A True "Main Event"

Our entry in last weekend's "seven-game mix" at the Heartland Poker Tour may have left you wondering. Why didn't we enter something we know - something potentially huge, like the "Main Event" of the series?

A satellite tournament win could have put us in their Main Event for only $80. But there was a good chance that our first tournament day would have been on either Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Those are times of the week when we do not play poker. We don't get to it at all. Why?

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.... - Exodus 20:8-10

We actually received a high-five from a gym employee Friday afternoon when we mentioned the "seventh-day Sabbath." That seventh day is not Sunday. Historically, it's Saturday - based on what God passed down to ancient Israel. And it doesn't really begin at 12:00 midnight Saturday....

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day. - Genesis 1:5

In God's timing, the "first day" began with evening. That means it commences with the setting of the sun. God reinforced this later with His instructions on keeping "Yom Kippur," the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:32).

But hold on, you may be saying - this isn't "work." It's a poker tournament!

Well, tell that to the "professional" players who make a living earning money from the tournaments. It's their livelihood. Thus, it's their "work." And most winners will tell you: making the money at a big Main Event can be at least a mental workout. Besides, the money is subject to federal and state income taxes.

We realize poker tournament officials aren't going to make accommodations for Sabbath-keeping players. They'd probably be stunned to see someone professing faith at a tournament in the first place. So we stay away from weekend-long tournaments, and the fame they could bring us. For believers, worshiping on the Sabbath is their "main event" of the week.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.... - Psalm 95:6-7

Who - or what - are you really worshiping this weekend?

The Rule Book

How confusing was it to play in a "seven-game mix" poker tournament? So confusing that a dealer was stopped for tossing third cards face-down at our table - because the dealer was thinking Pot Limit Omaha, instead of a Stud game.

In fact, at one point other players complimented a dealer for stopping after two cards in a Hold 'Em hand! And the dealers kept a chart at their seat of what the blinds, antes and "bring-in" prices were at various moments.

The rules for Razz are very different than for Omaha. Isn't it nice to know that there are some places where the basic rules never change? The original "rule book" for life is one of them....

I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. - Malachi 3:6

God says He doesn't change. And the Son is described this way....

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:8

Admittedly God and Jesus did change some things during the time span recorded by the Bible. For instance, Jesus took a traditional ceremony called the Passover and added foot-washing to it (John 13:1-17). Yet the basic rules of the Godhead have not changed:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. - Matthew 5:17

The main rules for living can be found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. We know them now as "the Ten Commandments." You might be surprised by how many professing Christians can't name them all. Jesus didn't do away with them - instead, He summed them up:

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. - Matthew 22:37-40

Have you forgotten God's big ten rules? Reach for a Bible and review them. And as you do, ask yourself - have you forgotten them in practice? Are you really doing all ten? That takes some soul-searching - or what the Bible describes as "examining yourself" (II Corinthians 13:5). This is a perfect time to change yourself, to become more like an unchangeable God.

Poker Day 571: H.O.R.S.E. Play

"All I need is your card and $200."

That was easy for the cashier to say. The $200 buy-in Sunday at Hollywood Casino Indiana was the biggest buy-in we've ever made. But it was our least inexpensive and most convenient way of being part of the Heartland Poker Tour, which was making its first-ever stop in Lawrenceburg.

The buy-in put us in an unusual tournament - a "seven-game mix." Five kinds of poker spell out the word "H.O.R.S.E.," then Pot Limit Omaha (with no high/low) and No Limit Hold' Em are thrown in. The version changed after every eight hands, in a rotation.

About half of the table had played H.O.R.S.E. before. We never had, and finding places to practice online proved impossible. So we took our chances, learning as we played. It was admittedly confusing and a bit dangerous, but we had plenty of company.

GAME: Omaha 8 (high/low)

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: Kc-Qs-10s-5h (fourth card not precise)

We've already won our first hand, by making a full house of Kings and 10's (never shown) in Seven-Card Stud. Now we have several high cards - but by rule, we can only use two of them (and we must use two of them) to make a winning hand. We call, and no one raises. About four players at the table of six get in.

ON THE FLOP: Jh-7d-Ks (Suits on first two cards not precise)

We have top pair. But if everyone has four cards, the chances of someone making two pair go up sharply. We bet 200 to gauge interest, and two players (as we remember it) call.

ON THE TURN: As

This is a hopeful sign, because we now have a draw for the best flush. We check, and a man bets 200. We call, and we're heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: 7s

Victory!? Well, maybe not. We could be burned by a sneaky full house. We bet a cautious 500. Our opponent raises to 1,000, and we call. Our old line for this moment is revived.

"You can call me Planters, 'cause I've got the nuts."

The nut flush wins, because our opponent could do no better than Jacks and 7's! It's a healthy pot for us.

But the first 90-minute segment had more down moments than up. Mandatory antes for some games became a drain, and feeler bets failed. We were concerned with our 6,500 chips (from a starting 12,000) at the break. The drain continued in Segment 2 - and we finally were first to make an all-in bet, with 575 to go. But we had A-K, made two pair on the river in Seven-Stud and jumped back to 9,000!

A "low win" or two in Stud and Omaha proved handy after that, and we stood at 9,050 at the second break. But then we missed a few hands of Razz while the casino "Eatery" forgot about our simple order of a cold chicken sandwich while focusing on bringing out pizza slices. Yet we won a couple more pots, to hit a high of 13,800.

A critical moment came in Segment 3 when we had pocket Aces in Seven-Stud, and a man down the table made three Jacks. That loss left us with only 1,200 chips, entering an Omaha hand with blinds at 600/1,200. We were dealt 5-6-7-8, but our hope of a low hand failed when another man had a 3 for something lower.

Our final result: about 40th place in a field of 58. At least we can say we tried it - but we plan to find a place to practice those unusual games, before daring to enter that kind of tournament again.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Breaking news occurred as the tournament began, as the U.S. Attorney General provided Congress with a summary of "The Mueller Report" on President Trump and possible connections with Russia.

"There's Someone who knows everything that happened there," we said as the table assembled. "And when Jesus comes back, He's going to judge the world."

A player across the table from us seemed shocked that we brought up that name. He said nothing, but the dealer discussed it further with us.

"What do you think of Jesus?" we asked him.

After a moment of thought, the dealer answered, "I believe in Him."

"Is He your Savior?"

Another thought moment for the dealer. "Yes, He is."

"I can't count on any politician to save me," we continued. "Only Jesus can do that."

The dealer quickly agreed on that point. We hope you can, too. If you're counting on political leaders to save this world from destruction, your faith is in the wrong place. And if you think things are bad now....

Immediately after the darkness of those days "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." - Matthew 24:29

These are words of Jesus Christ, after disciples asked Him for a sign of "the end of the age" (verse 3). Things will become so bad that....

If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. - Matthew 24:22

That's "the elect" - not necessarily the "elected" office-holders. A time of what some Bible translations call "great tribulation" will lead to the Lord's dramatic intervention:

At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. - Mark 13:26-27

Jesus is coming to the rescue, for his "elect!" But what do we mean by that word? We'll explain in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 217 final tables in 571 games (38.0%) - 46 cashes.

Swimming with GPI's

Movies have the Oscars. Television has the Emmys. Even the sports world now has ESPYs. So why not an awards show for the poker world?

Nominees were announced this week for the first-ever Global Poker Awards. They're from Global Poker Index, or GPI for short - which could mean we call these awards the "Guppies."

But let's get serious: only a couple of these awards actually are for skill at the poker table. The rest are for people around poker - such as "Poker Journalist," broadcaster and outstanding Tournament Director. (Why is there no award for the best dealer?)

No, this blog did not get nominated for these awards. We didn't even know they were coming. But that's OK - because we've come to realize that while awards are nice to win and could help your resume, they don't have real lasting value. Consider these words....

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. - I Corinthians 9:25

One of our Bibles comments that the apostle Paul probably is referring here to ancient events such as the Olympics or Isthmian Games. Foot races were big events, and winners received laurel wreaths. They might last a few days, but flowers and fresh vegetation eventually withers and dies.

On the other hand, Paul found a crown truly worth seeking, which will "last forever." What could that be?

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - II Timothy 4:8

He lived seeking a crown from God - and wrote these words of hope shortly before he died (verse 6). As another verse puts it:

...Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Revelation 2:10

It's at least symbolic of eternal life, which Jesus will award when He comes again and His faithful believers are resurrected. Now that's an award truly worth seeking - and it will last forever. Award show trophies won't. Not even big poker bracelets will. Which prize has your top attention?

Across the Lines

We made another discovery while working on our taxes this past week. It relates to poker directly - and it comes with a confessional.

We live in Kentucky - a state with no poker rooms, as far as we know. It's famous for "the sport of kings" (horse racing), but not pocket Kings. We cross rivers into Ohio and Indiana to play poker. And while filling out an Ohio state income tax form for another reason, we found out we must pay income tax on our Cincinnati casino winnings.

That led to a guilt cloud, then a check of Indiana's income tax rules. Sure enough - we have to pay that state as well on our casino winnings in Lawrenceburg, even though we've never lived there.

To be honest, we should have thought of this before. We'd heard stories of professional athletes being ordered to pay such out-of-state taxes, when their team goes on road trips. After all, they're working in the state of the team they're trying to beat.

But we never thought of applying this to us. And we crossed state lines to win at poker, well before moving to our current area. We're not sure if the statute of limitations has run out for those states - but we apologize to the states we may have stiffed. (Don't expect casinos to tell you about this; they never have with us.)

Why are we so concerned about this? In part, because of these words...

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.... "Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" - Matthew 22:15, 17

This was a question to Jesus, whom some people thought had come to start a rebellion against the Roman leadership. What better way to do it than with a tax protest - right? Well, keep reading....

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Some me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" - Matthew 22:18-20

We don't think the words "In God we trust" was on that coin. But we've heard people try to argue against paying taxes, based on the government being "un-Christian" or other such things. Yet what did Jesus say to the crowd?

"Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." When they heard him, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. - Mathew 22:21-22

Jesus never told anyone not to pay their taxes. For one thing, you'd be breaking the law in the U.S. if you did that. For another thing, Jesus had a disciple pay a "temple tax" earlier in His ministry (17:24-28). To us, it's about obedience....

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. - I Peter 2:17

That "king" has a small king, indicating a human leader. God puts those leaders in charge (Romans 13:1, KJV) - so if you say you fear God and not them, what does that say about you?

W and L

We're taking a short pause from live poker right now. There are several reasons for this, including the one very important project - filling out tax returns.

Poker players filling out U.S. federal returns may notice one big change this year. You still have to report "gambling winnings" as income. But it's harder to deduct the losses, because the threshold for itemizing deductions has increased sharply. Unless your deductions top $12,000, it doesn't pay to itemize them at all.

That means the wins stand out more on your tax form - and while that might cost you money, it also might make you feel a bit better. Don't you wish everything worked this way?

But they don't always work this way. In fact, you could be losing and not realizing it....

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? - Luke 9:25

You could grind away at cash games for hours, hoping to strike it rich. But in exchange, you could actually lose a lot of money. You might even lose your family or a sense of empathy toward other people, by becoming addicted or detached.

The better approach is a balance between the "work" of poker with its physical gains and something higher - something ultimately better:

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. - Luke 9:24

The "me" here is Jesus Christ. He said these words. And He wants you to change your focus away from big wins at the table, to a focus on Him. Put another way....

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. - John 12:25

Few poker players love to lose. For that matter, few of anybody loves to lose. Yet trading your priorities for a relationship with Jesus can win you eternal life in the kingdom He soon will bring. In fact, your "won-lost record" in terms of sin can be changed completely:

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.... not counting men's sins against them.... - II Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus was a big winner, by living a sinless life and overcoming the devil. He wants to help you win the game of life as well.

A Deal With the "Gods"

A recent post remembered a poker player we knew in the Southeast U.S. who went by the name "Buddha." Now in an unusual twist (we don't dare it "karma"), a real Buddhist has hit it big in a major poker tournament.

Canadian Scott Wellenbach finished in third place at a recent PokerStars event in the Bahamas. That earned him more than $670,000 - and he says he'll give it all to charity. In fact, he did it before. Wellenbach donated a $72,000 prize from a tournament in Spain to a Buddhist version of a convent.

Why is he doing this? Wellenbach says he made a deal with "the poker gods."

Uh-oh. That's where we feel compelled to come in. Not because he gave away all his prize money. Giving is a good thing....

...Freely you have received, freely give. - Matthew 10:8

No, it's the "poker gods" part that raised a red flag with us. You see, our quote about giving comes from Jesus Christ - and He's the "one God" who came to Earth in the flesh.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. - John 1:1, 14

Some Christian preachers explain this as "two gods." The Bible indicates that's misleading:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. - Deuteronomy 6:4

Is this a Bible contradiction? No, because Jesus clarified it:

I and my Father are one. - John 10:30

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. - John 17:20-21

Jesus was God on Earth. He said He was One with God the Father. Would Scott Wellenbach say Jesus is God? We won't put words in his mouth, but traditional Buddhism doesn't have such a belief. And "the Lord" of the Bible warns:

You shall have no other gods before me. - Deuteronomy 5:7

In the end, each of us must choose which god we serve - or if we serve any at all. We choose the God of the Bible and Christianity because it provides us hope beyond this life. It's a hope of eternal life with no sin, because God can forgive our sins through the blood of Jesus.

What do you think of this? Your comments are always welcome, and we might reply to them.

Fight Night at the Casino

Nevada may be famous for poker. But in Arizona, they take the game seriously. Sometimes dead seriously. And it's not simply "Wild West" history....

A fight broke out last weekend at the Talking Stick Casino poker room, outside Phoenix. (Warning: There's X-rated language on the linked clip.)  Several online reports indicate a man became upset with the dealer after he missed a big blind in a cash game. He became very loud - and moments later, someone jumped him from behind.

We don't know what happened from here, except that security personnel threw both men out. We don't know if anyone will face charges. But we do know both these people need to reveal one section of a well-read book:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. - I Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)

We can see plenty of violations of this "checklist of love" in this incident. Loudly bad-mouthing a dealer certainly isn't kind. Shouting/ranting about your chip stack seems rather proud to us. And horse-collaring the man to shut him up strikes us as an act by an irritable person.

It turns out there was a second fight last weekend, at a poker room in Las Vegas. It reportedly involved one player insulting another player's daughter. That seems rude - certainly not very kind.

To be fair: poker rooms we've visited have nothing like this. There may be occasional loud discussions about the rules, but things don't go beyond that. Most players are civilized and respectful, win or lose. But these cases may reflect a deeper issue - an internal one:

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires that war within you? - James 4:1 (NLT)

To tell the truth, we all have these desires in one form or another. We may keep things in check for a while. But sometimes they boil over - and they're ugly when they do. So here's a better approach....

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and the will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.... - James 4:7-8 (NLT)

Instead of letting your emotions overflow, think about good and godly things (Philippians 4:8). Be a part of the ultimate "resistance movement" - resisting sin, and being a loving example to others. Even in a poker room.

First-Century Gambling

When you hear a Baptist preacher say the word "gambling," you might think he's about to go on a tirade against poker and casinos. But we heard a radio sermon the other day which used that word in a very different light.

The minister talked about two "heroes" in the Bible who took a big risk. OK, it wasn't for a poker hand - but it was something bigger. One risked his life to help an apostle in the early church....

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow workers and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger…. he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me. - Philippians 2:25, 30

The radio preacher put it this way: "God honors people like that - people who are willing to gamble it all away, risk it all, for the service of Christ."

Anytime a poker player goes all-in, his "life" in the tournament or cash game is at risk. A loss means elimination, or at least a trip to the ATM for more money. But that man with a long name risked everything "for the work of Christ." What sort of service is that? You might be surprised....

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance form the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:23-24

"Whatever you do," the verse says. If you're working for Jesus, be diligent about it. Can that include a poker night, which might not really be "work?" We think it can, if you focus on serving the Lord instead of your own desires of the flesh.

For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. - I John 2:16-17

The point is to go all-in for God, not yourself. Be an example and a witness for Jesus. And if you can have some fun along the way, enjoy it. That's what Epaphroditus did. Are you willing to take the same sort of gamble?