BLINDS: 50/100
IN THE POCKET: A-K of hearts
The morning game costs $50, plus $10 "dealer appreciation" to double our chip stack from 4,000 to 8,000. That stack has eroded a little since the start, so it would be nice to win a hand. Holding the button with no one raising, we decide to go on the offensive. We raise to 350.
"I just won these chips," a man across the table who won the last hand says. "Be gentle with these."
"Get them nice and shiny," we answer - borrowing a line we've heard contending pro wrestlers say about title belts. As best we recall, three players out of ten are in.
ON THE FLOP: Q-7-8
No hearts come, but we remember two spades being here. The other players check, so we decide the heat must be turned up. Our continuation bet is 400. The man who joked about his chips calls, and we're now heads-up.
ON THE TURN: 3 (not a spade)
We wanted something higher than that, because any stray card could increase our opponent's chances of hitting a pair. He checks again, and we kick it up a notch to 500.
"That card didn't help me," he admits. "I'm one card away." (Hmmm - 6-9?! Something suited?!)
Then he folds. Exactly what we wanted. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Lord. We make a nice gain, without showing why we were being so aggressive.
A first hour of ups and downs left us 9,250 chips. We slowly gained in the second hour, reaching 10,100. Then a couple of all-in bets paid off in a big way, allowing us to reach the final table with 25,000. At one point, we knocked out an opponent with Q-10 after a Queen came on the flop.
We stood at 17,000 after three hours of play, with four players making money on a 39-player day. But weak cards and rising blinds did us in. We finally dared to roll the dice in the Small Blind with 4-3 of clubs for our last 4,000. But a Big Blind with higher cards won the race.
We played for a long time, but missed the money. Yet we finished sixth out of 39, for our second final table in three tournaments at River Spirit.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "If it wasn't for veterans, we probably wouldn't be here playing poker," a man at our table said. It was the Friday leading to Veterans Day - and you may have heard a form of that phrase over the weekend as well.
But after thinking about it a moment, we offered a response which might have surprised him. "I think a lot of those veterans had some help. They looked to God to guide them to success."
At least one person at the table seemed to agree with that statement. We hope you do as well - because while military veterans have fought a lot of battles over the years, the victory ultimately is not theirs.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with them. - II Chronicles 32:7
These are the words of King Hezekiah of Judah (29:1), when his territory was under siege (32:1). That "greater power" was not the United States or any allies....
"With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. - II Chronicles 32:8
But as they say at times in the poker room, talk is cheap. The king didn't stop simply with a motivational speech:
King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and the officers in the camp of the Assyrian king.... - II Chronicles 32:20-21
They humbly sought God's help - and God delivered. We can only guess how many U.S. and Allied veterans did the same thing during modern combat. But if God gave the victory, we think God should get at least some of the credit:
Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. - Psalm 24:8
It's noteworthy to us that Veterans Day in the U.S. falls within about two weeks of Thanksgiving Day. We recommend taking time to thank God for the battles he's helped you win, or at least endure - whether at a poker table or a real battlefield.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 186 final tables in 511 games (36.4%) - 36 cashes. Experiment cost: Down $110 (we failed to mention last time that Five Star Billiards is a freeroll).
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