The Nose Knows

Plenty of poker players wear sunglasses to disguise their eyes at the table.  "They make me invisible," one man declared the other night.

But maybe he's hiding the wrong thing.  New research indicates if you're lying, your nose is most likely to give you away.  It doesn't grow longer as in the story of Pinocchio, but it turns red when you stretch the truth.

Imagine the impact of this news on poker.  Will top players in Las Vegas intentionally develop sunburned noses, to avoid a tell?  Will fake "Rudolph" or clown noses start appearing on ESPN?

It doesn't have to be that way.  Offering a bluff to "stab" at a pot is one thing.  Saying you have a hand you really DON'T have is something else - something God opposes:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue.... a false witness who pours out lies.... - Proverbs 6:16-19

God detests lying so much that it makes his "hate list" not once, but twice!  The first time seems to have the implication of careless speech, while the "false witness" phrase refers to seeing one thing and saying another.

Why does God hate lying?  Because it reflects the exact opposite of His Son, our Savior....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

In contrast, Jesus said lying reflects a differing being:

You belong to your father, the devil.... He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44

Which one would YOU rather emulate?  Jesus will judge us all someday - and he won't need a "nose check" to do it.

P.S.  How can you tell a "tell" at the poker table?  Care to share any tips - even anonymously?