In fact, one donut chain called it the "Day of the Dozens" and offered a special discount. But instead of driving there after work, we drove to Indiana. The five-dollar buffet special was (pun intended) a more well-rounded meal. But would the number of Jesus's original disciples (Matthew 10:1) and the tribes of ancient Israel (Revelation 21:12) have deep meaning for us? A test of that came early....
BLINDS: 25/50
IN THE POCKET: 6-6
We joked with the dealer before the tournament started about playing A-2 (sort of like 1-2). But 6 + 6 = 12, right? So in the first few minutes, this pocket pair is a must-play! With no one raising, it's even better. As we remember, three players at a slowly-growing table of eight are in.
ON THE FLOP: 10-8-2
Not much to brag about there - and no one is betting. So we toss out 125, hoping for a quick win. Except one player calls; the others fold.
ON THE TURN: 8
The board pairs. We have two pair. Our opponent now checks. But what if he has a third 8? We decide to be cautious, and check as well.
ON THE RIVER: Q
Finally a face card - and our opponent acts on it. He bets 300. We suppose he could have been waiting for that. But we conclude this is a "test your mettle" bluff, maybe with Ace high. We call. Are we right?
The other man shows.... 10-5! There was no bluff. He hit top pair, and simply waited us out to win the pot.
But on this night, more good cards came. Our stack went up and down, but was a healthy 17,575 at the first break. Hour Two was worse, with bad decisions leaving us at the edge of the cliff with 6,700. But then came Hour Three - and back-to-back pushes with A-Q and A-J led to double-ups, and a total of 24,800!
After we lost to A-K to a man's pocket Aces, we reached the final table with 17,400. But setbacks struck as blinds went up, and finally we pushed again with King-Queen of spades. A man with A-J pushed first and won the race. On a night with 21 players (come to think of it, that's the reverse of 21), we finished a respectable seventh. (Only the top three earned money.)
"It's a reflector," we explained to our table, holding up the small red item we'd taken before. "It's a reminder to me that I should reflect the light of Jesus Christ."
Perhaps you've been a bit confused about that light. Two Bible verses can seem contradictory at first reading....
But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world. - John 9:5 (NLT)
Jesus called Himself "the light." Yet He also declared....
You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. - Matthew 5:14 (NLT)
So which is it?
Actually, it can be both. And that's where our reflector comes in. We can reflect the perfect light of Jesus to other people. As one great song puts it, believers can "shine like the moon" which reflects the sun shining on it. Jesus seemed to understand that:
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." - John 8:12 (NLT)
If you hold a flashlight close to a mirror, the intensity of the light should be stronger. So how closely do you follow Jesus's life and example?
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. - I Peter 2:21 (NLT)
That's the part of "following" which might scare some people. Not everyone appreciates God and Jesus Christ. They might put you down, and occasionally even beat you up. But reflecting God's goodness now will be rewarded someday with eternal life. Upon reflection, isn't that worth it?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 211 final tables in 562 games (37.5%) - 44 cashes.
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