Eli's Coming

It's not easy winning a bracelet at the World Series of Poker. But this week, a man won a bracelet for the fourth time.

Courtesy Cardplayer.com

Eli Elezra won a seven-card stud tournament, defeating nearly 300 opponents to claim nearly $94,000. Four bracelets in 13 years could put him in the hall of fame, as fewer than 50 people have won four WSOP bracelets.

Elezra is a native of Israel - and his first name Eli has a history dating back to ancient Israel:

...Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. - I Samuel 1:9

Eli Elezra no doubt is good at reading his opponents. But Eli the priest made a mis-read, when he saw a young woman appealing to God....

Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." - I Samuel 1:13-14

He wasn't the first male to misunderstand what a woman was doing. Hannah explained, and Eli calmed down to bless her (verses 15-17). But chapter 2 shows Eli was flawed in other ways that were even worse. That led to this statement from God, to one of Hannah's children....

And the Lord said to Samuel.... "For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them." - I Samuel 3:11, 13

You can sit at a final table and look sharp. You can even sit outside the house of God and look sharp. But if you don't keep your family in order, God reserves the right to judge you for it. That's why a famous proverb advises:

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. - Proverbs 22:6

Eli Elezra calls himself on Twitter a "family man" - and his autobiography is called in Hebrew Poker Legend. May you put those titles in the proper order, and not do what made another Eli legendary in a Biblical way.

Tight Vs. Might

If you gather with buddies for a friendly game of poker, that's one thing. If you try to be friendly in a big tournament, things might not always turn out well.

That's the position of poker pro and online coach Jonathan Little. He believes poker is a game of "aggression"- and the "tight straightforward" approach only works when your opponents aren't very good. Little recommends making a re-raise before the flop when your cards are in a "polarized range". And that includes hands as weak as 5-3 suited (check his chart).

Little says his approach will help you "steal pots that don't belong to you." OK, that might win - but is it right? Is there an ethical way to play successful poker? We don't mean cheating here - but doing things in a way that might set a good (and even godly) example.

Most Bibles don't have the word "aggression". But they do talk about fighting - and the verses admittedly might leave you confused. For instance….

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. - Psalm 144:1

King David of Israel wrote these words, and he wasn't bragging. One top song of his day proclaimed he killed enemy forces by the tens of thousands  (I Samuel 18:7) - and he praised God for being able to do it! So how do we explain that, in light of these words?

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." - John 18:36

Some Christian groups take this verse as a complete ban on serving in the military. They claim "conscientious objector" status, if they must. That's because Jesus was talking here about a future "Kingdom of God" - future on earth, that is.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

We'll stop right here and ask a probing question. When you play poker, which kingdom are you "fighting for"? Is it your own - your bank account, or your buddies in a league? Or are you putting God's kingdom and righteousness first?

So that still leaves the question: how do you reconcile what King David wrote and what some modern-day Christians do? Offer your thoughts in our comments section, and we'll get back to this in a future post.

Poker Day 544: Independent Thinking

"Is this a difficult day for you?" we asked a man who sat down to our right today at Jack Casino. The man had a noticeable British accent - and it's the anniversary of when the U.S. declared independence from Britain.

"No," he replied. "That was 17-something."

So he didn't show up with an old grudge. But he undoubtedly wanted to make money at the poker table on a holiday. We tried to do the same, by entering Jack's daily 11:15 a.m. tournament....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 7 of hearts-6 of clubs

Three full tables of players showed up for this holiday tournament. It's one of the first few hands, and we have plenty of chips to throw. So we try to get in small with connecting cards, and are rewarded when no one raises. About five players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 5c-7d-8c

Our hunch pays off in one way, and potentially more. We have middle pair and an open-ended straight draw, A player down the table bets 250. A 23-year-old "kid" to our right (as another player calls him) raises to 750.

"Wellll," we say as we ponder, "it's a holiday." So in a generous mood, we call. "What could possibly go wrong?" we add with a smile.

"I've said that," responds the young raiser. Famous last words, those. The original bettor folds, and we go heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 2c

Straight shot missed - but now we've picked up a flush draw. Our opponent bets 700.

"He bet the Big One," we say - thinking of a famous Cincinnati radio station at 700 on the dial. Since we still have second pair to the board and a bunch of draws, we dare to call again.

ON THE RIVER: 4h

Bingo! The straight is made. Our opponent now checks. We shake our head no.

"One-thousand," we bet.

"Obnoxious!" the young man responds. He's apparently figured out what we did.

"Potentially obnoxious," we say in a bid to offer him a little hope (and entice a call). But no - he folds. We take a nice pot, and note this incredibly rare use of the word "obnoxious" in a poker room.

The first half-hour was very good for us, as several pots and one tie brought our stack from a starting 15,000 to almost 20,000. But then we lost on some chances, and watched rising turbo-blinds erode our stack to 4,875 after two hours at the first break.

Pocket Kings at the start of the second term helped us make a nice comeback. A push with pocket 10's kept us going as well. But when we reached the semifinal table with rising blinds, we faced a tough decision with pocket 5's. We went for it all, received a call by a man with K-J - but a King on the flop did us in. We finished in 17th place out of 47 entries.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The "kid" had a nice verbal personality. But when one hand didn't go his way, he said, "Good Lord!"

"He's good all the time," we answered.

We're not sure if the young man heard it; he didn't acknowledge it. But we'll ask you - do you consider God good? For believers, this question might sound silly. Yet the world is filled with skeptics, so let's consider the words of a famous king:

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. - Psalm 34:8

The heading to this chapter in our Bible says King David wrote this not after a victory, but a serious trial. He was on the run for his life, and "pretended to be insane" before a different king (I Samuel 21:10-15). David continues....

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. - Psalm 34:10

There's a key point to consider - seeking the Lord. Other poker players probably won't cut you any slack if you're "obnoxious" (see above) at the table. So why should God be any different?

Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured on us, because we have sinned against you. - Daniel 9:12

We've reviewed Daniel's contrite prayer over the last few days, after a minister recommended it. It's not a happy prayer - but it could be something our country needs as we mark Independence Day. One lesson from it is to follow God's example of goodness in our own lives....

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days.... Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. - Psalm 34:12, 14

Some scoffers might consider you a wimp - but there's really nothing bad about doing good. After all, that's what God does for you - in both large and small ways.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 200 final tables in 544 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes.

Poker Night 536: The Grand Opening

If you show up late for an event, you might miss something big. In sports, that could mean a first-inning first-pitch home run or a kickoff returned for a touchdown. In poker.... well, check what happened Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana:

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: Ace of clubs-King of spades

Talk about a slow night for poker. Only three people have shown up for the tournament! The single cash game table seems to have open seats as well. But we were on time, and received good cards for the first hand of the night.

We limp in with them as first to act. A man across the table raises to 425. Then a visitor from central Ohio re-raises to 950! This seems promising, so we simply tag along by calling. So does the other man.

ON THE FLOP: Kc-Qc-10c

Big cards. Good cards! We have top pair, top kicker and a flush draw. The Small Blind checks. The Big Blind offers 500. Slow and steady still could win our race, so we call again. As we recall it, the Small Blind folds. But what does the visitor have? Hopefully not two pair....

ON THE TURN: 6s

Nope, not what we wanted. The Big Blind bets 500 again. Now we're more concerned about a possible two pair - but we suddenly realize something. The Jack of clubs would give us a royal flush! We'll call 500, hoping for the best.

ON THE RIVER: Jc

The dream card comes true! But what we can do with it? The Big Blind checks, giving us an open floor. We ponder for a moment, then decide to test our betting opponent by tossing out 1,000. He says no, and folds.

"I don't think I've ever had this before," we then say....

"Royal flush," the Small Blind guesses. He's correct, and we prove it. The Big Blind never shows his cards.

"I only wish more people had been here to see it!" we admit. (Not to mention giving us more chips.) We advance from a starting 12,000 chips to nearly 15,000.

The tournament attendance eventually grew to eight total players. But our chip stack went down, more than up - as several quality cards missed flops, and we missed draws. We won a couple of pots, but dropped to 6,450 at the first break.

We certainly didn't want to be the first player out after opening with a royal flush, so we tightened up from there. A timely pair of pocket Aces allowed us to triple from 3,300 to 9,900. Then other players pushed without success. We were still in the running at the second break, even with a short stack of 12,900.

Four players remained at that point, and it was a winner-take-all contest for money. But as the third hour started, our visitor went all-in. We had A-8, dared to call.... and ran into K-K. A third King on the flop did us in. A memorable night ended with us in fourth place - a result that sounds good, as long as people don't bring up phrases like "small group."

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that gold bouillon?" the man from central Ohio asked when he saw our card protector. We let him look closely as we revealed what it really depicts - an artist's depiction of the "Lord's Supper."

"He's on your side," the man said.

"I hope He is," we replied. God indeed has come to the aid of His people many times through history....

If the Lord had not been on our side - let Israel say - if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive.... the raging waters would have swept us away. - Psalm 124:1-3, 5

The Biblical King David wrote these words from personal experience. He spent a long time on the run, as King Saul tried to kill him so someone else would be heir to Israel's throne (I Samuel 18-31). David praised and thanked God for personal protection.

But to be truthful, life ultimately is not about whether God is on our side. The question is whether you are on His side - and there's a big difference.

...Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." - John 18:37

Why listen to Jesus Christ? Because He is the truth (John 14:6) - and He pointed interested people to the Scriptures, as God's "word is truth" (17:17). The Lord added:

He who is not with me is against me.... Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." - Luke 11:23, 28

To borrow a Christian cliché, obeying the Bible will help "get you on God's good side." We think that's far better than the alternative. What do you think?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 195 final tables in 536 games (36.4%) - 40 cashes. Since we have no control over who shows up (or doesn't) for a tournament, a one-table night still counts as a final table to us.

Poker Day 527: The Perfect Storm

The old cliché says lightning never strikes twice in the same place. But is that really true? Before we answer, take a look at an amazing hand today in the tournament at Kansas Star Casino.... and yes, there will be a connection:

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-Q offsuit

We won two nice pots in the first hour, including one with pocket Aces. Then A-J paid off to eliminate a player, and move us to 7,700. But a couple of hands before this one, an amazing thing happened. We pushed with K-K, ran into a man with A-A - yet we caught a King on the river to stay alive!

So we start this hand with more than 14,000 chips. The man we beat moments earlier is sitting two seats to our right, and going all in for 2,500.

"I'll help him out," we say as we call - realizing he could be pushing with anything. But two other men at the table call. This could be huge.

ON THE FLOP: K-Q-8

We're quietly thrilled by this - top two pair! We're first in line and bet 2,000, expecting the other men in the hand to concede. Trouble is, they both call. Do they have pocket Kings or Queens?

"This could buy you right back in," a man out of the hand says to the player who went all-in.

ON THE TURN: 9

Seemingly harmless - but now we want to make sure, and we have the chip stack to back it up.

"Four-thousand," we say - emphasis on the four. A young man at the end of the table ponders it for a moment. Then he goes all in! And if that's not enough, the other man in the hunt pushes behind him! Have our worst fears become reality?

"I'll do it," we say - becoming the fourth player to go all in. After all, we've committed a lot of money to the pot and our hand is strong.

The dealer sorts out all the chips, and it turns out we have fewer than the man at the far end. So there are two sidepots. But who has what? It's time to show....

Man at far end: A-K
Man across the table: A-K
Man who pushed for 2,500 to start all this: A-Q

"I have two pair, though," we point out. No one else does, so we have a big lead!

CORRECTED: Let's take a moment to analyze this. All four Kings are showing. If a Queen comes on the river, we make a full house to beat the first pusher's three of a kind. No straight or flush is in play. The only thing that can hurt us is the lone remaining Ace. We can knock out two players out, win a massive (estimated) 40,000 chips and probably cruise to the final table - if we dodge one card.

ON THE RIVER: A

"Yes!" understandably says the man at the far end. Based on what's showing, the odds of that Ace coming are 39 to one!

The two men with A-K split all the chips. The two players knocked out include us - as we finish tied for 22nd place, out of 56 entries.

So yes, in poker lightning can strike twice at the same table. And in real life, it can happen as well. The Empire State Building gets it several times a year.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man sitting next to us mentioned the time he walked past a slot machine modeled after TV horror movie host Elvira. "Suddenly it said, 'Come here and play with me.'" That shook the man up a bit.

"Try the voices," we advised him, "to see what sort of voices they are."

We were reminded on Christian radio this evening of a young man in the Bible who faced somewhat the same situation.

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am!" And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me".... - I Samuel 3:3-5

But Eli explained he didn't call Samuel, and sent him back to bed. Then the call by God happened a second time, with a similar response....

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord.... Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. - I Samuel 3:7-8

Eli was one of God's priests (I Samuel 1:3), so he was clearly sensitive to such things. He sent Samuel back to bed with different instructions (3:9).

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." - I Samuel 3:10

That marked the official start of a long and beautiful relationship between God and Samuel. In perhaps the same way, we would ask: Is God calling you - perhaps not through dreams, but through other people or events in your life?

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call. - Acts 2:39

If God "makes the call" on your life, "call" as in poker. Go heads-up with Him, but in a humble way. After all, He holds all the cards - but we think going all-in for God is the best decision you'll ever make.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 191 final tables in 527 games (36.2%) - 39 cashes. Experiment update: Down $75.

Poker Night 507: The Price of Courage

At the church convention we're attending, the most personal impact has come from men's morning meetings. One of the topics Monday was "courageous leadership." We reviewed the story of David slaying Goliath (I Samuel 17) - then went to a casino Monday night and tried to apply the lesson.

Choctaw Casino-Durant in southeast Oklahoma has become a place with an international poker reputation. Its nice enclosed upstairs room has been used for WPT events, and the WSOP circuit arrives there in late October. But on a federal holiday, our $70 total buy-in gave us only about 16 opponents plus a couple who did a re-buy. Would we have enough courage (and wisdom) to get a big finish?

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-A

Small early efforts have missed flops. An aggressive player at the opposite end of the table has chased us off a couple of pots. But now we've hit a big moment: the best possible pre-flop hand and lead position at a table of seven. With about 5,600 chips, we limp in and hope for raisers - but there are none. About five players are in.

ON THE FLOP: Jc-9h-7c (second suit may not be precise)

So far, so good - except two of these cards are clubs. We want to stop potential flush-chasing. So when the blinds check, we try to show we mean business by betting 250. Two men call; the two blinds fold.

ON THE TURN: J

Uh-oh.... potential trouble. The board pairs. Is someone sitting on a Jack, for three of a kind? Since we're back in the leadoff seat, this is a perplexing moment.

To look courageous and test the mettle of the opponents, we raise the bet to 500. A man to our left calls. But the other man raises to 1,200. Deep inside, we sense big trouble - but there's been a little bluffing at the table, so we dare to call. But now, the man to our left re-raises to 2,500! And he gets called!

We conclude both men are serious. "I don't think so," we say as we fold. Are we right?

ON THE RIVER: 4

This card doesn't seem to matter. The man to our left goes all-in - and gets called again!

So what do they have? The man to our left shows J-9! The man to our right has J-7! It's "boat over boat," and the J-9 wins a huge pot.

"I'm glad I got out of that," we say.

"What did you have?" a man to our right asks.

"I had them topped before the flop," is all we reveal. We'll save the deeper lesson in courage for another day - but we fell behind on the flop, and an attempt at an even larger "go-away" bet would have only hurt our cause.

That was the sort of night we had. We split one pot with K-10, then won an all-in Big Blind bet right before the one-hour break. But we only had 2,325 chips from a starting 7,000 at that break. And when we pushed with A-Q early in Hour 2 and were called by A-J, an Ace on the flop was followed by a Jack on the river. We missed the final table by finishing in 13th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Lord's Supper" card protector to an older man seated to our right. He recognized the image on it, then asked, "Is that a precious metal?"

We tried to steer things in a more godly direction. "Jesus's blood was precious, wasn't it?"

At that point, a new hand started. We're not sure if he grasped what we said. But perhaps you've wondered about that. Why do people consider the blood of Jesus "precious"? It comes from this verse:

It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless lamb of God. - I Peter 1:19 (NLT)

An online dictionary defines "precious" as "of high price or great value.... highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial or moral quality...." Here's why the blood of Jesus fits that description....

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.... - I Peter 1:18  (NLT)

No, the ransom paid to save us was Christ's blood. While we are all sinners, Jesus was not (I John 3:5). He was a perfect sacrificial lamb (John 1:29), whose blood can remove your sins in God's eyes (I John 1:7). Have you turned your sins to God, to have Jesus remove them from your record?.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 184 final tables in 507 games (36.3%) - 37 cashes. We're now two-for-three in making final tables and the money, in games during church conventions.

The Tell Overture

If you can figure out when your opponent is bluffing, you're far more likely to succeed at a poker table. But we never imagined there are so many ways to do it.

One man is making a living by telling about "tells." He has at least 16 videos, along with books about things to spot that could tip off a player's hand. For instance: if a player waits for you to act, it usually "will indicate nervousness and hence weak hands."

Maybe so - but here's our question about this. Do videos revealing potential tells actually make some players more likely to include those "tells" as part of their bluffing strategy? The game becomes more than simply a reaction to your cards - it becomes how well you sell that reaction.

Perhaps this is why some professional actors like Don Cheadle have done well in tournaments. They know all about "Hollywooding", as it's called in poker. Some of us call it an acting job. And it's been used to fool people for a long time:

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. - I Samuel 21:12-13

This occurred before David became the Bible's "King David." He was on the run from the then-ruling King Saul (verse 10), who wanted him dead (chapter 19). David apparently was concerned about King Achish as well, so he did some "Hollywooding" to avoid staying long.  Some might call this kind of acting a form of lying....

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. - Deuteronomy 5:20

....But consider what happened to David. God didn't punish him for what he did. In fact, he gained a total following of about 400 men (I Samuel 22:2) - although we'd note they weren't necessarily the cream of the crop, described as "in debt or discontented".

So we're led to think a little "acting while you're acting," if you know what we mean, is OK. But we'd add this....

Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. - Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

There can be such a thing as "ham acting" - going so far overboard that you're not simply telling, you're screaming.

So what do you think? Are tells that common at the poker table? Have some people "shown a tell" to throw you off the track? And what's the top thing you examine, in considering an opponent's hand?

You Want a Piece of Me?

Careful, now - please don't jump to conclusions about our title.  We're not talking about fighting or cyber-bullying. We're talking about what one radio report calls "diversifying your poker portfolio."

NPR reported this week that one of the players at a World Series of Poker Main Event final table didn't really win millions of dollars after all. The radio story didn't explain when it happened, but Jake Balsiger finished third in 2012. His listed winnings are $3.799,073. But his real take-home check was much less than one million.

Why? Because other players "invested" in Balsiger - buying a percentage of his winnings, in exchange for helping to pay his buy-in fee. At the Main Event, that's a steep $10,000.  It's a bit like an actor or performer hiring a talent agent to handle bookings and negotiations.


One of Balsiger's "investors" bought shares in several other WSOP players as well.  But what strikes us about this arrangement is that it goes against one of the basic concepts of poker. When a player goes "all in," he puts all his chips in the middle. Not anyone else's, unless they choose to push as well. And not 75 percent of his chips, unless he's called by someone with less.

If you think God works in the "portfolio" mode, we think you're mistaken. Jesus made clear God doesn't want simply a 10 or 15-percent commitment on your part....

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - Matthew 6:24

Straddling is the stuff of blackjack or roulette. It should not be the stuff of believers....

And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only...." - I Samuel 7:3

It's ultimately about commitment - a whole-hearted commitment. Do you have enough faith in God to invest everything you have in Him and His Son?  To borrow from a classic hymn: are you surrendering "all in?"

The Big Harry Deal, Part 2

We're still reflecting on the news about Georgia poker player Harry Brooks -- and finding about his death 11 months after it happened.  What other lessons can we learn from this?

2. Don't get too busy for your friends.  That's the surest way to lose them - as relationships fade away.

Sites such as Facebook are supposed to prevent that from happening, but we noted in our last post how unfriendly that site's timeline really can be.  The Bible has one good example of friends staying close:

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.... And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. - I Samuel 18:1, 3

In 2015, some groups have taken this "love" relationship to mean something very different than what  we think the Bible describes.  Keep reading for the real story....

Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord...." - I Samuel 20:42

Their friendship became separated by family drama, but we think David and Jonathan stayed together as long as they safely could. And David honored Jonathan after his death; see II Samuel 9 for how King David did it.

3. Talk with your friends about the greatest friend of all.  Who could this be?

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. - Proverbs 18:24

We're convinced that "friend" can be none other than Jesus Christ....

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.... I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. - John 15:13-15

In a way, we're trying to make friends at poker tables - while introducing people to Jesus, who gave His life for friends.  If Jesus is your friend, stay close to Him.  And also to the people around you, whom you consider friends in this life.

Talking a Good Game

The player seemed to need one card to make his hand.  He called for something (let's say a club to make a flush) - and the dealer dropped a club on the river.

"Ask and you shall receive," a player next to us at the table said.

"I read that in a book once," we told him.

Do you know which book?  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you can probably guess....

Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. - John 16:24 (KJV)

Jesus said these words to His disciples shortly before He died.  They indicate disciples are to ask for things "in my name."  That's not the name of the "poker gods" - but the God who became man.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.... - John 1:14 (KJV)

So what things should be on our "wish list" for God?  Should it be a club at exactly the right moment?  Should it be for opposing players to make bad decisions?  Not necessarily....

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:3

If you ask God for breaks at the poker table simply because you'll win beer money -- well, we have the feeling God will turn that down.  Here's a better approach:

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. - I Samuel 12:23

We can't recall ever hearing a player asking the "poker gods" to intervene with another person's all-in bet.  Yet in our lives, it's good to ask God to bless other people - as well as ourselves.  That way, everyone can benefit.

The Real Deal

Tim Giardina is off the hook -- a little, at least.  Prosecutors in Iowa have decided against filing state charges against him, for allegedly playing poker at a casino with counterfeit chips.

But Giardina isn't completely in the clear.  He's the man we mentioned in our last post: still a Vice-Admiral in the U.S. military, a top officer in the Strategic Command -- and his alleged "vices" could get him demoted or fired.  He could face federal charges, for using bogus chips.

We've never tried to play poker with counterfeit chips.  We've assumed the places where we play are smart enough to know the difference between the genuine chips they hand out and the fakes.

But this case raises a bigger question to us.  Are you trying to live a counterfeit life? 

"This is the only life I have," you might say.  OK, but are you living it in a counterfeit way?  Many people do....

You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.  Selah.  You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue! - Psalm 52:3-4

Counterfeit words at a poker table can throw other players off the track about a hand.  Counterfeit words away from the table can ruin relationships -- for instance, telling family members you aren't gambling with their savings when you really are.

Sadly, there even can be counterfeit Christians.  Some people who are turned off by God see them as hypocrites.  But here's the refreshing thing -- Jesus Christ saw through such people, too.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. - Matthew 6:5

God doesn't want people who are counterfeits.  He wants real people, who really live a godly life:

...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. - I Samuel 16:7b

If you're trying to win at poker through counterfeiting or cheating, please stop it.  If a top military official could be caught in the act, do you really think you can keep getting away with it?  And if you're living a counterfeit life, admit your falsehood and fakery to God in prayer.  Repent of it -- then starting living by the truth, as Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).

The Bigger They Are....

With all the attention being paid on the "November Nine" and the upcoming Main Event final table, you may have missed the fascinating story of a man who fell short.

Germany's Anton Morganstern was in the chip lead with 24 players remaining.  Yet he lost it all in a hurry and finished 20th -- as another man doubled up through him, not once but twice.

We don't know if Morganstern was overconfident about his chance; that would require mind-reading on our part.  But it's not the first time that a big leader has been humbled and brought down.  It happens in poker on a regular basis -- and it happened in the Bible:

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel.... "This day I defy the ranks of Israel!  Give me a man and let us fight each other." - I Samuel 17:8, 10

The story of David and Goliath is so classic and simple, you probably heard about it from childhood.  But you may have forgotten some key points of the story.  For instance, David says....

Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. - I Samuel 17:36 (see also verse 26)

David didn't take on the giant to promote himself.  He did it because Goliath was insulting God's armies.  In a way, David stood up for God:

This day the Lord will have you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.  Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. - I Samuel 17:46

God could have intervened to shut up Goliath; He did that with other blowhards in the Bible.  But in this case, God waited to see with the people of Israel would do -- and David did something.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands. - I Samuel 17:47

David only fought after someone threw down a challenge.  He didn't fight with much.  But God took David's "little" and knocked out someone big.  That can happen in poker, too.  We know, because we've been on both sides of the fight.

Read the entire 17th chapter of I Samuel, and ask where you fit.  Are you riding high, and acting too overconfident to have great success -- in poker or otherwise?  Are you a "short stack" ready to be used by God for a big purpose?  Keep in mind the man who chopped down Anton Morgenstern's big stack will sit at the Main Event final table in November -- while Morgenstern will not.

Punched Out

The big one has arrived - the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.  The tournament entered by all kinds of non-poker celebrities, perhaps only to say they did it once.

Perhaps the biggest noise so far came from a champion of UFC mixed martial arts.  Canada's Georges St. Pierre was sent packing on his first day at the tables -- and he admitted part of his problem is playing with discipline.

Have you played poker with "bullies" like that?  They're people who try to take over a table to prove, in the Spanish words of a TV judge, "quien es mas macho."  Sometimes they succeed.  But many times they fail.  It only proves a Bible reminder:

....Great strength by itself cannot keep a soldier safe.  In war the strength of a horse cannot be trusted to take you to safety. - Psalm 33:16-17 (CEV)

Some of the strongest "tough guys" in the Bible wound up weak, conquered and even killed.  Goliath ran into young David (I Samuel 17).  Samson was humbled by a woman named Delilah (Judges 16).  And let's be honest -- however muscular and strong you may be today, we're all likely to become weak and frail with time and years.

So where should you turn for real discipline?  We recommend a daily dose of reading from God's Word, the Bible.  For instance...

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight.... - Proverbs 1:1-2 (NIV)

The book of Proverbs is a great place to learn the mind of God.  But read it in a disciplined way, because some chapters can be packed with advice.  Ponder over a few verses at a time, and consider how they can apply to your life.  As you do, we pray you'll find....

A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength.... - Proverbs 24:5

Looking Like a Winner

If someone walked up to you and said, "Poker Player" - what sort of picture would come to mind?

Would you see someone wearing dark sunglasses, like Phil Hellmuth?  Or someone wearing goofy glasses, like Greg Raymer?

Would he wear a hoodie, a la Phil Laak?  Or a cowboy hat, a la Doyle Brunson?  (Or for that matter, would the "he" be a she?)

Despite the development of crazy-looking "character" players in the television age, there's no real stereotype of how a poker player should look.  He can have any skin color, gender, nationality or age.

We were reminded of that last week when a man in a wheelchair who barely seemed able to speak beat us in a hand.  He didn't wear glasses.  He didn't wear a hat.  He didn't even look like someone who would qualify for a "genius grant."  Yet he won a big pot -- in fact, several.

Players like that remind us of the words of Jesus Christ:

Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. - John 7:24 (KJV)

The Bible mentions a few strong men.  But Goliath was knocked cold by a stone flung by a young man named David (I Samuel 17).  And Samson succumbed to a persuasive woman, who talked him into revealing his secret of strength (Judges 16).  Instead, the true greatest hero of the Bible is Someone who...

....had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. - Isaiah 53:2

This chapter is a prophetic description of Jesus Christ.  And our Savior, every bit as much as that poker player in a wheelchair, is a reminder of the classic phrase, "Looks can be deceiving."  Come to think of it, they can be every bit as deceiving as someone slow-playing pocket Aces.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.... so that no one may boast before him.... - I Corinthians 1:27, 29

A Three-Letter Word

When we moved to the final table at Thursday night's poker tournament, it was an amazing contrast.  Our seat had women on either side of us.  To our right sat the woman holding a John 3:36 medallion, who recently lost a close relative.  To our left sat a woman with a very different perspective.

We showed the woman at our left a small bottle of shampoo, serving as our card protector.  "I brought this to remind me that Jesus can wash away my sins."

"Is gambling your sin?" she asked.

(Some ministers probably would jump to her side right there.  But we'd note we play in free or entry-fee poker tournaments almost all of the time, instead of cash games where "gambling" occurs with real money changing hands.)

"We all have sins," is how we responded to the woman.  We know this from the Bible:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.... - Romans 3:23

 "How would you define sin?  What does sin mean to you?" we asked the woman at our left.

Her answer was a bit philosophical - involving actions that are not virtuous or proper.  But then came the punch line: "But since I'm an atheist, it doesn't make any difference."

Wow - without realizing it, we'd already mentioned Jesus to an atheist.  And we learned what an atheist thinks about a word which religious people are likely to use, but the world at large tends to avoid.

But back to our question - how would you define sin?  In the church groups we attend, ministers tend to have a cut-and-dried answer:

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. - I John 3:4 (KJV)

Those ministers go on to define "law" as the breaking of God's Ten Commandments.  And yes, that's a definition of sin.  But if you search around the Scriptures, you'll discover it's not the definition of sin -- as there are many others.  Consider a couple of examples.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.  He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. - Deuteronomy 15:9

Review the Ten Commandments list in Deuteronomy 5, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything about giving to needy people.  Yet God says failing to give is a sin.  Here's one more....

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.  And I will teach you the way that is good and right. - I Samuel 12:23

Our understanding of "sin" goes beyond not killing other people or coveting their property.  As the earlier verse hinted, we're supposed to think in an outgoing way toward other people.  If we don't show concern for them (such as in prayer), that's sin as well.

We encourage you to find a Bible with a concordance (a list of words in the back, with verses showing were those words appear).  Look up the verses about "sin," and consider whether you've been lax in any of the ways it's described.

You may wind up feeling guilty and convicted - but in the process, you'll hopefully also discover the antidote for sin.  We'll get into that in a future post.

Poker Night 376: Color Me AQ-A

Call us scared if you wish, but we try to avoid driving on the night of New Year's Eve.  We take the warnings about drunk drivers seriously.  And since our usual Monday night poker stop is a bar, we had even more reason to be wary.  So we delayed our first live poker game this week to Wednesday.  Soho Bar and Grill has live bands, but we "faced the music" much earlier....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We won an early pot with a pocket pair and good betting.  But after a few misses, we start this hand in the Big Blind with 6,300 chips.  Several players at this table of six have shown a tendency to raise pre-flop, but no one does it here.  So we do: "500 more."  Our raise attracts about three callers.

ON THE FLOP: 9-Q-A

"Big Blind specials" don't come much better than this!  But as we recall, two of the flop cards had matching suits.  So we get right to work, making a continuation bet of 1,000.  The remaining players call.

ON THE TURN: K

That's potential trouble, in terms of someone making a straight.  But we decide to keep our foot on the proverbial gas pedal, until someone indicates otherwise.  We bet 2,000.  That's too much for two players, who fold.  A man across from us calls.

ON THE RIVER: A

This gives us a full house, and an easy play to make.  "I'm all in," we announce -- for "1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue."  (Call it a White House?!)

"Here's your chance to take him out, and get a bounty," a man to our immediate left recommends.  Bounty tournament rules are in effect, with a 5,000-chip reward for eliminating a player.  In fact, the man who made the suggestion wound up taking an astonishing four bounties in the first hour of play.

But our opponent has some doubts about that suggestion.  "I know he's got an Ace," he says.  After pondering the decision for several seconds, he folds.  Our chip stack doubles to more than 11,000.

"I want to see what you had," the man at our left says.

"No, that's OK," we tell him politely.  Always looking for new blog readers, you know.

Our stack stayed firm until late in the first hour, when we had Ace of clubs and saw three clubs on the flop.  Chasing the flush cost us 4,000 chips -- but we missed.  That left us with 5,800 at the break.  Then in Hour 2, we saw A-J of hearts and decided to go all in again.  But the board didn't pair, and a man made a pair of 6's to knock us out.  We begin 2013 with an 18th-place finish.

MINISTRY MOMENT: For the first time in a long time, we brought our "Jesus as your Savior" coin for a card protector.  The young man to our immediate left said he agreed with the message.

"Is Jesus your Savior?" we asked.  The man said He was.  "What's He done for you lately?"

"I'm here," the man said.  "It's 2013, and I'm here."

That's a simple way to look at it -- but an accurate way:

The God who made the world and everything in it.... is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.... For in him we live and move and have our being. - Acts 17:24-25, 28

To borrow a quote from the last U.S. Presidential race: if you have eyes to read this blog, you didn't build that.  You might have the technical skill to build a computer for showing this screen, but human eyes are a testimony of God's amazing creation.  So is your life.

The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. - I Samuel 2:6

Even that far back in Old Testament times, some believers in God (in this case a woman named Hannah) seemed to have an understanding of a coming resurrection.  Revelation 20 provides details of how that process will work.  Read it carefully and ask yourself: have you secured a place in the "first resurrection," by giving your life totally to God?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 130 final tables in 376 nights (34.6%) - 20 cashes.

Poker Night 360: When Kings Go to Battle

Chris Berman noted during tonight's Monday Night Countdown second place on Election Day used to reward a U.S. Presidential candidate with the title of Vice President.  These days it doesn't.  Second place in a poker tournament might gain you a nice payday.  But what if you start somewhere around 22nd?  We face that every week at The Red Barn, so we need every big-name endorsement we can find....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: K-K

A soda purchase gave us 2,000 extra chips, to start at 7,000.  But other players pay more to begin with 30,000 or more -- so careful play matters to us.  This high pocket pair in the is our best chance to make a move.  And a player ahead of us helps, by raising to 400.

"One-thousand more," we announce when our turn comes.  Three players call -- and we know from experience some of them could be speculating with iffy hands, because they can afford it.

ON THE FLOP: 3-5-9

We have the overpair, and we plan to exploit it.  When the play checks to us, we bet 1,000 again.  Two of our three opponents call.

ON THE TURN: 9

This puts a troublesome pair on the board, but we don't want to look weak.  We bet 1,000 more.  The two challengers call again.

ON THE RIVER: 8

We're now ready to hit the brakes, because we're wondering what our opponents are doing.  A man across from us checks -- and this time we check.  But a young man to our left tosses in 5,000!

"I have to call," says the man across from us.

Ooh boy.  We don't have 5,000 -- our stack is more like 3,150.

"I've got nothing, man."  Hmmm -- the young man to our left may have given us a huge clue.  He holds his cards up and out, like he'll fold any second.

"Are you going to call?"  asks the other man.

"I'm thinking about it," we answer -- and we mean it.  Our concern is that he has a 9 for a winning three of a kind.  After a moment, we decide.

"I'm going to fold."

So does the young man who acted like he would.  The pot-winner then turns over pocket Jacks!  We don't show our cards, but we guessed wrong and lost a big gain.

We tried again a few minutes later with A-K, and a man forced us all-in on the flop.  But he also had A-K, so we gained some chips back.  Then J-10 turned into top two pair on the river, and we were back above the starting level at 7,350.

But after the one-hour break, our attempts to get in small with semi-promising hands were beaten down by large pre-flop raises.  We finally went all-in again with A-7, and were happy to see an Ace on the flop.  But an 8 on the river gave a man with A-8 two pair, and turned our happiness into disappointment.  We left in a lowly 18th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Happy Election Eve, everybody," we said when it was our turn to shuffle and deal the cards.

"Who do you want to win?" a man to our left asked.

"I'm not even registered to vote," we answered.

The man took that as a dodge of his question.  "Who do you want to win?"

"I gave my vote to a higher authority a long time ago," we explained.  "I'm letting God put the right people in office, because He's a lot wiser than I am."

Surprised?  We belong to a church association which preaches not getting involved in the politics of this world.  Even though we know a longtime member of our congregation who's told us of plans to vote, the official "party line" of our denomination is against it.  Why?

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning." - Daniel 2:19-21

For years we understood this to mean God decides the rulers who are in authority -- whether they be kings, queens, the U.S. President or even your boss in the workplace.  But our pastor has changed that explanation since Barack Obama became President.  He's indicated God steps aside and lets the U.S. population have what it wants and deserves.  (The pastor has left little doubt he's pro-Republican.)

The thinking behind this goes all the way back to the first king of Israel....

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.  They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have...." And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." - I Samuel 8:4-7

Believe it or not, God didn't really want a "republic" or a "democracy" government.  He wanted to rule the people through prophets He appointed.  Admittedly, changing to that method today would cause all sorts of problems -- because all sorts of people claim to be "prophets" of God, sometimes teaching different things.

If you'd like to look further into this, review the magazine article we've been using for Bible study in this election season.  In the meantime, we leave you with this U.S. election riddle -- which stumped the Tournament Director when we asked it tonight:

Q.  What is the Republican Party's favorite book of the Bible in this election?

A. Deuter-Romney!

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 124 final tables in 360 nights (34.4%) - 19 cashes.

Howl-No-We Won't Go

"Are we having poker here next Wednesday night?" we asked the Tournament Director last Wednesday at Soho Bar and Grill.  We had noticed a sign on the door the Director had not, promoting a cover-charge Halloween party at the club.

It turns out Soho's party will override live poker tonight.  That's too bad, because we wanted a place to escape from the crowds of Halloween-keepers -- from children begging for candy to grown-ups acting like children with scary costumes.

The essence of Halloween involves things such as witchcraft, haunted houses and zombies - things which lean away from God, and toward God's arch-enemy.

The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. - Revelation 12:9

Read the verses around that one, and you'll find Satan lost a "war in heaven" against angels (verse 7).  The devil's dream from ages past (we don't really know how long ago) is to usurp God.  Note these words from God....

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God... I will make myself like the Most High." - Isaiah 14:13-14

God did not allow that (verse 15) - yet Satan has been looking for a following on Earth ever since.  Maybe you've joined Satan's ranks, without realizing it.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - II Corinthians 4:4

Demonic influences are frequently connected to Satan -- and Jesus had several encounters with demon-possessed people.  But in a recent Bible study, we were surprised to learn that's not always the case:

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from [King] Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.  Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you." - I Samuel 16:14-15

Huh?!  An evil spirit from the Lord?  Yes, the Bible indicates Saul's servants had it right.  You can read another example of God sending evil spirits in Judges 9:22-24 -- in both cases sent in punishment for a leader's sins.

So if you're bogged down in sin or overzealous for things of "the dark side," this might be a day to avoid feeding that habit -- and even break free from it.  The devil has nothing worth celebrating.

Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

Do the Hustle? 2

In an earlier post, we talked about playing in a qualifying tournament to win a seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event - a seat sponsored by Larry Flynt's Hustler Casino. As we kept playing, a thought came to our mind....

Me: If we win the seat, do we have to wear his casino logo?
Taek1: as long as hes giving away free money hes good in my books
ChipSmugler: right I think you will
Dealer: Taek1 wins Main Pot ($11220) with Two pair, jacks and sevens
ChipSmugler: family be real proud winning the Main Event with Hustler all over yalol
Me: Yeah I know.

Professional poker players wear website sponsored all over their shirts and hats. The thought of promoting something involving Larry Flynt isn't very appealing to us -- even though the Bible says:

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." - I Samuel 16:7b

Not everyone you see walking into a bar is an alcoholic. We could be walking inside to win money at poker, and do some ministry in the process. But there's another argument from Scripture which could be made here....

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:21-22 (KJV)

We've understood this for decades to mean you shouldn't do anything which might give the impression to others that you're sinning. But after checking other translations and the Greek meaning of "appearance" as we write this, we're coming to a different conclusion. It's our eyes being discussed in this verse -- we shouldn't be looking on evil, as it might tempt us.

When we reached the final tables at Soho Bar and Grill the other night, we happened to sit with our back to a computer screen where people were looking at "soft porn" photos. We thank God for sitting where we did! This leads to one more comment from the chat....

Taek1: gambling is just as bad as pornso who cares

When it comes to sin, that player has a good point.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. - James 2:10

As some "church folks" like to put it: sin is sin is sin. You're equally guilty before God if you're a mass murderer or a neighborhood gossip.

We wound up 23rd in this tournament out of 243 players; the top ten qualified for the final tournament to win a Main Event seat. Yet as we consider all this, we're admittedly not comfortable trying to win this seat if it means being connected with Larry Flynt. Other contests may have less "baggage"; then again, they might actually have more.

The Buddy System?

"Are you going to fold?" the man to our right asked quietly at a recent poker night.

"I haven't even looked yet," we answered. We sat in the big blind, with the questioner in the small blind -- and somewhere along the way, we learned it's proper poker etiquette not to look at your cards until it's your turn.

Someone to our left had pushed all-in before the flop with a lot of chips. Mr. Small Blind told us he was going to fold if we called, but he was ready to call if we stayed out of the hand.

On the one hand, this might be considered a compliment -- that the man respected us enough to ask about our plans. (Or perhaps he trusted us to play only quality hands.)

But on the other hand, this struck us as a moment of cheating. Why should we share privileged information with one player, and not the others at the table?

The Old Testament prophet Amos scolded well-to-do Israelites who acted unethically.... "skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales" (Amos 8:5). Before Samuel retired from leadership, he made the people of Israel publicly declare he had not "cheated or oppressed us" (I Samuel 12:3-4). We try to operate the same way -- in day-to-day living, as well as poker.

If a director or dealer in a major tournament had caught that man asking us such a question, the man probably would have been punished on the spot -- perhaps even ordered to leave the table.

So what did we do in this free game? We tried to deflect the question with humor. "You're an adult now," we told Mr. Small Blind in a quiet mother-knows-best tone. "You can make your own decisions."

That man wound up folding -- and when we saw 4-2 in the Big Blind, we did as well. The man was annoyed with us. But when the hand played out, he admitted his cards would have lost the pot.

So by not playing along with a potential cheater, we actually saved him at least 1,000 chips. He didn't really thank us, though. Certainly not in a loud voice.