The Surprise Raise

We check the poker room websites before we go to tournaments, because the schedule can change practically by the week.  Arrowhead Poker showed nothing unusual today, so we grabbed $20 and made the drive.

"That'll be $70," the manager told us.  "Or 50 without the buy-in."

We should've known.  The first Sunday of every month traditionally is the big tournament at Arrowhead - with a bigger buy-in and prize pool.  But the "freeroll fad" of earlier this year came and went at local poker rooms, so we went on the theory the monthly event had disappeared as well.

"I checked the website before I came," we admitted before we left.  (We didn't carry an ATM card which would have let us obtain the difference on the spot.)

But perhaps we didn't check online hard enough.  While the main website didn't mention the monthly big tournament, Arrowhead's Facebook page did - a couple of times.  It was a page we don't think we've ever checked before.

Moral of the story for us: it pays to "dig deeper" and investigate, even if one source indicates things will happen a certain way.  That's true in poker games as well as poker websites; sometimes a leading question or two will draw out opponents, so you can read them better.

And guess what -- that approach is also a good idea when it comes to the things of God.  We were reminded of this by a couple of Christian speakers this weekend:

Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - II Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Studying the Bible can help you see if you're really living the way God wants you to live, or doing what He wants you to do.  One way to do this is by reading through the Bible - perhaps in a year, or faster.

But we recommend doing more than skimming through it.  Take notes on noteworthy verses you find - and take time to compare your approach to life with the Bible's instruction.  "Rightly dividing" it means sorting out Scriptural fact from the fiction some speakers (or even ministers) might tell you.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. - II Peter 3:18  (KJV)

The better you know Jesus, the more you'll understand how He lived -- and the better you'll be able to copy that example, at the poker table and other locations.  That example might actually surprise other people, and get them into digging deeper.