Yet Hellmuth made a gesture away from himself, after winning the tournament. He announced he would give his WSOP bracelet to the family of Dave Goldberg, an executive and poker buddy in California's Silicon Valley who died several weeks ago.
Let's face it -- poker is better known for taking than giving. The goal of the game is to take everyone else's chips. Yet in real life, moments of giving are more likely to be praised and remembered:
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - II Corinthians 9:7
The challenge with this comes when people expect you to give - and even put pressure on you to do it. It could be a telemarketer claiming to support a charity, or someone who walks up to you on the street seeking one dollar for "something to eat." (We had a case this week where we bought such a man something to eat, and then his request for money jumped to five dollars.)
We think a key phrase in our verse is to "decide in his heart" to give - to think it over first, not rush into a decision. Isn't that the best way for a gift to be cheerful?
...Freely you have received, freely give. - Matthew 10:8b
The poker community has helped its reputation in recent years by doing charitable events, such as tournaments to fight cancer.
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. - Proverbs 28:27
So deep-down, what sort of poker player are you? Are you the "brat" image of a Hellmuth - or the new, improved, perhaps even mellower one?
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