Put Your Hands Together

We've been so busy with other tasks that we hadn't played any poker in a month. But we had time to enter a National League of Poker tournament Thursday night. It turned out very well - 23rd place out of 1,190 entries! (Of course, only the top five earned money.)

Late in the evening, the chat went this way when two players split a big pot:

Dealer:  sloso splits Main Pot ($3,273) with Full house, aces full of deuces
Dealer:  hornytoad splits Main Pot ($3,273) with Full house, aces full of deuces
Me:  (church clap)
hornytoad:  Is that a socil disease you catch in church?
Me:  No.
Me:  :-O
Mr_BarnYard:  really
Me:  Polite applause for something
Mr_BarnYard:  church clap all day
Me:  I'll be in church this weeekend, though.
hornytoad:  OK dont need a shot for that*** lol

People who attend certain churches should know what we mean by "church clap." It's applause that agrees with a speaker's point or some member's success - but not as wild as the celebration for winning a ballgame.

With some poker players as well as some churches, even polite applause is discouraged. We personally think that's a shame, and here's why....

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. - Psalm 47:1-2  (NLT)

In this psalm, noise-making is encouraged - as long as the focus of the noise is on God.

You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! - Isaiah 55:12 (NLT)

We mention this verse whenever someone suggests noise-making in a church service is a bad idea. If trees can "clap their hands" - and they don't have hands - why can't I?

But we realize there should be a balance here. There's a time to be quiet at a poker table - especially if a player asks for it, so he can think about a big decision. The same is true for worshipping God....

But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. - Habakkuk 2:20 (NLT)

Some poker players and church groups go to one extreme or the other - either overly silent or excessively noisy. We suggest praying for God to provide the wisdom to know when to react in either direction, so you don't cause offense.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.... - James 3:17 (NLT)

Have fun at the table, and even at the church you attend. (Yes, we recommend that.) And don't be afraid to make some noise - as long as you keep things under control.

High-Volpe

As we start writing this late on Sunday night Las Vegas time (even though we're not in Las Vegas), the World Series of Poker Main Event has 30 players remaining. And there's one "breakout star" who could be in line for Player of the Year honors.

Paul Volpe is still in the running for the final table, after making the money in not two, not four.... but seven earlier WSOP events! That includes two final tables and one first-place bracelet, with total winnings so far in the $400,000 range.

We had to put "breakout star" in quotes because Volpe actually is down a bit from last year's WSOP. All he did there was cash six times, but he made four final tables and finished second twice. Total winnings: around $560,000. And in 2014, Volpe cashed five times with one win at the WSOP.

He's easily a WSOP millionaire. Yet to be honest, we didn't know about Volpe until we prepared this post. The "star power" doesn't seem to be there in the poker world these days, unless you hit it big in the Main Event - and we doubt a place in poker's Hall of Fame can be yours, either.

You may be a big name in your local poker community. You may be an also-ran. But there's One who ultimately is the most famous of all....

"We are your servants," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where did you come from?" They answered, "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God."... - Joshua 9:8-9

Joshua was talking to a group of Hivites. Even though Joshua is a big name for Bible students, the Hivites didn't come to marvel at him. The things God had done made Him famous - as in God.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known....  - Habakkuk 3:2

Many people today don't think God exists - much less performs any deeds. But here's the thing: the Bible expected those people to show up.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.... But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. - II Peter  3:3, 5

The perfection in creation, such as Earth's rotation around the sun, stands as evidence of God's great work. So are the small blessings that may come every day to a believer.

As we finish this post (it didn't take that long), Paul Volpe has just been eliminated from the WSOP''s biggest tournament. He finished 29th, and will add about $216,000 more to his bank account. The fame of a Main Event bracelet eluded Volpe. But are you giving thanks to the most famous One of all?

Poker Day 423: Fake or Double Take

"If you're learning, this is a good place to do it," one of the managers at Winners Cardroom told a couple of players leaving the table this afternoon.

"Or if you're a cheapskate, like me," we said to him half-jokingly.

We were at Winners because "freeroll fever" has struck local poker rooms -- with several games being played with no chair rental every week.  It means we can play as we once did in Georgia: paying only the cost of food, drinks and tips.  And on Sunday, there's money to be won -- as Winners pays $150 to the tournament champ.

But with other players paying $10 extra for a "double stack" of chips, we'd have to play carefully to gain an edge.  So we tried to strike early....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: K-9 offsuit

It's the second hand of the day, and we have close to our starting amount at 11,400 chips (2,000 extra for arriving on time).  We have the dealer button.  No one at the full table is raising, so we dare to enter small.  Most of the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: 5-6-7

This 5-6-7 doesn't strike anyone as heaven.  Everyone checks -- and while we have a straight draw, we choose to do the same.

ON THE TURN: 3

That's a miss for us.  But the table checks again -- and since we're last to act, we can try what they call on TV a "stab at the pot."  We bet 700.

"Oh no, you might have a 4," a manager at the table declares as he folds.  Uh-huh.

A young man next to him says nothing - except to raise.  He goes up to 2,200.  The players between us get out of the way, leaving us with a tough decision.  Did he raise because he smelled (correctly) a bluff on our part?  Or is he trying to out-bluff us?  We think it's the latter.  And in a way, we have 10 outs (3 Kings, 3 9's, 4 8's) - so we dare to call.

ON THE RIVER: 8

Thank you very much!  We made the top straight.  Now we hope betting history repeats itself.  Our opponent checks.  We offer 700 again -- but this time, he simply calls.

"I didn't have the 4," we say as we slowly turn over the cards, "but I have a 9."

We never see what our opponent has - but we hit the river well, to take a pot of more than 5,000 chips.

We won a few other hands as well, including a timely deal of Q-Q which brought a third Queen on the flop.  But the cards went dry as blinds went up.  With 12 players left, we went all-in on the flop with A-K and a flop of K-3-J.  A man called us with J-9.  But of course.... a 9 came on the river.  His two pair prevailed, and we were eliminated in 12th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We took a small reflector light for our "card protector."  We told a man sitting to our left during the one-hour break we brought it as a reminder to reflect the light of Jesus Christ.

"What do you think of Jesus?" we asked.  "Is he your Savior?"

We might as well have asked the man to turn over his cards before the flop.  He said nothing, simply staring with his best poker face.

"I hope everyone believes in Jesus as their Savior," we said.  He still said nothing.

Maybe he didn't expect our question.  Or maybe he was reacting to Jesus as other people did long ago....

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they remained silent. - Mark 3:4

"They" were people in the synagogue -- probably Pharisees, who didn't respect what Jesus was doing (verses 1-2).  Jesus refused to back down:

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. - Mark 3:5

The "Lord of the Sabbath" did a healing act in a synagogue on God's Sabbath day.  Then the crowd started talking....

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. - Mark 3:6

There's a time when we should be silent when it comes to Jesus.  That time is in worshiping Him and God the Father....

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. - Habakkuk 2:20

But if you're silent when it comes to the simple (well, seemingly simple) question of believing in Jesus, that can be another matter.  God can track our thoughts -- so what is your silence about Him really saying?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 150 final tables in 423 games (35.5%), 25 cashes.  This was our first final table miss of the year, in six tries.

NLOP Weekly Championship 18: Let's Make Some Noise

It was close early on Sunday, but we qualified again for the National League of Poker Weekly Championship -- probably our last one for a while (explanation coming soon). After a quiet start, the right moments started to come....

:15 IN: We have 10-9. The flop is 3-5-10, so we bet 75 with top pair. Someone calls. The turn is A. All parties check. The river is A. We dare to bet 100 -- and get paid off when out opponent shows Q-5. We gain $725.

:21 IN: We have 9-9 on the button. The flop is 5-7-3, and we call an opposing bet of 100. The turn is 9, right on time! We bet 100, and call a raise to 240. The river is Q, so we bet 125. The opponent calls, and shows 10-10. Good try - but we win $1,840.

That brought us to the half-hour break at a comfortable $2,395. Out of 1,434 players who started, we stand 153rd; 785 remain in the running.

:35 IN: We have Q-10 under the gun, and call when someone doubles the blind The flop is J-3-10, and we call a bet of 340 (which we believe put someone all-in). The turn is 9, and we call a bet of 120. The river is 9 - and we wind up with a $240 sidepot, while the player who pushed makes a straight.

:38 IN: We have Q-8 in the big blind. The flop is 7-9-6, and we call a bet of 250 with an open-ended straight draw. The turn is 5 -- and when someone bets 430, we go all-in. That opponent takes the hint and folds! We win $2,780.

:52 IN: We have K-6 of hearts on the button. The blind is 3-A-A. We make a position bet of 300, and it works! The table folds; we win $1,050.

:58 IN: We have 8-9 of clubs. The flop is 5-J-9, and we bet the minimum 300. Someone calls. The turn is 2. Everyone checks. The river is 9, and our opponent makes a "dare you" bet of 1,160. We don't like our kicker, but we call -- and the opponent was bluffing with 8-10! It's a big gain of $3,620.

1:01 IN: We have 10-5 in the big blind. The flop is 7-7-4. Everyone checks. The turn is 10 -- and our bet of 700 with two pair makes the table fold. Another win of $1,050.

At the one-hour break, we're at a healthy 4,940 chips -- 92nd place, with 314 to go.

1:08 IN: We have 8-8 in the big blind. Someone goes all-in for 620, and we call. The flop is 9-5-9, and bet 300. The turn and river are 2-Q -- and we win a sidepot of $1,796; the player who pushed had 4-Q to take the main pot.

But the good cards ran out after that, as the blinds and antes went up....

1:35 IN: We have K-10, and the big blind forces us to go all-in. The board is 8-2-9-J-8 -- and an opponent with J-A tops us.

Final score: 131st place, out of 1434. That's a "top ten percent" finish which would have earn us money in many casinos -- and we made it that high for the third time in the last ten Weekly Championships. Not a massive win, but still not bad.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When a big online pot is split, we respond with polite applause. For instance, one hand brought....

Me: (church clap)

Another split pot led to some discussion about that....

Me: (golf clap)
mjgtlc: is that louder then a church clap
mjgtlc: lol
Me: Probably depends on which church :-)
mjgtlc: good point
Different church denominations and associations have different moods to their worship. Some are loud like the "shoutin' crowd." Others are so quiet, you can hear a coin rattle in the offering plate during the service. We continued....

Me: Where I attend, clapping hands is not allowed - except when children sing.
Me: I don't think that's Biblical, but that's the policy.

Why do we say that? Because of several verses, including:

Clap your hands, all you nations, shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth. - Psalm 47:1-2

Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy. -- Psalm 98:8

If rivers are told to "clap their hands," and they don't have hands, then why can't we?

But don't misunderstand -- there are times when quietness in worship can be wonderful and powerful as well.

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. - Habakkuk 2:20

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.... - Psalm 37:7

Each side may try to persuade you its approach is correct, while the other is wrong. But we've put the Scriptures together, and decided there's a time and place for both forms of worship. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to know the "time to be silent and a time to speak...." (Ecclesiastes 3:7)