The Worst of Times

"I had trip Kings," the man told us about a recent poker night. "He made an inside straight on the flop." And thus the man lost a hand he thought sure he'd win.

If you've played poker for any length of time, you probably have a story like that. Bad beats happen. And when they happen to us, they sting - perhaps for a long time. They might even be enough to drive you away from ever playing poker again.

Yet we heard a minister say on radio the other night that if you fail once, that does not mean you're an absolute failure. A lot depends on how you respond to that failed moment - and that moment of setback could be a springboard to future success. Take this historic moment....

So about three thousand men went up, but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about 36 of them.... At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. - Joshua 7:4-5

This defeat in battle brought the leader of Israel to his knees (verse 6). Then God bluntly told him what was the problem:

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. - Joshua 7:11

God refused to support Israel anymore until the sin and sinner were removed (verses 12-13). Once that happened, God was back on Israel's side:

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land." - Joshua 8:1

The rest of the chapter shows Israel gaining victory there. But can it really be that easy for us? Well, at least it's a good place to start....

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24

As much as we don't want to admit it, sometimes we're the problem - in the poker room and in life. It takes some courage to ask God to show you where you're wrong. But if you ask Him to do so in a loving way, He can do that - and He can put you back on the road to success, if you'll do what He says.

Solving the Puzzle

If you're a newcomer to poker, the rules can seem puzzling. No, you don't have to bet every time a card comes out. Yes, ugly cards can win pots in "Omaha Hi-Lo."

Even if you're a poker pro, certain hands can be puzzling. Why would your opponent raise pre-flop, then check the flop and turn?

We sometimes wonder if this blog is also puzzling to people who discover it. In fact, as we mentioned in a recent post, you may be confused by some things we write. We start with poker, then turn to a book which many consider diametrically opposite to it?!?

To be honest, the Bible baffles a lot of readers. It has so many books and chapters about seemingly long-lost people and people groups. One promotion has declared it "the world's best-selling mystery book." And believe it or not, that was the original intent:

He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn - and I would heal them. - John 12:40

Jesus came to fulfill these words of the Old Testament Isaiah - and some of those who heard Him "could not believe" (verses 38-39). They were under the biggest of "big blinds," as they've been blinded from grasping the Word of God. Why?

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved....  - Romans 11:25-26

God hardened the heart of an Egyptian Pharaoh long ago, to do miracles leading to the removal of Israel (Exodus 4:21). He still can do that now. To borrow from a speaker we heard recently, God does this to produce the maximum possible yield - in terms of people ultimately being saved.

So if our posts don't make sense to some of you - that's OK. Really. We understand, and we leave that in God's hands. But if some of this seems to make sense, that's even better. We encourage you to act on the parts that do.

He [Jesus] replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." - Luke 11:28

Obey what you know to do, and you'll grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). You may find the puzzles of life make sense more than you ever realized.

The Right Direction

"Are you doing good?" the young man behind the casino cashier's window asked.

We have a stock answer for that, when we're playing poker. "I'm trying to do good." After all, isn't that what a poker ministry should be about? As Jesus put it....

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.... - Luke 6:27

Then we did something we don't recall ever doing before. We pulled out our card protector of the day and showed it to a cashier. In this case, it was "Lord's Supper" protector from our recent church convention. But his response to that was an amazing surprise:

G>^V

That's the best way we can recreate with a keyboard what the young man had on one of his wrists - symbols that looked like a tattoo.

"God is greater than my ups and downs," he explained.

Aha! Such clever symbolism - since math buffs know ">" is the "greater than" symbol.

Does that short formula sum up your view of God? Anyone who plays poker regularly will learn there are times of success and times of setbacks. But a Biblical apostle realized something....

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.... - Philippians 3:8

Knowing Jesus is greater than any poker win, since we'll all eventually have to make a final trip to the "cashier's window" of life. We can't take our chip stacks beyond the grave. But a relationship with Jesus can last for eternity, since God can resurrect you to eternal life.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. - I John 4:4

That one "in you" can be Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

If your life seems to lack purpose beyond regular routine trips to poker rooms, maybe it's time to borrow from modern politics. It's time to "Alt-Right" - alter your course, and get right with God. The winning formula of that cashier can work for you.

From Bad to Worse

The game is called "Texas Hold 'em". But you may be surprised to learn there are few places in Texas where you can play that kind of poker legally for money.

That's why we drove from a church convention in north Texas to a casino in southeast Oklahoma for our most recent tournaments. And at one of them, we heard about a recent poker game in north Texas where robbers broke in and stole money from players.

"Was this a casino?" we asked.

"An underground game," the man to our right said.

That man went on to say while the room had security cameras set up, police had not been called about the robbery. The reason seemed obvious enough - because that poker room is illegal, and the players would have been locked up along with the thieves.

The Bible is clear about cases like this. We'll consider both parts of it....

You shall not steal. - Deuteronomy 5:19

Simple enough. It's one of the most basic and easily-remembered of the Ten Commandments. Jesus indicated His coming did not do away with it:

"...If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.... Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal...." - Matthew 19:17-18

So the robbers are wrong. But the underground gamblers also are wrong, if their games are not sanctioned....

Remind the people to be subject to rules and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good.... - Titus 3:1

In 2017, there are plenty of ways to play poker legally - from bar circuits to websites to apps. You might not make a living doing it. But look at it this way: you won't risk losing your shirt or spending time in jail, either.

Poker Night 508: The Old Man and the Shove

On our last night before leaving a church convention, we decided there was time to try one more tournament at Casino Choctaw-Durant. The finish was better - and also more memorable:

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We won the first three hands of the tournament, then claimed several more after that. That's led us to the final table, after more than three hours of play. But with seven players remaining, we're now desperate. With only 2,000 chips left, good cards may have come for us in the nick of time.

"I'm all-in, and I call," we tell the table. But an older man across from us (we'd guess at least 75) is distracted by what happened a few hands ago. A woman won a big pot from him, by staying in a hand he thought she should have avoided. After accusing her of "not knowing how to play," he seems to be on tilt. Yet he doesn't raise, and five players get in for the minimum.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-4 (third card may not be precise)

This doesn't look promising for us - and even less so when players start betting. The woman to our left offers (as best we recall) 3,000. The older man responds by going all-in.

"What are you going to do?" he asks us. Answer: sit and watch.

"I'm all-in," we remind Mr. Accuser. Other players have folded, except for the woman who has him bothered. She takes a moment to think about this.

"Hurry up. I've got to go home and feed the dog," the older man says. We can't resist laughing out loud at that line. The woman finally calls, and it's time to show our cards.

The woman at our left has J-9. The older man shoved with 9-2. She's in the lead thanks to her kicker, but we have two very live cards.

ON THE TURN: 8

This card helps no one - and leaves us at the brink.

ON THE RIVER: 2

Aw, c'mon! We get knocked out, but the older man gets an amazing escape by hitting a second pair. So he starts singing the chorus of "Old Man River" - and we almost join him on the final notes, as we shake his hand!

We leave in seventh place, on a night with only 16 players. But at least we can say we made a final table at a casino where big tournaments happen - and we leave with the funniest poker story we've had in a long time.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We carried our "Lord's Supper" card protector again, and showed it to a woman sitting next to us. "What do you think of Jesus?" we asked her. She seemed surprised by the question.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "He did everything He came to do.... He came to save the world."

It turned out that woman and two others at our table admitted to having Jesus as their Savior. That's good. But is that saving work finished yet?

...God our Savior.... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. - I Timothy 2:3-4

That's what God wants. But we fear that's one place where skeptics point fingers of doubt. If God is all-powerful, can't He achieve what He wants? Why have some notorious people died, seemingly without coming close to being saved?

The answer may sound strange, but it's this: God is not trying to save everyone now. It would be great if that happened, but it's not the plan....

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.... - Romans 11:25-26

By "Israel," we think the apostle Paul refers to members of the "12 tribes" descended from Old Testament Israel (Romans 9:4/11:1). God has opened a way at this time for people outside those tribes to enter His family, while....

...The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." - Romans 11:7-8

If some of our posts about the Bible leave you puzzled or confused.... well, believe it or not, we understand your confusion. In fact, it may be part of God's grand plan. We'll explain more about that in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 185 final tables in 508 nights (36.4%) - 37 cashes. This was our first final table since June; we'd missed five in a row.

Poker Night 507: The Price of Courage

At the church convention we're attending, the most personal impact has come from men's morning meetings. One of the topics Monday was "courageous leadership." We reviewed the story of David slaying Goliath (I Samuel 17) - then went to a casino Monday night and tried to apply the lesson.

Choctaw Casino-Durant in southeast Oklahoma has become a place with an international poker reputation. Its nice enclosed upstairs room has been used for WPT events, and the WSOP circuit arrives there in late October. But on a federal holiday, our $70 total buy-in gave us only about 16 opponents plus a couple who did a re-buy. Would we have enough courage (and wisdom) to get a big finish?

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-A

Small early efforts have missed flops. An aggressive player at the opposite end of the table has chased us off a couple of pots. But now we've hit a big moment: the best possible pre-flop hand and lead position at a table of seven. With about 5,600 chips, we limp in and hope for raisers - but there are none. About five players are in.

ON THE FLOP: Jc-9h-7c (second suit may not be precise)

So far, so good - except two of these cards are clubs. We want to stop potential flush-chasing. So when the blinds check, we try to show we mean business by betting 250. Two men call; the two blinds fold.

ON THE TURN: J

Uh-oh.... potential trouble. The board pairs. Is someone sitting on a Jack, for three of a kind? Since we're back in the leadoff seat, this is a perplexing moment.

To look courageous and test the mettle of the opponents, we raise the bet to 500. A man to our left calls. But the other man raises to 1,200. Deep inside, we sense big trouble - but there's been a little bluffing at the table, so we dare to call. But now, the man to our left re-raises to 2,500! And he gets called!

We conclude both men are serious. "I don't think so," we say as we fold. Are we right?

ON THE RIVER: 4

This card doesn't seem to matter. The man to our left goes all-in - and gets called again!

So what do they have? The man to our left shows J-9! The man to our right has J-7! It's "boat over boat," and the J-9 wins a huge pot.

"I'm glad I got out of that," we say.

"What did you have?" a man to our right asks.

"I had them topped before the flop," is all we reveal. We'll save the deeper lesson in courage for another day - but we fell behind on the flop, and an attempt at an even larger "go-away" bet would have only hurt our cause.

That was the sort of night we had. We split one pot with K-10, then won an all-in Big Blind bet right before the one-hour break. But we only had 2,325 chips from a starting 7,000 at that break. And when we pushed with A-Q early in Hour 2 and were called by A-J, an Ace on the flop was followed by a Jack on the river. We missed the final table by finishing in 13th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Lord's Supper" card protector to an older man seated to our right. He recognized the image on it, then asked, "Is that a precious metal?"

We tried to steer things in a more godly direction. "Jesus's blood was precious, wasn't it?"

At that point, a new hand started. We're not sure if he grasped what we said. But perhaps you've wondered about that. Why do people consider the blood of Jesus "precious"? It comes from this verse:

It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless lamb of God. - I Peter 1:19 (NLT)

An online dictionary defines "precious" as "of high price or great value.... highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial or moral quality...." Here's why the blood of Jesus fits that description....

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.... - I Peter 1:18  (NLT)

No, the ransom paid to save us was Christ's blood. While we are all sinners, Jesus was not (I John 3:5). He was a perfect sacrificial lamb (John 1:29), whose blood can remove your sins in God's eyes (I John 1:7). Have you turned your sins to God, to have Jesus remove them from your record?.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 507 games (36.3%) - 37 cashes. We're now two-for-three in making final tables and the money, in games during church conventions.

Home and Away

Playing at home with friends and neighbors can be comfortable and enjoyable. But we've found some of our most satisfying poker results have occurred during road trips.

We think of this because we're about to start another trip, and hope to play in at least one tournament at our destination. We're not saying where we're going yet - but we'll have one overriding goal in mind:

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation".... Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanies it. - Mark 16:15, 20

These words of Jesus and other verses have inspired what's known as the Christian "missionary" movement. It could be a school in Haiti or a hospital in west Africa. Sometimes it has been the result of difficult trials....

...On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. - Acts 8:1

But we don't think you have to travel that far to fulfill Jesus's command. "Going" can be as simple as heading to the poker room in your neighborhood. We suspect people there need some "good news", too.

Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! - I Corinthians 9:16b

And so we hope to do that, in big and small ways. You're reading part of that right now. But we also try to do it when we enter poker tournaments.

We'll post the results of our road trip efforts as they happen. But in the meantime, as we mark our tenth anniversary of live poker, we plan to repost some memorable blog items from past years. If you've seen them before, please be patient - or invite someone new to see them for the first time.

The Game of Love

We've said it before in various ways: humans cannot live on poker alone. You know a poker channel has learned that lesson when it presents.... a dating show.

Chasing Hearts premieres online this week on PokerGO - six weeks of couples on blind dates, with a poker coach analyzing their "action" for possible "tells." We invite you to watch, then tell us how much of a stretch this is.

We're actually going to try to tie this in with poker, by saying we've seen couples play poker together. It's their idea of a "fun evening out", much like others go bowling or visit museums. We've even seen hints of romance develop at poker nights - but those moments happened in bars, so alcohol might have been a factor.

But is this any way to find real love? We can't speak fully from experience here, as we've never been married. But there's a great guidebook on love that many people tend to overlook....

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:1-2

Love should be more than a romantic mood. It should be a life - or perhaps better put, a way of life. It's a way shown by Jesus Christ when He walked on Earth. And believe it or not, Jesus never said the words, "I love you," to anyone.

...Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. - John 13:1b

Jesus showed His love in many ways. In this chapter, He washed the feet of His disciples - apparently including the one who was about to betray Him (verses 26-27). Then Jesus said this:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. - John 13:34-35

These words were spoken primarily to men - but there's no evidence Jesus meant this in a homosexual way. His point was to show compassion toward other people in general. And in addition...

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. - John 15:10

The entire chapter says much more about what Jesus considered real love. We'll leave that for you not only to read, but apply to your own life.

If your idea of "love" is built upon game-playing, we think that's rather shallow. A deep love comes from compassion toward others and obedience toward God - and to borrow from an old song, is there really a greater love than that?