The Patience Is In

Poker references can come up when you least expect them. We caught one last week, while watching the Emmy Awards.

"If you wait long enough, the chips come to you," a winner said during his acceptance speech.

Regular poker players might take issue with that. Hours of grinding at a cash game still can end with losses. Tournaments filled with weak cards and rising blinds can lead to early exits.

But we think the point of that quote is being patient. We've found patient play has helped us reach many final tables. And it's a good Biblical concept....

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. - Psalm 40:1 (NLT)

If patience is a problem for you at the table, here are some ideas that could help. First, resist the urge to go "on tilt" - playing any two cards you see, because you felt wronged or robbed moments before.

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. - Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)

There could be more time to make a comeback than you first think.


Our second idea relates to that. Tell yourself quietly (or in your brain) to "wait for the moment." The late rock singer Tom Petty declared, "The waiting is the hardest part." But it's good to wait with anticipation....

As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. - Micah 7:7 (NLT)

We sometimes say this more bluntly: "Don't do anything stupid."


Which leads to a third idea: determine in advance when "the moment" will occur. If football and basketball teams can devise a strategy before the game, so can you. Which cards are "must play" for you? Which are “must avoid”, depending on the situation?

Believe it or not, God is a planner. And He’s patiently working out a massive one right now on Earth - one which affects you:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Give your plans to God. Plans for the day, the poker tournament.... everything. If they don’t match His plans, trust God that His plan is better. It may not seem like in the heat of a poker moment, but they really are.

Remember As You Play....

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. - Proverbs 16:33

We've read a lot lately about lots. Not the property where you live or some chain of discount stores - but "lots" used in the Bible.

That's because Wednesday was "Yom Kippur" or the Day of Atonement for many Jews and some Christians. In ancient times, lots were used on that day to make a choice between animals....

He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.... the goat chosen by lot for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. - Leviticus 16:8, 10

The NIV Study Bible says in commenting on Proverbs that ancient lots may have been pebbles "drawn out or shaken to the ground." It sounds a bit like throwing dice. But can you see how it could relate to poker - with cards shuffled and dealt blindly by a dealer?

When it comes to people choosing a goat for a sacrifice, a lot is no big deal. (Well, except maybe to the goats.) But when it comes to other things, lots can be big. Some poker cards are potentially good ones, while others are worth only a quick fold.

Yet don't overlook the last part of that verse in Proverbs: "Every decision is from the Lord." As our study Bible puts it, "God, not chance, is in control."

This admittedly is a very hard thing for many people to believe, especially in the heat of a hand. We figure the odds of making a straight or flush, and those odds are mathematically accurate. But can we believe God controls how things work out?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Believe it or not, the sooner we believe that, the more comforting our poker games might become. You do all that you can to succeed. But trust God with the outcome - and accept it, even if it hurts.

This is not a case of appealing to "the poker gods." There's only one true God:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Go all-in to love the real God - and He might take control of some poker hands. But more importantly, He'll take control of big events in your life....

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

Poker Night 553: Service Error

"Sunday night is folding night," we said several times tonight at Jack Casino. No, not football night. We entered the Sunday evening tournament, partly because of a busy schedule this week - but also partly in hopes that other players would be distracted by pro football games on the TV screens. But when is a fold right, and when is it wrong?

BLINDS: 800/1,600

IN THE POCKET: 10-10

We've won a few pots and slipped a few times. But we start this hand with around 17,000 chips from a starting 15,000. And because very few people have entered the night tournament (as opposed to 96 in the pricey Sunday midday event), we're already at the equivalent of the final table.

It appears seven players are left - but a troublesome man who was knocked out has returned, thanks to a re-buy. So there are eight of us, and no one has raised. It's tempting to raise with this pocket pair in the Dealer's spot, but we decide to cautiously call. About four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 5-6-7

Straight potential is in plain sight. But no one bets ahead of us. So in last position with an overpair, we bet 2,500. The returnee calls; everyone else folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

Now we have two pair, and the returnee checks to us. His actions during the evening have left some players puzzled, and we wonder if he returned on tilt. So we bet 2,500 again - and he raises to 5,000. Now we're more sure he's on tilt. We quickly call.

ON THE RIVER: 2

If he's on a straight draw, he missed it. But this time, our opponent bets first - putting out 5,000 of his own. This gives us pause.

"This is a big moment," we say as we stare at our cards. "I know your works, to borrow from a book I've read."

"There's a tell," the man sitting to our left says.

Huh?!? We look across the table and see nothing unusual. Our opponent is getting a drink from a server. But we have the sense that our pocket pair isn't good enough - like he has pocket Jacks or something.

"I'm going to let it go," we say.

Our opponent then turns over - 6-6! He had a full house on the turn! Our hunch was right, but a little late. So what about that tell?

"He's paying for a drink when he has 800 chips [really thousands] on the table," the man to our left explains. "He knows he's winning."

What do you think? Is that a real tell? Or could it be a sign that a player is confident, and potentially could be too confident?

We thankfully received a bail-out moments later, when we received pocket Aces. A double-up put us at 19,500 at the two-hour break. Another big hand after the break put us at a high of 30,000.

But much like our last trip to Jack Casino, then came a couple of fatal slips - this time from erring on the side of caution. We folded pocket Queens when a man pushed after a flop with J-10. We feared he'd hit two pair; he only had one, as did a man who took him on.

Then we entered with 6,000 and A-8, saw an Ace on the flop, called an all-in bet - only to see an opponent with A-Q! The board didn't save us, and lousy timing took us out. We finished fifth out of 15 entries - but only the top three earned money, and we left frustrated about another potential cash that got away.

MINISTRY MOMENT: That man to our left hit a big jackpot, when he dared to play 3-6 and the flop was 3-6-A. "Thanks, God," we thought we heard him say.

"If you're thanking God," we told him, "you're thanking in the right direction."

A lot of people curse God and Jesus Christ. You may hear it often, in a poker environment or other places. But instead, we should be thankful to God for any blessings we receive. Consider this case Jesus encountered....

As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. - Luke 17:13-14 (NLT)

It was a healing miracle times ten! But keep reading....

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God!" He fell to the ground at Jesus's feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. - Luke 17:15-16 (NLT)

In this moment of praise and worship, the Lord seemed to pay more attention to the people who were not there....

Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"....  Luke 17:17-18 (NLT)

If other people around you are thankful over something - even if it's a big comeback by another poker player - do you join them? Be careful. God doesn't get so distracted by the praise of some people that he overlooks the ingratitude of others. In fact, it might come up where you least expect it - at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 205 final tables in 553 games (37.1%) - 41 cashes. We'll be taking a short break from live tournaments for upcoming church activities.

Winner By a Hair?

Our last poker outing included a comment we hadn't seriously considered before. If the Bible says it's a shame for a man to have long hair (I Corinthians 11:14), how do we explain Samson?

You probably know the legend of Samson. It's the stuff of movies and grand opera. Even a few websites seem to have taken some inspiration from it. But is it Biblical and accurate? Did Samson get his might and strength from his long hair.... or was something else involved?

We went back to the Old Testament, where we learn why Samson had long hair in the first place:

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.... No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." - Judges 13:3, 5

Samson's long hair from birth certainly made him stand out - but for a purpose. It showed he was "set apart" by God. No one in New Testament times was under such a rule. The story continues....

Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother.... suddenly a young lion came running toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. - Judges 14:5-6

Did the power come from Samson's hair? No - it came from "the Spirit of the Lord!" That phrase is repeated in verse 19, as Samson kills 30 people at a wedding feast.

To be fair, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned when Samson causes agricultural terrorism with 300 foxes (Judges 15:3-5). But later, after he is arrested....

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands - Judges 15:14

Yet in chapter 16, Samson became too playful with Delilah. A series of lies led to this famous moment....

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." - Judges 16:17

Samson's seven braids of hair were shaved off while he slept, "And his strength left him" (verse 19). Yet look through the entire four-chapter story, and you'll never find a single place where Samson acknowledged God's Spirit at work in his life. Only in a dying plea does he ask God for one final feat of strength (verse 28).

We can draw many lessons from Samson's story. But this review was eye-opening for us, because the Bible gives the credit for his strength to the Holy Spirit and not his hairstyle. It's very different from the legend you may have heard!

So what does all this have to do with poker? Consider this: if you're successful at the table on a regular basis, it might not be because of your "lucky card protector" or what you eat before the tournament. Maybe God is trying to send a message to you through your success. Are you humble enough to realize it, acknowledge Him and listen to Him?

Poker Day 552: The Farm Hour

When you think of Catholics and gambling, what game comes to mind? Your first thought may be bingo. But today, we found a place where the Catholics tolerate poker.

While Cincinnati is considered a major league sports city, Dayton, Ohio about 50 miles north is considered "minor league." We headed north on Interstate 75 to see if the poker is "farm team" level as well, and found several tables set up at the Catholic Order of Foresters Hall in suburban Riverside.

On a Sunday afternoon, there was only enough interest for one tournament table. You can't blame the pricing; the $30 buy-in was the cheapest we've seen in years. Five of those dollars goes to a rotating charity; the supervisor couldn't remember if the heart or cancer society was benefiting right now. But one player left when that woman refused to turn a TV on for the opening Sunday of pro football season.

When the price of poker is cheap, the play sometimes can get wild. Take this example.....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Ace-King of spades

Arriving early and adding $5 for the "charity chips" allowed us to begin at 12,000. But a man named Bud sitting next to us has doubled that in a hurry. He had 2-4, made two pair on the flop and eliminated a big bettor with a strong pocket pair.

So now we're in the Big Blind, a bit wary by what others are doing. When no one at the table of seven raises, we add 500 on top with "big slick." Bud calls, but a man at the left end of the table re-raises to 1,500. We call, as does Bud.

ON THE FLOP: 7s-2d-Qs

We miss the flop, so we check. Bud doesn't. He goes all-in. The man on the far left pushes as well.

Now comes a big decision. We're one card from the nut flush, which could bring a huge payoff. But Bud by his own admission is on a roll; he's made a winning straight as well in the early going. This smells too good to be true, so....

"I'm going to fold," we say. We're not even 15 minutes into the tournament, and want to stick around a while.

Bud now shows.... 2-2! He has three of a kind. The man on his left reluctantly turns over pocket Aces.

"I had one of your Aces," we tell him. But was our hunch right?

ON THE TURN: 3h

So far it is....

ON THE RIVER: Kc

Indeed it was! We missed the flush, and our pair of Kings would have been cracked along with those Aces. The man on the left is eliminated, and we pretend to fan Bud because he's so hot.

A couple of big hands came our way as well, in a "turbo" tourney that moved so fast we were down to five players at the 30-minute mark. A-10 led to a winning full house (not shown). Then J-10 led to a flop of K-Q-8 which brought a double-up beyond 20,000.

With the one-hour break approaching, only four players remained (unless re-buys occurred during the break). We saw K-Q suited and raised pre-flop. Wouldn't you know it - Bud called. And when the flop came Q-7-3, he called our all-in bet of 14,000.

"I hit the 3," he said. "But I also have another 3."

YEOW! He did it again! The last two cards didn't save us, and we left in one hour with a fourth-place finish. It's officially a final table, and quite a memorable one at that.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We took our "Lord's Supper" card protector, which wound up fitting in well at a "Catholic" hall. It had the dealer (the supervisor doing double duty) interested.

"I don't think He looked like that," we said when she turned it over to show a depiction of Jesus Christ. "I don't think He had long hair."

If you're new here, we base that view on this section of the Bible:

Isn't it obvious that it's disgraceful for a man to have long hair? - I Corinthians 11:14(NLT)

This prompted some good Biblical thinking from several people at the table. One man remembered the following verse....

And isn't long hair a woman's pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. - I Corinthians 11:15 (NLT)

But one man to our right took issue with that view. "What about Samson? He had long hair, and it was the source of his strength."

That's a good question - and we admittedly didn't have a good immediate answer for that. After checking later, we think the best answer is embedded in the Biblical account of Samson. You'll find it in the Old Testament book of Judges. Please leave a comment with your thoughts - what do you think it is? We'll compare notes in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 203 final tables in 552 games (36.8%) - 36 cashes.

The Game of Life

At one of our recent poker nights, we introduced you to a man who seemed to have some Biblical knowledge. He told us a couple of times, "I'm speaking life over my cards."

That may sound silly in a poker room. But then again, how many times have desperate players declared they have "two live cards" in an all-in situation? For instance, they might have A-Q in a race against someone else's pocket Jacks.

But the phrase "speak life" can become an overused church cliché. In our poker examples, playing cards by themselves are not living things. They cannot breathe, grow legs or walk around the table. Wouldn't this approach make more sense....

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. - Proverbs 3:21-22

In other words, ask God to give you the tools for a better life. "Sound judgment and discernment" can be valuable things in a poker tournament.

There was a time when church leaders had supernatural power to raise people back to life, simply by saying the word. Jesus did it several times, explaining....

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10

Some people have referred to modern society as a "culture of death." Our home area had a stunning example of that today, as a man wildly opened fire at a downtown skyscraper. Jesus wants you to have an abundant life - and we think that can mean playing some poker from time to time.

And beyond that? God is planning for believers to have eternal life. But there's one big condition:

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and that life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. - I John 5:11-12

In short; you need Jesus. If you repent of your sins and allow God to have control of your life, Jesus can enter through the Holy Spirit....

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and shall be in you. - John 14:16-17

That Spirit entered the disciples shortly after Jesus ascended to heaven. Will you accept Jesus, to allow the Spirit to give you new life?

Poker Day 551: Going Greens

It's been about six years since we were off on Labor Day. So were took advantage of the privilege to enter a holiday morning poker tournament at Jack Casino - making sure we thanked the dealers and cashiers who were on duty. So was it a paid holiday for us?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: Q-J of spades

Early efforts have not gone well for us. Our starting stack of 15,000 chips eroded to about 9,500, before we won a modest pot to begin a comeback. Now we're in the Big Blind at a seven-player table with 11,450, and have set out four stacks of lime-green chips worth 25 each.

"You don't like greens?" a man to our left asks.

"Sometimes I don't have any choice," we say. Such as now.

After the cards are dealt, that man raises to 1,200. "You don't seem to like orange," we point out. (An orange chip is worth 1,000). But with strong suited connectors, we call - taking back some of those greens as we do. We're now heads-up.

ON THE FLOP: Qc-2d-Qd

A Big Blind Special, if there ever was one! But we humbly check to the raiser. He offers 2,000.

"Raise," we say. We go up to 5,000. Our opponent calls, with a bit of a shrug.

ON THE TURN: K

This card is a bit concerning. What if he has something like K-Q? This time, we're not waiting.

"I'm all-in," we say - pushing in our last 5,250. This puts our opponent in the tank.

"So you're saying you have a Queen."

"I could be saying a lot of things," we tell him. The last thing we want to do is say his read is right.

"But I can't really get off these," he muses. After several moments, he calls with fewer chips - and shows pocket Aces. Our three of a kind will win, if we dodge one card.

ON THE RIVER: 7

Yea - for a change, we do! The man arrived late to the table, and leaves early - while we expand to more than 24,000 chips.

More success came minutes later, as K-J brought K-J-9 on the flop. We dared to call an opponent's push for more than 13,000, and our two pair wound up eliminating two men! It brought our most massive chip harvest in years, and led to a high of nearly 48,000.

That helped us through a dry period, and we reached the two-hour break at 35,350. But then, an amazing evaporation happened. We lost 3,000 to a pre-flop raise, then another 9,000 in the Big Blind when our pair of Kings lost to the Small Blind's 7-5 which made two pair.

Then with a push across the table and a caller, we saw A-J and dreamt big. We went all-in for about 19,000 - but a woman with Q-Q topped both us and the pusher with A-7. A day where we thought we could cruise to the final table ended with us falling short, finishing with a head-scratching tie for 15th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Jack Casino is a stickler when it comes to playing out of turn. A man at our first table received a one-hand penalty simply for a checking motion. So we waited later to be sure the player ahead of us acted, before doing anything.

"Don't want to wind up in the sin bin," a man sitting to our left said when we explained it. That phrase gave us a thought.

"You know, we've all sinned," we told the man, "and come short of the glory of God."

The man pondered a moment. "Did that come from a 2,000-year-old book? That's been translated about 5,000 times?"

Why yes.... yes, it did. Do you know where we found that?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.... - Romans 3:23

"But that book [the Bible] has the way out of sin," we responded.

We waited for a reaction, but the statement brought nothing but silence. We're not sure if the man knows what that way is or not. Do you know?

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

A lot of applications are embedded in these words. But let's focus on Jesus being the way. He likened Himself elsewhere to being a door (as the King James Version puts it) or a gate....

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10:9

We enter God's holy throne through Jesus the Son (Hebrews 10:19-22) - and salvation comes to us through Jesus Christ. But there's something you need to do:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

Confess them, then repent of them - turning your ways and life over to God, and away from the sins you've been doing. Perhaps you do them while playing poker. Search yourself, asking God for His help in discovering what they are. Then act on what He shows you. There's no penalty for doing that.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 203 final tables in 551 games (36.8%) - 36 cashes. After six months in our new area, we're still at 10 final tables in 18 tries!