Poker Day 565: Six-Packed

The gambling this week actually began on Monday morning - simply by getting in the car. We decided to take advantage of a partial government shutdown by traveling west to see relatives. But we knew if a shutdown was announced at any point, we'd have to turn around immediately and hurry back to our regular job.

But by midday today, there was no settlement. So we drove to Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City, where the midday "Fat Stack" poker tournament costs $60 - a bargain, compared to our home area. Would the successful risks continue?

BLINDS: 600/1,200

IN THE POCKET: 6-6

We made good early gains, advancing from a starting 12,000 chips to about 20,500 at one point. We reached the first break at 16,400. Now we're at level 7, still above "sea level" at about 14,500 chips. Sitting one off the button at a table of seven, we limp in with a medium-small pocket pair. A couple of people call.

ON THE FLOP: K-K-6

WOW! We hit it big, with the underside of a full house. The opponents check to us. But we'll wait on them to jump offsides, and check as well.

ON THE TURN: 6

DOUBLE WOW!! Now we have quads! But a man to our right bets 1,200. For a moment, we realize he could be slow-playing pocket Kings. That would be an awfully bad beat. But we see absolutely no reason to fold.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly with a nod. We soft-sell a call, putting us heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: 4

A worthless card for a moment like this. It all depends now on what our opponent does. Will he bet bigger, perhaps to attempt to scare us away?

No.... he simply checks. So now it depends on us. How much can be bet to encourage a call and maximize our gains?

"How about..... 2,300?" we ask as we bet.

If our opponent really had pocket Kings, he'd bet them now. Instead, he thinks things over for about a minute. Then he softly folds.

"Very good decision," we tell him - and show the quads we had. It's actually the second quads hand at the table today, and others are impressed.

"You could do 12," a man to our right says in an imitation of our line.

"I really could," we say with a big nod. It's still a good and much-needed win, getting to 18,400.

But then came level 8 - and when a man across the table pushed, we saw A-K and took him on. His pocket 5's won the race, and threw us onto the ropes. A couple of all-in wins on our part brought a recovery to 10,000 at the second break.

With added antes and higher blinds in Hour 3, we dropped to 2,600. "Final table" was called as we looked at Big Blind cards of A-10. We decided they were too good to wait. We pushed into two callers. But the board didn't pair for us, and a man with K-9 hit a King on the river. We finished tenth out of 24 players, but missed the final table because we never played a hand there.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The pre-game talk turned to the partial government shutdown, which today reached Day 19.

"The problem is that both sides think they're God," one man said.

"That's why I'm praying to God," we replied, "that He'll show both sides the right end to this."

There's been a lot of debate about the main issue in the shutdown. But we haven't heard anyone call for the country to appeal to God about it through prayer. Perhaps that's because many people want "their side" to prevail. Yet shouldn't we do this?

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." -Matthew 6:9-10

We've heard some preachers combine verse 10 into one phrase - asking for God's Kingdom to come to Earth. That's a proper thing to seek in prayer. But the NIV puts a comma after "come", making the part about God's will a separate thought.

Maybe that's what scares some people. They don't really want God's will in their lives, because it might require making some major changes. Yet Jesus took the concept all the way to the end of His life...

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26:39

Jesus repeated that prayer twice, in the moments before His arrest (verses 42-44). Yet God the Father did not intervene. It was His will that Jesus endure mocking, torture and crucifixion.

This leads us to ask a hard question. Are you willing to accept God's will for your life - even if that will is not what you want? If, perhaps, He doesn't want you to play poker anymore? Dare to pray it, then trust God for whatever answer He provides.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 213 final tables in 565 games (37.7%) - 45 cashes.