 players are paid there, and we were eliminated with A-K when a pesky player who pushed with Q-8 and a bigger stack caught a Queen on the turn.

MINISTRY MOMENT: An online tournament earlier in the day brought this exchange....


DonkeyEater:  Happy birthday JESUS
Me:  Was He born on Dec 25?
DonkeyEater:  no
Dealer:  DonkeyEater wins Main Pot ($270) with Two pair, queens and fours

Me:  I agree with you.

Why do we say that?  In part because the Bible nowhere says Jesus was "born on Christmas Day" (to borrow from a Caribbean spiritual song you might hear on radio).  And also because of some Biblical clues....

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. - Luke 2:8

Would shepherds be outside late at night in late December in the Middle East?  We actually checked a forecast for Jerusalem (located not far from Bethlehem), and found overnight lows in the 40's F.  That's about average -- and at almost the lowest point of the year.  We think that would be a bit chilly for shepherds, so....

Me:  I think it was closer to Sep-Oct.

DonkeyEater:  It is as good of a day as any other to honor our king

Me:  But if it's not the right day....?

DonkeyEater:  Doesn't matter

DonkeyEater:  he loves us anyway

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:12-13

Jesus displayed His love for us by giving His perfect, sin-free life to be the ransom payment for our sins -- to cover our death penalty (Romans 6:23).  But the Lord went on to say:

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

Search the Bible from beginning to end, and you'll find no verse where Christians are commanded to keep Christmas - or even say "Merry Christmas" (contrary to what some defenders might pressure you to believe).  Instead, Jesus warns:

...."These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught my men."  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." - Mark 7:6-8

Do your practices of worship come for the Bible?  Have you checked to make sure?  If you want to consider the issue of Christmas in detail, we're prepared a Bible study on it (actually a response to a defender of the holiday).

Poker Night 374: Two Wild and Crazy Guys

Twas the night before.... oh wait.  We don't celebrate Christmas, and trying to make rhymes about poker hands probably would be too difficult.  But you might be surprised how many poker players in our area consider December 24 a day when the words "deck" and "cards" refer to 52 in a box.

"This is my third Christmas here," one man said during tonight's tournament at The Red Barn.  Enough players gathered to fill three tables.  And we happened to sit between two men who acted like they had "holiday cheer" from a beer bottle before the game began.  If the right cards came, a big payday could come....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: K-Q

After an early miss, we start this hand with 6,550 chips.  The man around us have been in an "I dare you" raising mode before the flop all evening.  But on this hand, they back off.  We call, no one raises, and about five players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 9-K-K

It never crosses our mind to sing that "We Three Kings" song.  We're focused on maximizing this golden opportunity.  A man across the table from us offers 200.  The man to our immediate right raises 200 more.  Thank you.  We call in the hope of more raising -- but the table stops there.  Four players are still in.

ON THE TURN: 9

This secures us a full house -- but we might have to share it.

"I'm all-in," a man across from us declares first.  He has 6,150 chips -- and we suspect he has the missing King.  The man who raised before has a large stack of chips, and calls.

"I'm 100 short of that," we say after a count.  There's no choice but to call, for our last 6,050.  No one else calls.

ON THE RIVER: J

Seemingly inconsequential.

"I've got a 9," shows the man who pushed first.

"I have a King," we say.  Our full house tops his.  The man at our right shows Q-10.  He made a straight on the river, but that's not enough.  We hit the jackpot, and jump to more than 20,000 chips.

The man around us returned to their big betting ways after that, and tempted us in with promising hands.  But we fell short a couple of times, and had to whisper under our breath, "Discipline!" to calm things down.  We still reached the one-hour break with 15,500 chips.

But we went incredibly "card dead" after that, with very few quality hands to play.  Hopes went up with Q-6 when a Queen came on the flop, but we lost to a man with Q-9.  We finally were forced to push in the Small Blind, but were dealt a lowly 3-6 which missed everything.  Amazingly, two players were eliminated at another table as we went out -- and we wound up tenth.  Again!  For the third live night in a row.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "You brought a rusty nail," a man across the table noticed tonight.  But he kept talking about things in general, so we couldn't really explain the reason why to him.  That came near the end of the evening, to a man sitting at our right.

"This is why He came," we said - referring to the focus on this night about the birth of Jesus.

That man understood, and went us one better.  "You should have four of them."

The Bible doesn't specifically say how many nails were used to crucify Jesus.  But we read....

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"  But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." - John 20:25

These are the words of "doubting Thomas," who had not seen what the other disciples saw earlier in the week (verse 20).  Jesus appeared before him at another "group meeting" days later.

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"  Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - John 20:28-29

The man who mentioned four nails told us he believes Jesus came.  If you take Jesus at His word, you can have the blessing He mentioned as well.

Hey -- that reminds us of a question we posed from a poker night a couple of weeks ago.  We think it's more important to believe the blood of Jesus can wash away your sins.  It goes beyond simply knowing He can do it.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in hall he does. - James 1:6-8

Asking for things from God in prayer (James's example involves wisdom) is good.  Believing He'll answer your prayer requires faith.  Sometimes that can be challenging.... but that's a topic for another post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 129 final tables in 374 nights (34.5%) - 20 cashes.

Taking His Time

When we tried Yahoo poker several years ago to get our feet wet in the game, there was a player with the notorious name "IPlayRealSlow."  He lived up to that name -- as he was somehow able to frustrate other players and shut down tables by taking extra time to make decisions.

In real poker tournaments, "slow play" can be an effective strategy.  For example, if you're dealt pocket Aces, you might limp along and let other people become overconfident by betting against you.

Along the same lines, sometimes God's ways can seem terribly slow to us.  We noted in our last post the mocking of scoffers waiting for Jesus to come again.  The apostle Peter responded to such talk:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. - II Peter 3:8

Some scientists have estimated the universe may be 13 billion years old.  Some "creation science" supporters contend life on Earth is no more than 6,000 years old.  Whichever view you believe, the planet has been around far longer than we have.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some men understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - II Peter 3:9

God may seem slow.  But then again, maybe our lives simply are going by so fast.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?   You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. - James 4:14

Since our physical time on Earth is short, we should take advantage of God's amazing offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Accept His offer, and then....

....You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.... So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. - II Peter 3:11-12, 15

Many have guessed at the time of "the end of the world," and been wrong.  But we need to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ, whenever it happens.  And since most of us don't know when we'll cross "the river" of life, it's best to turn to Him as soon as possible.

In Case Nothing Happens....

"Is everyone ready for tomorrow?" we asked the poker table as we dealt Thursday night.

A couple of people seemed unsure about what we meant.  A couple of others knew -- the alleged end of the  Mayan calendar.  (We say "alleged" because some Mayan experts have been saying in news interviews the entire concept is false.)

It's also been a topic at times in online poker rooms.  Here's a recent National League of Poker chat:


724pokerking:  happy december21st doomsday!
Me:  Well, that's next week.
724pokerking:  yes prepare

And indeed, people prepared -- in a variety of ways.  Some "New Age" fanciers have treated this day as if the "age of Aquarius" is dawning all over again.  Others bought guns -- as if they'll be able to shoot down strange invaders from outer space.

We came up with a response to this "12/21" craze more than a year ago.  We used it in person at a Thursday night tournament, as well as online:

Me:  How could the Mayans figure
Me:  it out if Harold Camping couldn't?

You'll recall Harold Camping warned of "Judgment Day" in May 2011, with the world being destroyed five months later.  You'll also notice we're still here.  Camping hasn't even been on the air in recent days, as his Family Radio network has played almost non-stop Christmas music.

We know people who are treating the Mayan "deadline" with far more sarcasm and skepticism than they did Harold Camping.  Perhaps it's because there aren't any Mayans alive to take offense.  Without realizing it, those skeptics actually are verifying a prediction - not of an ancient people, but the Bible:

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. - II Peter 3:3

It's one thing to scoff at people who seek refuge from "doomsday" in the French Alps.  But Peter goes on....

They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." - II Peter 3:4

He's actually talking about people who scoff at the notion of Jesus coming back to Earth.  If you're one of those people, we have an assignment for you.  Find a Bible, and read all of II Peter 3.  Read his answer to the scoffers with an open mind.  Will it persuade you to rethink things?  Our next post will have more on that.

P.S.  Before our chatting partner online could answer our question about the Mayans, he was eliminated from the tournament....

Dealer:  shazamboly wins Main Pot ($2,270) with Full house, kings full of tens
Me:  Back to work on that for you
Me:  :-/
724pokerking:  i wonder how they are at poker