Poker Night 331: Tilt Talk or Trash Talk?

That's funny -- the calendar doesn't show it's Thanksgiving week.  But for some reason, Lil Kim's Cove moved its weekly poker night to Tuesday this week.  With no game on Thursday, we drove to Soho Bar and Grill for Wednesday night action.  Well, such as it was....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: J-4

The good cards have been few and far between for us.  Pocket 8's on the opening hand cost us 1,500 chips, when four cards for a straight appeared and a man to our right bet 2,000.  (We were wise to fold, as he later admitted having a winning two pair.)  Now we're in the Big Blind, starting this hand with 4,200 chips.  We're prepared to fold this to a raise, but no one raises.  "I'm very happy to check," we tell the dealer.

ON THE FLOP: 2-5-2

Three cards which don't seem able to help anybody.  We check.  The entire table checks.

ON THE TURN: J

This card, however, is another matter.  We now have two pair.  The play checks to us, and we offer 500.  One player calls, others fold -- and then the man behind the dealer throws out three gold chips.  It's a raise to 15,000.

"He only did 500," a man to our left objects.

"I don't care," says the raiser.  "I'm on tilt.  He bet 5,000 pre-flop...." referring to another man at the table who won the previous hand.

Hmmmm -- if he's really on tilt, this could be nothing more than a "go-away" bet.  We decide he does not have three of a kind; he would have thrown in chips at that right away.  We conclude he has nothing, and is playing scare tactics.

"All I have is 3,300," we say after a quick count.  "I'm all-in."  Other players in the hand fold.

ON THE RIVER: 3

It doesn't help us, and we really doubt it helped him.

"You got a Jack?" our opponent asks.  Yes, we do.

"With an Ace?"  Well, no -- and that's the problem.  Our kicker card is the 5 on the board.  He shows J-8 -- good enough to win the pot and send us packing.  We're seventh at a table of eight, which is our worst finish in a live tournament since late April.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Earlier in the game, that same man made a big bet on the flop with a King on the board.

"I've gotta do it," he explained.  "I've got a King."

Our cards were something on the order of Q-8.  "Well, I have a king," we said when our turn came.  "But His name is Jesus.  He's not here (pointing to our cards), so I'll fold."

Is Jesus your King -- even if you live in a country with no royal family, like the U.S.?  There's a song about that title in an unlikely part of the Bible:

"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.  Just and true are your ways, King of the ages." - Revelation 15:3b

Some translations have the word "nations" instead of "ages."  But in any case, the Bible indicates God sits on a throne in heaven -- but a King appointed by God soon will descend from there to Earth.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.... On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. - Revelation 19:11, 16

Verse 15 of this chapter warns Jesus will "strike down the nations" when He comes back to Earth.  We think it's far better to make the Lord your King now, than to face that strike later.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 117 final tables in 331 nights (35.3%) - 19 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 248 point wins in 1,040 games (23.8%), 78 final tables, 7 cashes plus 3 other wins.  No-River Hold 'em - 7 point wins in 37 games (18.9%), 6 final tables, 1 win.

The No-River version has been kinder to us lately; we finished eighth out of 94 players in a tournament last Friday.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $82,987, up $2,265.