"I'm heading to a poker night, but I'd don't want to gamble with my tires," we told a man at an automotive shop where we stopped. The man understood, and a check showed our tires simply needed a little air. (The blinking was something else, which we'll explain another time.)
With that service done for free, we drove on to Hollywood Casino Indiana. Would warning lights abound as we returned to night tournaments?
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: 4-4
We won an early pot with A-10, which topped a man's A-8. But slow losses after that (including one with A-K) have put us at about 10,500 out of a starting 12,000. Now we have a small pocket pair in the Small Blind. The table of six isn't betting. So we choose to trap and call. The Big Blind checks, so we're heads-up.
ON THE FLOP: 4-3-Q
Four the win! A third four plays exactly into our strategy. Small Blind plays first, so we check. Big Blind bets 200. We call, of course.
ON THE TURN: K
No worries to us. Our patient play continues, with another check. Now Mr. Big Blind offers 425. We call, of course.
ON THE RIVER: 10
We have no idea what out opponent has. But he's betting, so we'll let him do it again with another check. This time, though, he checks as well.
"I hoped you'd bet again," we admit as we show "trip fours." Our opponent folds without showing a thing.
"At least I only lost 625," he admits. His wariness of us was correct, and that saved him a larger loss.
We reached the first break with 11,525 chips. A slow drain continued after that - but with only 16 players in action, we made it to the final table with 9,200.
After two players dropped out, a man bet 6,000 with us in the Big Blind. We saw pocket Queens and naturally called. So did a third player - and that man turned a 4 into his own "trip fours" on the river. Our big winning hand turned into our big loser, and we drove home with eighth place and no more blinking lights.
MINISTRY MOMENT: One young man at our starter table is chewing Nicorette gum, to overcome a tobacco habit.
"It beats smoking, I guess," he said. We agreed with this. Lots of things are better than smoking, especially for your body.
"We're all gonna die of something," he added. We agree with that, too. But that gave us a thought.
"And after you die.... what happens?" we asked.
"Most likely.... nothing."
"But what if there's a judgment?" we followed. "There very well could be."
Some ministers would say that response was too soft. We should have spoken in more convicting faith. because the Bible has no "could-bes" about this:
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.... - Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)
People unaware or unaccepting of God have no real knowledge of this. That's because they haven't seen it directly. But a Christian should have faith in God, but in what He plans to do for people after this physical life is over.
For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead. - Acts 17:31 (NLT)
These words originally said to the generation alive after Jesus Christ was resurrected. Some of them may have heard about it. But other people who actually saw the risen Savior may have still been living witnesses to it. Jesus will come back to judge. But there's some good news about that, back in Hebrews....
...So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him. - Hebrews 9:28 (NASB)
People who "eagerly await" Jesus strive to live a life free of sin. They repent, if and when they do sin. They long for salvation and eternal life, and the Bible promises they'll receive it. Other people who expect "nothing" after death are in for a rude surprise. Why take a chance with that? Isn't the better course to accept salvation through Jesus now?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 216 final tables in 568 games (38.0%) - 46 cashes.
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