Three's Good Company?

Unless you're a newcomer, you probably know there are many ways to play poker. There's traditional Texas Hold 'em. There's Pot-Limit Omaha. But have you tried the version where you don't even need five cards to take a pot?

We've been trying Three-Card Poker online lately for free. It's a downright simple game. You're dealt three cards, then decide whether to bet or fold them. The dealer turns over his/her three cards - and the high hand wins.

We increased our bankroll pretty well online, so we went to a casino to see what would happen.... and of course, we lost money. Thankfully, we only bet $5 at a time compared with $25 on the web.

It hurt us that one aspect of the online game was missing at the casino - the "6-card bonus" bet. If your hand and the dealer's combine to form a big five-card hand like a full house, you can win big pretend dollars.

But some people might argue the three-card approach is more, well, Biblical. Here's why....

Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. - Genesis 6:10

Those original "My Three Sons" (you're showing your age if you remember that TV reference) repopulated the world after the flood. And while it's controversial, some say those three original the main races of humankind.

Three times a year you are to offer a festival to me. - Exodus 23:14

No, not Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. God went on in that chapter to explain these "times" are festival seasons, while many Jews and some Christians still keep today.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - I Corinthians 13:13

New Testament writers practiced what some have come to call the "rule of threes." It's evident in founding documents of the U.S., such as the phrase, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - II Corinthians 13:14

Some believers use this verse and others to promote a "trinity" view of God, as three-in-one.

You can debate the validity of some of those beliefs if you wish - but here's our main point: God seems to enjoy doing things in groups of three. They're scattered all over the Bible. Can you find some we haven't mentioned? And is there a "three" that ranks #1 on your favorite list?