Poker Day 451: Hooray for Hollywood

The second day of our BPPT (see below) took us to a familiar place where we've had some problems.

Hollywood Casino in Kansas City has moved its Monday midday poker tournament time up 45 minutes, to 11:15 a.m. This time we made sure we arrived plenty early, to register without dealing with a waiting list. We watched every move carefully, to avoid "one-lap penalties" next door to a NASCAR track.  And with some very helpful cards, we started well....

BLINDS: 150/300 (as best we recall)

IN THE POCKET: 5-7 offsuit

We've won a couple of early pots at a full table, including a diamond flush where we had Ad-Kd.  Our stack is a good bit above the starting 10,000.  But let's face it: these cards only look attractive to drivers of classic Chevrolets.  Yet we're in the Big Blind, and practically the entire table has folded. Only the Small Blind called, so we get a free check.

ON THE FLOP: 4-6-8

Aw, c'mon!! This should have been a sign to us of how good our day would be.  And if that's not enough, the Small Blind playing first goes all in!  Of course we call, and the Small Blind turns over what he considers a comfortable 6-8 for two pair.  Now comes the big announcement.

"And our Big Blind Special today is the Steak Sauce Straight."

Our opponent understandably is stunned to see this, as are a few others at the table. (Others aren't really paying attention.)  Who could have possibly expected us to hit that jackpot?

ON THE TURN: 7

Now our opponent has better hopes of surviving with a full house - if a 6, 7 or 8 come.

ON THE RIVER: 9

Not quite.  He's out; we gain several hundred more chips.

We were above 33,000 chips at the first break - but this tournament had a record 121 entries, so there was a long way to go.  Good cards dried up in the second term, and we took a big loss when pocket Queens lost to an all-in opponent with a King who matched that card on the flop.  By the second break, we were in a danger zone -- about 13,000 chips with rising blinds and antes.

We said to ourselves during the break God would have to provide a third-hour comeback.  But we've seen it happen before -- and it did again!  Timely A-A gave us a big gain. Then A-10 beat A-8.  And A-K beat A-J. Our stack went back above 40,000 as the field whittled down.

Then came another slump -- but A-K brought us another big win as the field dropped to 12 players. That put us in the money, and minutes later we were at the final table with more than 100,000 chips!

We won another couple of pots at the final table, thinking about the first-place prize of nearly $1,900. But the casino's poker scoreboard also showed a "Chop Value" -- and with seven players left after more than five hours of play, there was talk of taking the chop. All the players voted for it, and we wound up with a record payday of $749!  (Seventh place would have paid $208.)

Considering several players in the tournament talked openly about entering a Heartland Poker Tour stop in the Kansas City area a few days later (which our work schedule did not allow), our finish felt especially gratifying. We were paid in casino chips -- and as we stacked them at the cashier's window, we said: "I've had a very, very, very good day!" Thanks to God for that!

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Lord's Supper" card protector to a man next to us during a break.  He told us he considered Jesus "a great man, a great teacher.... He certainly changed the world."

If that's your answer when it comes to Jesus, it sounds like a safe answer....

You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and rightly so, for that is what I am. - John 13:13

But Jesus went on to show that's also a very incomplete answer. This section of the book of John is a "communion night" conversation between the Lord and his disciples -- and the Lord revealed much more about Himself.

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

It might sound intolerant in 2015, but Jesus declared you cannot come to God the Father except through Him, the "Son of Man" (John 13:31).

Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. - John 14:10

God was in Jesus as Jesus walked the earth - and somehow, Jesus was "in the Father." We think that means they were both God.

There's much more we could quote here. But we challenge you to read it for yourself. Go through John 13-17 and note carefully what Jesus says about Himself, and His relationship with God the Father. Your simple view of the Lord may become a lot deeper.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 166 final tables in 451 games (36.8%) - 29 cashes.  That's three cashes in a row at poker tournaments, with total winnings a bit above $1,000!