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.