"Oh yes, there is," we answered. Poker, no. Blackjack, yes.
We drew a table in the middle of three semifinal sessions. After finding a great website for practicing casino "skills" for free, we'd developed a strategy for betting our 500 starting chips over 18 hands. We'd bet small at first, and increase the bets as our stack increased and the number of remaining hands dwindled.
The semifinal sessions started well, as we gained 60 on the first hand with a double-down bet. But then came a string of losses which made us concerned. At the mandatory chip-count after 12 hands, we were down to 375 - yet were surprised to find that was second at the table.
Only the table winner would advance to the finals. So some of the five players around us went for broke, and lost. But we gained a big double-down win of 250 on #16 (might we be allowed to make it sound like golf?), putting us at 635.
We failed in the last two hands, betting 200 each time. Yet amazingly, we wound up "heads up" at the table - and the only other man in the running had only 150 chips! Our 235 (a 53-percent loss) won the table, and put us in the finals!
"You have a one-in-three chance of winning money," a bystander told us as we shared what happened. We knew that - 18 reaching the finals; six getting paid. And we knew we had been blessed, because one semifinal table had two players finish above 5,000.
Our final table included a few early triumphs. We advanced near the 700 mark early, then had small setbacks. At the 12-hand count, we stood at 580; players on either side of us were above 1,000.
We were still at 580 when we doubled-down 125 at #15. Our 20 lost to the dealer's 21, and that hurt. A loss of 110 at #16 left only 220 chips and two hands to play. But we won back 110 at #17 - then went for it all on the last hand, and watched the dealer bust!
Final score: 660 chips. We would not win the $10,000 top prize; the two players around us finished above 1,000. But could we make the money?
At a casino poker tournament, tenth out of 108 would have made some money. Thinking back over three weeks of qualifying, there was a maximum of 972 entries - and the top 98 in poker or golf surely would have made us some money. But in this format.... no.
That's OK, though. We drove home thankful to God for the excitement of competing - and for the ability to say we finished in the top ten of a blackjack competition, out of nearly 1,000!
MINISTRY MOMENT: While we watched the first semifinal session to get a feel for the action, we talked to a man about what we and some former co-workers had faced in recent months.
"It's an unfriendly world," he said.
"That's why I'm thankful that Jesus is my best friend," we told him. Then we asked the "Jesus question." That man considers Jesus his friend as well.
"He's kept me vertical," he explained. "My health is fair." Then came a surprising addition. "Jesus.... redeemed me."
We praised the Lord for that short testimony. But do you understand what he means by Jesus redeeming someone?
The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. - Psalm 34:22
The concept of redemption goes back to long before Jesus Christ appeared on Earth. David wrote these words during a time of persecution, appealing to God to protect righteous people like himself from evildoers (verse 21). Later on....
...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. - Romans 3:23-24
Earlier in the day, we heard a pastor on radio talk about old-time S&H green stamp "redemption centers." People used to collect stamps while shopping, then turn them in at the centers for gifts and prizes. You may have a credit card that offers "rewards points" in a similar way.
Jesus redeemed us from our sins, by giving up His sinless life on our behalf:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. - Colossians 1:13-14
Jesus never sinned. We have. We do. More often that we'd like to admit. But Jesus redeemed us through His blood, shed for us. If we ask God to apply Jesus's blood to our sins, we can be part of God's glorious coming kingdom. That can be more exciting than any night of blackjack.
Will you take advantage of God's amazing offer? Leave a comment if you'd like to know more about how it works.
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