Poker Night 476: Stand Your Ground

There are times in many lives when you have to take a stand. That's true in poker tournaments as well - but the key is knowing when to take it, and how. Here's a case from Monday night's tournament at Yvie's....

BLINDS: 400/800

IN THE POCKET: King-10 of diamonds

We won a small early pot, but folded most of what we've been dealt. We come to this hand with about 8,100 chips. While this hand is iffy for us, we decide to play it - and are thankful when no one raises. About half the table of seven is in.

ON THE FLOP: 10s-2c-4s (suits may not be exact)

Top pair with a higher kicker is good news for us. But a man across the table wearing a bowler hat hints at bad news: he raises ahead of us to 2,000. With that phrase "taking a stand" clearly in mind, we call - but we wonder if he's hiding something like pocket Jacks.

ON THE TURN: 9d

We're heads-up now - and as long as the cards are numbers and not letters, we're satisfied. Our opponent checks. So do we.

ON THE RIVER: 9s

The board pairs, so we have two pair. When Mr. Bowler Hat checks again, we sense a chance to gain the advantage. We bet 1,500, and our opponent ponders it for a moment.

"Probably hit a flush," he mumbles as he folds.

To be honest, we didn't notice three spades on the board until that moment. If he had hit a flush, we would have been embarrassed. Instead, he backed down and our chip count jumps above 13,000.

"Good bet," another player says. Thank you - risky as it was.

We played safely, and reached the first break at 9,600; coloring up chips brought us back to our starting 10,000. But then we missed a great opportunity right after the break, when Mr. Bowler raised to 10,500 pre-flop. We saw 5-5, decided against betting it all - and were amazed to see a third 5 arrive on the turn, while other players fought over things like A-10.

We finally pushed with Q-Q in the Small Blind, after a woman to our left pushed as well. The man in the Big Blind simply had to check. He did, showed 2-2 - and amazingly, he caught 2 on the river to go with 3-3 on the board for an absurd full house. He knocked out two, and we left tied for 16th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We don't recall the exact details, but a man at our table complemented a woman for being "blessed."

"I think we're all blessed in some ways," we commented.

No one challenged that at the table - but does that comment challenge you? Have you received any blessings lately? They can come in many ways, you know - and we believe this:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. - Ephesians 1:3

You might think of a "blessing" as a physical thing - anything from a new car to a spouse to rain for your garden. But the apostle Paul puts the emphasis here on spiritual blessings. For instance...

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. - Romans 2:7

God wants people who will seek His rewards. They might not include a big poker payday. But they'll last a whole lot longer. In fact, they can last forever. So please leave a comment and let us know -
how has God blessed you lately?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 177 final tables in 476 games (37.2%) - 33 cashes.