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.