Poker Day 519: Chips and Ladders

The AK-47 assault rifle gets its name from "automat Kalashnikova" - an automatic weapon developed by Soviet General Mikhail Kalashnikov. In a poker room, 4-7 usually doesn't amount to much. And one hand from today's tournament at Kansas Star Casino shows an A-K is no sure thing, either.

BLINDS: 75/150

IN THE POCKET: Ace-King offsuit

The day has not gone well for us at all. Lead-outs with promising hands have turned to setbacks, as our table is a bit aggressive. We start this hand with 1,875 chips from a starting 3,500.

Seeing these big cards in the leadoff position, we realize this could be the moment. We limp in, hoping for raisers. A woman at the opposite end of the table obliges, with a raise to 250. A couple of players call. So do we. But then, the man to our immediate left creates confusion.

"Floor," calls the dealer. That man had put out a purple 500 chip to cover the original call of 150. Now he's put out two lime-green 25 chips, explaining his intent was to call the 250. The Tournament Director rules by adding those two chips, the man made his total bet 550 and thus has made a re-raise.

On with the bidding, then. The woman across the table calls 550. But a young man to her left decides enough is enough - and goes all-in! His total is 1,325. That's a steep price for us. But who folds A-K pre-flop?

"I might as well," we conclude. We call. The man to our left calls as well. The woman across the way goes all-in for less than 1,325. This hand suddenly is huge.

ON THE FLOP: Ks-10c-6c

"I have 550 left," we say after seeing a marvelous flop. "I'm all-in." We do this out of concern for two clubs showing, in case the man to our left is dreaming of a flush. Apparently not; he folds. That means we keep the 550. Now what about the others?

As best we remember, the young man has Q-Q and the woman has Q-10. The odds are in our favor.

ON THE TURN: 7

So far, so good....

ON THE RIVER: 8

No straight. No flush. No more poker for two players. We knock them out, and practically triple our stack to about 5,750.

That was the start of an amazing run, where we won four hands in a row and five out of six! We topped out in the first hour at 7,550, reaching the break at 5.575. Then in Hour 2, A-K came a couple more times - and we reached that break at 11,400.

Hour 3 brought another nice win with pocket Aces. But then we let ourselves get suckered into a "chasing" hand with A-6 where our opponent made small feeder bets until we missed the river and had to fold to a push.

That was crippling for our stack, and we finally went all-in with A-10 and 5,000 left. The board didn't pair for us, while an older woman paired her Jack to eliminate another woman along with us. But we finished close to the final table again, in a tie for 13rd place out of 58 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One poker room regular (not us) showed up for the first time in several weeks. He explained to a dealer who recognized him that he attends "about once a month."

"He's using moderation," we pointed out. "Moderation in all things."

At least one person seemed to recognize where we learned that concept. You probably can guess where....

Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. - Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

We've heard some ministers take this verse to mean you shouldn't go to extremes. But the original Greek word for "moderation" is "appropriate.... mild." That's why other Bible translations use words such as "gentleness" here.

Whichever way you look at the wording, the advice is good. If you play poker in moderation, it can be fun and potentially profitable. If you play for hours every day and you're not a poker pro, that's probably not moderation. Some might even call it an addiction.

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. - Ecclesiastes 7:18

Looking at it the other way: playing poker with a "gentle spirit" (NASB) is simply a courteous thing to do. We heard during the tournament about one man who was barred from the casino for calling a male dealer an expletive-filled "girl." In contrast, consider Jesus....

Take me yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29

Jesus talked tough when the moment required it - but never in an extremely blasphemous way. May people in all walks of life try to follow His perfect example.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 188 final tables in 519 games (36.2%) - 38 cashes. Experiment cost: Up $50.