Poker Day 580: Seven-Ups

"Welcome to the final table," the dealer told our table of ten today. It brought a laugh from a few of us - because it came so early, in only the second round of blinds.

That's what happens when yo play poker on a Tuesday morning at Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio. We were there because we needed to make a return trip to Ontario, where we played poker on Canada Day weekend. This casino is handily located at an exit to Interstate 75. And compared to our home area, the buy-in is cheap at $60.

The daytime tournaments advertise a "guaranteed $1,000" prize pool. But we found out the guarantee only is in effect if 12 players show up by game time. On this day, there were only eight - which eventually increased to ten, but still led to a very early merge of tables. Who would emerge from this?

BLINDS: 200/400/50 ante

IN THE POCKET: 7-7

Everyone receives 8,000 chips to begin. We've won enough modest pots to linger around sea level, but ended the first 80-minute period at 6,850. Now we're down to about 5,800 with rising blinds, and we're looking for good cards.

A woman across the full table goes all-in, with only 475 left. A man to our immediate right calls. With a pocket pair, it's not too expensive to give it a try - so we call as well.

ON THE FLOP: 3-5-7

Yes - there it is! Three sevens could bring a big payoff - but the man to our right bets 1,000. Could he possibly be in this hand with 4-6 for a straight? We're really not sure, but call anyway. Everyone else is out of the hand, except the woman who pushed.

ON THE TURN: 8

The man to the right offers 1,000 more. Now we really wonder if we're being played for a fool, but we can't back away from this. We call again.

ON THE RIVER: Q

"How much do you have left?" our male opponent asks. Uh-oh.... we show about 3,725. "Put you all-in," he then says.

"I have to call," we respond. Now he must show - and he turns over two red Kings!

"Jackpot!" we declare. Three sevens do well at old-fashioned slot machines - and they win here for us. The woman who pushed couldn't beat us (we never saw exactly what she had), and we knock her out while climbing to more than 13,200 chips!

That put us on the highest ground of the day. But minutes later, the man to our right went all-in again.... and we had pocket Aces! We called for 8,425, and he only has pocket Queens. But wouldn't you know it - he hit a Queen on the flop for three of a kind! Our Aces lost for the second time in five days.

We never recovered from that big loss, and finally pushed with A-6 of clubs. A man with K-Q made a Queen on the flop, and that was good enough. On a day with 11 total players (one was "in reserve" after the first break). we get a final table - but a disappointing finish in ninth.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "God!" the player to our right said when he faced a big early decision.

"He's good," we said quietly to him. "All the time. And all the time, God is good."

"Please refrain from talking during hands," the dealer scolded us.

We understood, but the player to our immediate left spoke up. "He wasn't talking about the hand. He was stating his belief in a higher power."

We thanked that man after the hand for speaking up in our behalf. We had no clue what the man to our right had. We simply responded to his exclamation, with words of faith - albeit a "church cliché."

For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. - Psalm  100:5

The problem with that verse is that sometimes God doesn't seem to be good to us. It certainly didn't feel good to have pocket Aces cracked for the second time in five days. At those moments, we (and perhaps you) need to remember....

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

There may be more to God's planning and timing than you can see right away. As hard as it can be at times, we need to trust His plans - especially in the long-term:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

This message was for a people living in exile (verse 4). But deep-down, we're all "strangers and pilgrims" on this Earth (I Peter 2:11, KJV). The believer's hope is the Jesus Christ will return, sparking a resurrection to a future eternal life. That indeed will be good - for all time.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 222 final tables in 580 games (38.3%) - 48 cashes.

A Different Sort of FOLD

In this age of text message shorthand, you may have heard of FOMO - the "fear of missing out." We'd like to create a new one for poker. It's FOLD - "fear of losing dollars."

We're inspired by an online column by poker millionaire Jonathan Little. He explained the proper mindset poker players should have. In part....

Learning to think in terms of equity (instead of dollars) is a great way to conquer the fear of losing money.... You must accept that you will win and lose pots when you play poker.

In some cases, the FOLD is logical. If you have 7-2 offsuit, that's not statistically likely to turn into a winning hand. But when you have something like J-J or 10-10, the walk becomes more unbalanced. A big bet by other players (whether they have something or not) could make you wary and lead to FOLD.

In short, poker is a game with no guarantees. If you develop a serious case of FOLD, you're not likely to do well. We need a different mindset - one that we think is downright godly:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

Trust completely in your own skills, and you set yourself up for failure. It's far better to put your trust in a God whose plan never fails.

Yes, "heat" will come - perhaps from aggressive bettors who want to test your courage. But if you accept the fact that drought sometimes will happen and stay close to God in those times, fruitful times will follow.

Some Christians are marking an example of this today. They consider it "Palm Sunday," when Jesus entered Jerusalem five days before the "Passover" festival week (John 12:1, 12). He arrived knowing He would be arrested, bloodied and killed five days later. Yet consider how Jesus faced it....

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

Jesus could have FOLD-ed - with the "D" here standing for His divinity. Yet He did not. In a restless moment of tense anticipation, He accepted God's will. Many of His disciples reacted differently - and Jesus was not surprised by that.

"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'".... Then everyone deserted him and fled. - Mark 14:27, 50

Jesus put His life all in - putting His confidence in a Father who could resurrect Him. Days later, it happened. His disciples didn't understand until after it happened. Whose example is better for you to follow, when things in life become uncertain? The FOLD way - or the faith way?

Remember As You Play....

...Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. - Ephesians 4:22 (New Living Translation)

Poker players like to joke during tournaments about how "truthful" they are. The real truth is that sometimes, players resort to deceptive moves to win pots. We did something like that, with an all-in moment in our last tournament. A man did it several times to Phil Hellmuth at this year's World Series of Poker Main Event, leading to one of Hellmuth's most famous rants in years.

Does the verse we quoted mean poker players should end all that? Not necessarily. The New International Version translates the last part by saying, "Your old self.... is being corrupted by its deceitful desires." The desire is deceitful, more than the person or his actions - although the two certainly can combine:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9

What does your heart desire, when you play poker? If it's simply a good time with friends or an entertaining evening, that's one thing. But if you're hungry for money or fame, be careful....

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. - Ecclesiastes 5:10

Some things really are worth desiring - and they're things which require no deception at all. In fact, they depend on you being truthful.

Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. - Hebrews 13:18

That desirable life can lead to eternal life in God's kingdom - but it depends on having a "clear conscience." Have you checked yours lately? Are you really living a life that God would accept - in the poker room, as well as outside it?

Noallah for You?

Players in online poker sites have all kinds of unusual names. A few days ago at Poker Stars, we were joined by someone named "Noallah." With a name like that, we eventually had to ask in the chat....

flopblogger: Noallah, can't resist asking.... are you a Chrjstian?
flopblogger: (based on your name)
Dealer: babycakes317, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
Dealer: tenslover210 has a pair of Threes
Dealer: babycakes317 has a pair of Threes - Ace+Queen kicker
Dealer: Hand #179390821428: babycakes317 wins pot (1,701)with a pair of Threes - Ace+Queen kicker
tenslover210: I thought same thing....

We mistyped "Christian" - but do you see why we asked? That name can be divided into "No Allah" - as in someone who opposes Islam.

Noallah said nothing in response. But someone at the table dug deeper - someone with Poker Stars features we don't have:

tenslover210: flopblogger: based on picture maybe just apolitical statement
tenslover210: Christians can like chimps and smoke but scarypic.

A lot of people in the U.S. have turned against Islam since the September 11, 2001 attacks. But we think it's too broad a brush to conclude all Muslims are terrorists. That's like saying all poker players are smokers and drinkers, based on a Poker Stars icon.

Do (or should) Muslims play poker? We'd never considered that question, so we went to a website which answers such issues about Islam:

If this game is played for money, then it is gambling which is haraam [highly prohibited sin]....

If it is not played for money, it is still haraam according to a number of scholars, because it is akin to dice in its dependence on conjecture and guesswork.... 

So devout Muslims and many devout Christians have at least one thing in common: gambling is wrong.

But based on the website's answer, we'd ask: Is not anything in our lives gambling? Consider....

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, do you not even know what will happen tomorrow? What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - James 2:13-14

Based on these verses, people who announce their long-range plans should be equally guilty of "conjecture." They're making guesses about what the future holds for them. But they may be leaving Someone out of the planning:

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." - James 2:15

God can change our plans in many ways. It could be through sickness or a nature-related disaster. We don't think these verses mean planning is wrong. But we should take our plans before God in prayer - because He might have something better in mind.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

By the way, the Bible's long-range plan shows Christianity will be proven right....

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

So to answer the question in our title: Others can have Allah if they choose - but Jesus someday will claim everyone's chips. And attention. And worship.

Gimme Some Kind of Sign

If poker was like a TV game show (and some TV game shows have been poker-based), the atmosphere would be much different. The players would look to the audience for advice. The crowd would shout "CALL!" or "FOLD!" And peppy band music would play when someone takes a big pot - or maybe buzzers sounding when someone acts out of turn.

But most poker rooms don't work that way. In fact, we can't think of any. Not even online. So players are on their own to make big decisions - and many look for every tiny bit of help they can find.

As we suggested in a recent post, let's consider how to get "messages from above" - in poker or elsewhere. At the table, veteran players try to "read" their opponent. They might ask questions, while looking for gestures from the face or body to give away what they're facing.

A former boss advised us when it came to making decisions on the job, our "gut" would tell us the right thing to do. We admittedly disagreed with that approach:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

Yet we also must admit we heard from that same boss many times about wrong decisions we made - even when we prayed for God's wisdom to guide us in the course of a work day. How could that happen? Perhaps the answer is in another part of the Bible:

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:9

The boss usually was thinking on an "earthy" level. God wants us to think higher - and look to Him.

So how do we do that in poker? Our years at the table have shown we don't always get reads right. (Then again, does anybody?) But in key moments, we've tried to listen for a prompting - one that no one may be able to hear.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

Some say this verse really applies to the coming Kingdom of God which Jesus Christ will bring to Earth. But sometimes we think God has prompted us to make certain moves which have turned out for our good. And yes, we have Scripture to back up such an idea:

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - I Kings 19:12

This chapter is about how God encouraged Elijah when he was fearful and on the run. God spoke with "a still small voice," as one Bible translation puts it. That's what we try to hear when we're playing poker.

Sometimes that voice comes through. Sometimes it doesn't. And if we hear it wrong, we do not blame God. We know better than that. We simply ask Him for wisdom to better understand the message next time.

So we end by asking: Are you listening for God's voice in your life - at all? He might have something important to tell you.

Poker Day 486: Straight-Way

Does a rainy day keep the poker players away? We found out Friday at Kansas Star Casino it did not. In fact, we arrived ten minutes before the scheduled noon time and found ourselves #2 on a waiting list.

It took more than 30 minutes for two players to be knocked out from five full tables. That meant we had to make up for lost time....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 10-J offsuit

These are the cards that greeted us as soon as we sat down. Sitting in the leadoff position, the fact that they were fairly high and connected persuades us to enter small. No one raises, and about six players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 7-8-9

Talk about a friendly dealer! We hit a straight right off the bat! But when our turn comes, we check to see if someone else will jump. Sure enough - a man down the table goes all-in for 1,125! AND....

"Might as well gamble a little," says the Big Blind as he calls. Of course we also call, trying not to smile.

ON THE TURN: 9

The board pairs, and we don't really mind that. The Big Blind checks, and we remember his words.

"If you want to gamble.... how about 1,000 more?"

Not for that much; he folds. Now the all-in man shows 9-A. He's made three of a kind, and he has a 25-percent chance of topping us.

ON THE RIVER: 3

Thankfully for us, the board doesn't pair. He's out, and we're right in right away with about 6,000 chips.

"Welcome to the table!" a man at the other end says. We give credit to the dealer, of course.

We won a few more pots after that, and approached the 7,000 chip mark. But amazingly, it all started draining away as small probes missed. We still had 5,500 at the first break, but we lost a big pot to a man we thought was bluffing three of a kind (he wasn't). Then when we went all-in for our 1,600 with K-Q, a woman with 9-9 turned it into a 9's-and-Aces full house. What could have been a big day ended for us with a lowly 36th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One hand which cost us chips found us playing 2-2. Three 7's showed up on the board, yet the betting was small and cautious. We made a full house - but lost to a man with pocket 3's!

"Great minds think alike," we joked. "He thought a little bit bigger." Then we found a reason to go deeper. "But there's Someone whose thoughts are higher than all of our thoughts," we said to no one in particular.

That line got no takers. But as you might guess, it's a line from the Bible:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. - Isaiah 55:8

This can refer to far more than 3's vs. 2's. It can refer to thinking overall - and our thinking tends to focus on physically, earthly things.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:9

God wants us to think bigger. Bigger than the next hand, next round of blinds, or even next tournament. God thinks in an eternal way.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

The real hope and future for us are beyond this life - as Jesus Christ is preparing a Kingdom which He will bring to this Earth. God wants you to be a part of that, receiving the gift of eternal life. Are you turning away from ungodly, sinful thoughts and ways so you can join in?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 180 final tables in 486 games (37.0%) - 35 cashes.

The Drought of 2016

We live in a state that's had a weather-related drought in recent years - but certainly not this year. More than seven inches of rain have fallen on our city already in July.

But 2016 is turning into a drought year, in terms of poker opportunities. We chronicled the police shutdown of local poker rooms early in the year. Then we mentioned a tribal casino giving up poker. And now we've learned a state-sanctioned casino has stopped its poker tournaments as well - in Dodge City, of all places.

An operator at Boot Hill Casino told us Wednesday night a "Three-Card Poker" tournament (a very different game) is planned there in August. But otherwise, the poker room with its five tables apparently is only for cash games now. If that's your preference, that's fine. But we tend to do better in tournaments - and they're drying up.

On top of that, our searching found a different tribal casino in northeast Kansas has closed its poker room. So to our knowledge, there are now only three places in our state offering legitimate poker tournaments: Yvie's once a week for free, along with casinos in the Kansas City and Wichita areas.

Could it be that the "poker craze" is waning? Casino tournaments we visit still tend to be full. But some of the neighborhood poker rooms we visited before they closed could be empty places at times.

Could you cope with a lack of in-person poker? We probably could - by playing online when time permits, or even applying this principle:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water.... It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

We existed well for more than 45 years, hardly playing any poker at all. And if all the doors close for playing it again, we still could thank God for the years of opportunity and occasional success.

...The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. - Job 1:21b

It's easy to thank God when your poker games are going well - although ironically, some ministers say that's when we're least likely to be thankful. But when doors are sliding shut and opportunities are few, we should be thankful nonetheless for what God provides.

The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. - Isaiah 43:20-21

So if the neighborhood poker games are in a drought, or if your personal game is in a dry spell, thank God anyway. After all, showers of blessing may come when you least expect them.

Gut's Shot

We like to say poker hands sometimes teach life lessons.  Other poker players apparently agree - because one-time WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem is offering "eight poker tips" for "all walks of life."

His third point makes us squirm a little bit, because Hachem advises: "Trust your gut."

Sometimes the numbers lead in one direction but your gut is telling you something else. Personally, I find that if I listen to my gut – whether it’s in business, poker or life — I’m usually on the money.

Yet later at point seven, Hachem warns: "Emotions are the enemy"....

In poker, it’s important to stick with your principles and not let your emotions take over.

We're left to wonder what the difference is between the gut and the emotions.  In any case, our Bible advises this....

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

The Bible doesn't have the word "gut" in it.  But we think the heart is about on that level -- and following it can lead you into bad situations.

The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. - Ecclesiastes 9:3b

These are tough words.  But the Bible also says there's hope for our hearts, if we ask for it:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. - Psalm 51:10

A pure heart is one guided by God's Holy Spirit.  It's a voice you can hear (Psalm 95:7) - but it starts by "listening" to God by receiving guidance from His word, the Bible.  Remember it, and heed it.  Then you'll be following another of Joe Hachem's points for success - to "know your game plan."

Friday Night Lights

The setting seemed strange -- and for us, it certainly was.  We sat at a blackjack table at a casino, well after sundown on a Friday night.  No one had dragged us there against our will.  We'd made the decision to go.

But we should start at the beginning.  Last Friday was Valentine's Day, and the church movement we attend has taught for many years the "holiday" is wrong.  It's based on pagan Roman traditions, as opposed to the Bible....

Thus says the Lord. Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. - Jeremiah 10:2 (KJV)

Yet in recent years, the church association we attend has taken this view of Valentine's to what we considered an extreme.  An article posted last winter was moved up to the association's top-level magazine this year.  It says....

What about showing love on Valentine's Day if I'm not doing it for pagan reasons? Isn't that okay? No, because the expression of that kind of "love" is still rooted in a former pagan holiday. True Christians must not adopt pagan festivals as holidays, for they are to strive to please God in everything they do.

Based on this paragraph, any display of love on February 14 is wrong.  And it continues....

It's a good thing to express your love toward others through a card, flowers, dinner out or any number of other ways. But don't do it under the trappings of a pagan holiday like Valentine's Day!

So with this instruction in mind, we try hard not to love people on Valentine's Day.  This year we sounded gruff at work -- even shouting in frustration at one point.  We grunted or mumbled when we met people, as opposed to saying friendly such as "Hello."

But this year was different, because the night of February 14 included the start of God's seventh-day Sabbath:

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.... the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. - Exodus 20:8-11

If it's wrong to express love toward others on February 14, we said to ourselves, shouldn't it be equally wrong to express love toward God on that day?  After all....

This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome.... - I John 5:3

So, we logically concluded, it's wrong to love God on February 14.  We responded by not praying on that day, studying our Bible or listening to Christian radio.  And as a 6:08 p.m. sunset approached for Sabbath, here's what we did:

5:55 p.m.: We exercised with a two-lap 24-minute speed-walk at a relatively empty mall.  With no socks on, a big blister developed on our left foot which made us limp a little the rest of the night -- but then again, we shouldn't love ourselves on Valentine's either, right?

6:30 p.m.: With a loud rock station playing on our car radio, we went to an ATM and withdrew $100 -- the sort of money-handling we'd normally do on Friday afternoon.

6:35 p.m.: We drove toward the casino south of town -- but had to change the radio station when it cleverly followed the song Deal With the Devil with Living On a Prayer.  We moved to a Spanish-language station - wary of any song with too much "amor."

7:00 p.m.: We "limped in" (literally) at the casino and entered without problems.  A big crowd was on hand -- with an especially long line for the buffet restaurant.

We walked slowly around, especially looking for the "heads-up" poker machine we'd played at another casino the previous weekend.  But it wasn't in the small area with poker machines, so we concluded this casino didn't have it.  After pondering what to do, we sat down at an Ultimate Texas Hold 'em table (barely acknowledging the dealer) to see what would happen.

BLINDS: 10 (+ 10 ante)

IN THE POCKET: J-3 of clubs

We had an early small win, but this is nothing to get enthusiastic about.  We simply check.

ON THE FLOP: Jd-9d-7d

Wrong suit -- right top card!  It's worth a "double down" $20 bet, freezing our hand.

ON THE TURN/RIVER: 7x-6d

Uh-oh -- a fourth diamond hit the board.  We have two pair, but if the dealer has a diamond, we're sunk.

After a last round of betting, the dealer does not show a diamond.  Instead he shows.... 7-5.  That's three of a kind, and we're sunk anyway.

Another loss left us with $30 from our starting $100 -- barely enough to play another hand at the $10 table.  So we left there and walked around some more....

(NOTE: This entry will continue in a future post.)

Poker Day 415: One Card Too Many?

Even though the name has changed, the first Sunday of every month remains the "Big Sunday" at River City Poker Room -- with a $50 buy-in, and a shot at a $1,000 top prize.  Still stinging over our big casino loss, we wondered if this might be a "third chance" to refill our envelope.  Tests would come early, even though blinds were lengthy and small at first:

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Q-5 of clubs (suit may not be precise)

The tables are full, but the action at ours has been relatively tight so far.  We've tried to be active and play sensible hands, but our starting start of 20,000 has dropped by about 3,000.  Our notes don't show the suit of these cards -- but we assume they were suited, because we'd like to get in for the minimum in the Dealer position.  Except a woman in the Big Blind raises to 700.

"You realize it's only 200," we jokingly suggest.

"She wants your 200," the man in the Small Blind answers in her behalf.  Clearly.  So we call, and about half the table is in.

"Now she wants your 700," Mr. Small Blind notes.

ON THE FLOP: Q-5-3

She may want it, but this flop could make it hard to get it.  We have top two pair.  The table checks, but we don't.

"All right, then, we say - and bet 1,000.  The woman folds -- but then comes a surprise from a man across the table.  He raises all the way to 5,000.  This gives us a pause.  But we conclude he only has one pair - certainly not something like 3-3.  We call.  Everyone else steps aside.

ON THE TURN: 4

There's no flush threat showing.  But our opponent now fires again, betting 5,000 more.  Now we're concluding he has pocket Aces.  But if he does, we're still ahead.  It's a "lump in your throat" moment, but we call this big bet again.

ON THE RIVER: 2

This is absolutely the last thing we want to see.  If our opponent has an Ace, he just hit a straight -- and if he bets big again, we might face an early all-in moment of truth.

He thinks for a moment, then does something which happily surprises us.  He checks.  We check as well.

"Two pair," he says -- showing 2-4.  He made running pairs, but misses the open-ended straight draw.  We show our Q-5, and are thankful!  The lack of an Ace wins us a huge pot -- and we're well above the starting line, at 28,100 chips.

Our day went up and down that way -- a few good pot wins, a few losses.  The wins outnumbered the losses to the point that we reached a high of 52,000 chips.  But rising blinds and shrinking tables eventually did us in.  After a couple of all-in escapes, we tried again with A-10 -- but ran into Q-Q.  The board didn't save us, and we finished close to the semifinal table in 18th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A-K in the Big Blind brought us a "double-up" late in the tournament, which kept us around a few extra minutes.

"PTL!  I'd write if I was online right now," we said to the table.

"What does PTL mean?" the dealer asked.  We're glad she asked.

"Praise the Lord," we said.

Look through the Psalms of the Bible, and you'll find all sorts of reasons to praise God.  For instance:

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. - Psalm 16:7

Uh-oh -- we have to treat this verse with care.  God can provide counsel, if we study His Word and listen carefully to people who preach and teach it.  But what about David's heart in this case?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

We think Jeremiah is speaking in general terms here about the human condition.  So should David have followed the instruction of his heart?  Not always -- because at times he committed serious sinful mistakes, such as lusting after another man's wife and having that man killed to claim her as his own (II Samuel 11).

So how do you know when your heart is talking, as opposed to the counsel of God?  This can matter at poker tables, as well as other places.  Offer a comment if you'd like; we'll look at this more deeply in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 145 final tables in 415 games (34.9%) - 24 cashes.

Mr. Know-It-All

Playing cards are a vital part of any poker game.  But sometimes for certain people, they can turn into a sort of magic show.

"Nine," someone might say before a turn card comes out -- and lo and behold, it's a 9.  We don't know how they do it.  But we know of someone who lost his job for doing it the other day.  And of all places, it happened during the World Series of Poker.

Mike Sowers tells CardPlayer.com he went all in with three 9's.  With three hearts showing on the flop, the dealer said: "Sorry man, bad beat."  Then the dealer flipped over a fourth heart on the turn, giving another player a winning flush to eliminate Sowers.

What did the dealer know?  Apparently too much -- because he reportedly admitted to not shuffling the cards.  The dealer apparently wound up fired, while Sowers received a refund of his buy-in.

One question lingers from this strange story -- why didn't the players at the table notice the dealer's actions?  Didn't anyone realize he hadn't shuffled the cards?  Perhaps there's a lesson here for all of us:

This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord." - Jeremiah 17:5

We'll focus on the first part of this verse for now.  Alert poker players always watch for people not playing by the rules or taking shortcuts.  Perhaps we should even watch supposedly "neutral" dealers in poker rooms, too.

Eventually humans will let you down because, well, they're only human.  For a better answer, we recommend....

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. - Jeremiah 17:7

Telling It Like It Is

We aren't playing much online poker these days (although an upcoming schedule change could allow more).  But one opponent we've met over the years has the screen name "FloodofSins."  One recent day at National League of Poker, he was eliminated....

Dealer: 　mks wins Main Pot ($3,400) with Two pair, aces and fours
Me: 　Sins purged. :-)
kingkupkake: 　its a confessional
Me: 　I confess....
Me: 　I have no pair here. :-)
We wrote that final line during the following hand -- and we told the truth; we had no reason staying there long.  But that word "confessional" started an interesting conversation.  We'd ask you first: are you a confessor?

Plenty of people keep their poker hands secret, both when they fold and when they win before a showdown.  The general rule is that you don't have to show your cards unless a showdown requires it.  To have a relationship with God, that won't work at all.  For starters....

"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord.  "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 23:24

You can try running from God.  The prophet Jonah did, in the first chapter of the book named after him.  But Jonah quickly realized he can't hide.  God can see everything we do -- even the sins you think you're hiding from everyone on Earth.

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. - Proverbs 28:13

This sort of confessing can work on many levels.  If you do something which upsets another poker player, going to that player with a humble apology can heal a damaged relationship.  That can be true in our dealings with God as well:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

The "he" in this case refers to God.  There may be times when you need to confess your faults to other people (James 5:16) - but only God can ultimately forgive sins, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - I Timothy 2:5

Our online chat will continue in a future post.

Poker Night 396: Donuts for Dollars

A couple of weekends ago, we sat inside a McDonald's restaurant eating dinner when a surprise occurred.  Two children walked in, holding boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts -- and they proceeded to ask us to buy some.  We openly asked if that was allowed.  They said yes, but took our hint and moved on.

"Krispy Kremes" are welcome in a poker room -- but sometimes they can lead to a meltdown.  So here's what we did with them tonight at The Red Barn....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: King of clubs - King of spades

Good cards have been scarce for us so far, so we've only tested the water in a couple of hands.  We're already at a semifinal table on a three-table night, and start this hand with 4,975 chips.  Sitting one behind the dealer, no one raises ahead of us.  So it's time to move.

"Raise - 1,000."

At a table where players have bought food, drinks and jukebox songs worth tens of thousands, this is a modest inconvenience.  Several players call.

ON THE FLOP: Qh-4h-Kh

A third King comes -- but so does big trouble.  Three hearts open the door for a flush.  Thankfully, the players check ahead of us again.  So it's time to make a bigger move -- as in throwing a block.

"All in for 3,975."

The response isn't exactly what we want.  Not one, but three players call.  We're concerned.

ON THE TURN: 6c

Good.  The three players who still can bet all check.  But keep in mind, the chances of hitting a flush on the river card are slightly higher than on the turn (19.6 versus 19.1 percent).

ON THE RIVER: 8s

So now we can relax?  The table checks again.

"Show me your Aces," a player across from us says.

"Nope, I have three Kings."

"I was chasing a flush," that man admits.  He shows the 10 of hearts, but he has nothing else!  We make a massive gain, to 22,900.

 The cards improved a bit after that, but our success with them came and went.  A-K brought us a gain in the second hour, when a King came on the flop.  But then we missed with A-K and A-Q, and had to fold to potentially bankrupting bets.  We finally did push with A-8 of clubs, but the board didn't pair and a man to our left made a flush.  Our hopes were dashed again, finishing in 13th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Thank GAWWW-D for a three!" a woman said next to us after a hand.  The 3 on the river secured her a higher straight and a nice pot -- and her response sounded exactly as exaggerated as we've spelled it.

"We should thank God for everything," we said quietly to her.  And with no exaggeration.

We've noted many times the importance of being thankful, for blessings great and small.  But we think it's also important to thank God with an attitude of respect:

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.... - Hebrews 12:28

No one in the Bible has the ministerial title "Reverend."  But reverent is how we should be in our dealings with God.  Look at what could happen if we aren't....

To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers.  Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. - Jeremiah 44:10-11

Jeremiah spoke these words on God's behalf.  Biblical history shows that disaster eventually happened, with the nation of Judah taken captive and Jerusalem burned (Jeremiah 52:13, 27).  The lesson for all of us can be summed up simply....

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows. - Galatians 6:7

When you say you thank God, do you mean it?  Really mean it?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 136 final tables in 396 nights (34.3%) - 20 cashes.

Skill Sets

We've been meaning to discuss an interesting court ruling about poker in New York.  It was mentioned Wednesday night on the public radio business-news program Marketplace -- where a federal judge recently ruled poker is a game of skill, more than luck or chance.

To quote from the ruling: "Expert poker players draw on an array of talents, including facility with numbers, knowledge of human psychology, and powers of observation and deception.... Players can use these skills to win, even if chance has not dealt them the better hand."

We didn't realize there's actually research to back up this judicial opinion.  Players considered "highly skilled" tend to make more money at the World Series of Poker than off-the-street amateurs.  Without paying for the research paper, we think this happens in part because skilled poker players know the mathematical odds for success with certain hands.

But what about those other two talents the judge mentioned?  A book ignored by many people has helpful advice about those.  For instance....

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9

This Old Testament verse suggests to us it's good to be wary of what your opponents at a poker table might have.  In fact, you might learn a trick or two from how they handle a hand.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. - Matthew 10:16 (KJV)

Jesus might put it this way today: Be smart in what you do -- but not so smart that you hurt others in the process.  Enjoy playing poker, but be sensitive enough toward opponents that you don't cause damage to them in some way (for example, with needless trash-talking).

Some poker players hope this federal ruling will open a door for some kind of federal law to legalize full-fledged online tournaments -- the games sites such as Full Tilt Poker ran before last year's Justice Department crackdown.  We personally think any change will depend on which party controls Congress after the November election.

Whatever happens in government, and wherever you happen to play poker, remember this: God someday will have a "payoff" based on the skills you have.  Read Matthew 25 for the details, told in parable form.  And if you have skills which help you at the table, use them well -- but use them honorably.

Poker Night 341: Early to Raise

"The tradition continues" is what we traditionally write when someone goes all-in during the first hand of an online tournament.  At least one player pushes right away, more often than not. At live tournaments, that doesn't tend to happen -- but some people aren't afraid to turn up the heat early in the evening.  Take this case from The Red Barn tonight....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 9 of hearts - 9 of diamonds

This isn't the opening hand, but it's one of the first.  An early missed flop has left us with about 6,750 chips.  We're content to limp in with a mid-range pocket pair -- but another man raises the stakes to 550.  Since we do have a pocket pair, we don't plan to back down pre-flop.  So we call, and about four players are in the hand.

ON THE FLOP: 8h-8d-10h

So there's a pair lower than ours on the board, and we also have 60 percent of a straight flush.  But we choose to lay low and check -- and sure enough, the bet from across the table is 500.  Hoping more for a 9 (to make a full house) than a medium-high heart, we call.  We don't recall anyone folding.

ON THE TURN: 6s

This blows up the dreamiest hand.  And a player across the table now raises the stakes to 1,500.  But consider our options now -- as any 7 would give us a straight, and any 8 or 9 would still provide a full house.  Even a 10 would provide us a sneakily higher two pair.  After weighing all this, we call.  Three players remain for the river.

ON THE RIVER: 2h

Yuck -- we missed it all.  Thankfully, the other players check so we don't have to fold.  But not so thankfully, one of them turns over an 8.  He had three of a kind from the flop, and takes a sizable pot.  We take a sizable loss, down to about 4,175 chips.

So dreams don't always come true in poker.  But one did for us later in the hour, as K-9 brought two pair at the river for a "Rodney" bonus hand of 5,000.

Then in the second hour, K-9 came our way again.  A flop containing K-J led to us calling a big bet of 3,000.  Then at the turn, a woman to our left bet 15,000 -- while we had only 1,000 remaining.  We called in hope again, but she had K-J.  Her two pair put us in an unwinnable position, and she knocked us out in 20th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Rodney the Tournament Director at The Red Barn professes faith in Christ, and he was in a mood to share that faith tonight.

"This is a man of God," he told a man at the one-hour break -- referring to us.

That's a title we seldom hear mentioned in our direction.  In fact, we almost wanted to quiet Rodney down when he said it!  It's quite humbling to us, and we don't really feel deserving of it -- especially considering the Biblical characters who received that title:

Then they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God.... - II Chronicles 30:16

And the leaders of the Levites were.... prescribed by David the man of God. - Nehemiah 12:24

I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.... - Jeremiah 35:4

Wait a minute -- Ig-who?  We admittedly never thought of that person as a "man of God" until we wrote this post.  In fact, he's only mentioned in the Bible in that one verse.

Igdaliah is an embedded example of how someone can be a man (or woman) of God, without gaining a lot of prestige or publicity.  You may be living a Christian life, not thinking anyone notices or cares.  But Rodney reminded us tonight some people with careful eyes do notice.  And most importantly, God cares -- and He'll ultimately reward the faithful.

But you, man of God, flee from all this.... Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - I Timothy 6:11-12

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 121 final tables in 341 nights (35.5%) - 19 cashes.

Feelings and Felt

Poker Player B had made a bet Player A didn't anticipate.  And when Player A's turn came again, he needed to be told what happened.

"You disrupted my karma, man," Player A said.

We happened to sit next to Player A, so we couldn't resist asking: "You have karma?"

Of course he did.  "Everybody has karma," he told us.

Hmmmm -- then do we?  Do you?

The online dictionary notes karma is a Hindu and Buddhist concept.  While U.S. residents tend to throw that word around in many ways, we think Player A was using the word to refer to feelings we have about someone or something.  Others might talk about "having bad vibes" or a "premonition" about something.

Plenty of poker players have made choices this way -- only instead of karma, they talk about "going with your gut" or acting on "your first instinct."  Sometimes that works, but sometimes it can prove disastrous.

In all of this, it seems to us the emphasis is on feelings.  We've heard Christian ministers say that's the wrong way to base your life -- that you should focus on thinking: the head above the heart.  Why?

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9

Not even modern translations of the Bible contain the word "karma."  Those translations also don't talk about "feelings" very much.  But the most traditional translation reminds us of a Savior who can relate to them....

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.... For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. - Hebrews 4:14-15, KJV

Jesus was moved by the emotions of people He encountered on Earth 2,000 years ago -- and this section of Scripture indicates He still can be moved today, sitting at God the Father's side.  So it's worth pouring out words to heaven in prayer, even if they sometimes can be emotional.

But back to karma: the main definition of that word involves getting rewarded or punished based on your actions.  That's not simply Buddhist and Hindu - it's downright Biblical.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. - Revelation 20:12

A time of judgment is coming for everyone -- and this is a case of resurrection, not reincarnation.  Since no one is promised life beyond today, are you prepared for that time of judgment?  If not, search the Bible for words such as "saved" and "salvation."  They'll lead you to the right answer - the man Christ Jesus.

My Weekly (At Least) Reader

We heard a sermon recently in which the pastor brought up something that's a key factor in many poker games -- reading.

 

"Jesus read them like a book," the pastor said.  He used this quote from the human life of Christ as an illustration:

"Has not Moses given you the law?  Yet not one of you keeps the law.  Why are you trying to kill me?" - John 7:19

Verse 1 of this chapter indicates Jesus knew about a plot against His life by people in Judea.  It could be easy to dismiss this as a matter of the Lord's disciples passing along information and warnings they'd heard.  But let's go deeper....

 

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?" - Matthew 9:4

 

How did Jesus know what some of the scribes were thinking?  We've heard several explanations of this, even from ministers.  Some say the Lord simply had good intuition -- and that may well be true.  But we prefer to think something more was at work in this special Someone from heaven....

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.  He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. - John 2:24-25

(If you really want to know what's "in a man," check Jeremiah 17:9-10.  You may not like what you read.)

You see, other ministers consider this "knowledge" a proof that Jesus was and is God -- because the knowledge was provided by the Holy Spirit at work in Him.

 

He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts...." - Luke 16:15

Reading an opponent at the poker table admittedly isn't quite on this level.  But for starters, we recommend praying for wisdom to "judge righteous judgment," as John 7:24 puts it.  What other tips would you offer for reading someone else's hand -- keeping in mind God and Jesus Christ reads all of us much more accurately?

Poker Night 261: The Big Bet Bug

The first hand brought us 7-7 -- but a man raised 1,000 before the flop. The second hand brought 5-5 -- but that same man raised 1,000 pre-flop, and bet 1,500 after that. This is what we faced tonight at Lil Kim's Cove. Our first table was something out of either a Poker After Dark cash game, or an online turbo tournament. People were raising in enormous amounts, trying to knock players out early and build a big lead.

That sort of betting dares you to join in, if only in hopes of beating "the bully". We chased one flush with A-8 of hearts, only to miss by one card. But then came a hand we figured would be do-or-die....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-J offsuit

We sit one behind the dealer, who's taken on the original Big Spender and won a series of all-in bets to rally from 450 chips to several thousand. We've been weakened by the bomb-dropping to 2,550 chips, and are helped by the fact that the early leader folds. We try to limp in -- but no. The dealer raises 2,000. Then two other players call.

"I'll do it," we say after thinking a moment. We call. It's simply too good a hand to fold.

"You should have put the rest in there," Mr. Big Spender says. But if we miss the flop, we have 450 left for a possible rally of our own.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-4

The play checks to us, and this time we don't hesitate. "Now I'm all-in," we say as we offer the last 450. The three other players in the hand call; it's small potatoes to them, anyway.

ON THE TURN: 7

Still top pair. And the sidepot players check, giving us hope.

ON THE RIVER: K

Uh-oh -- that's potential trouble. A man to the right of us reaches for chips with a value of 1,000. But then he checks. In fact, the table checks.

"I have a Jack," we say as we show. And to our delight, it holds up! In fact, the dealer shows he made a big raise with 10-4. Thanks, "good buddy" -- top pair takes us soaring to more than 12,000.

That's the only hand we won all night, as we dodged more giant bets after that. But on a three-table summer night, that was enough to take us to our 100th final table in a live tournament. We didn't last long there, however -- daring to go all-in with 5,000 left against Mr. Big Spender's 10,000-chip raise. We had K-10. But he had A-Q, and both his cards paired by the turn to knock us out. We matched last Thursday night, by finishing ninth.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "You don't smoke, do you?" a man asked at the one-hour break.

"No, I don't." So of course, our seat at the table was between two smokers who shared an ashtray.

"You ought to try it sometime," the man suggested.

"My mom smoked until practically the day she died," we answered. "And she died before age 60."

We admittedly didn't take the discussion any farther. But there are a couple of Biblical lessons to take from this. For one thing, you can learn a lot from your parents -- both what to do, and what not to do.

No longer will anyone go around saying, "Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a sour taste in the mouths of their children." When that day comes, only those who eat sour grapes will get the sour taste, and only those who sin will be put to death. - Jeremiah 31:29-30 (CEV)

Simply because your parents had bad habits doesn't mean you have to do them, too. You can break the cycle by repenting of family vices and sins, and walking in a different direction -- a godly direction.

Whoever would love life and see good days.... must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. - I Peter 3:10-11

Be honest now -- is there any good which comes from smoking? Especially after the decades of scientific research showing how harmful it can be?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?.... - I Corinthians 6:19

Why pollute the body God gave you with something which can only harm it? If you're in a tobacco habit, pray for God to help you overcome -- and if necessary, seek help from other people.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 100 final tables in 261 nights (38.3%) - 15 cashes. This computes to 11 tournaments short of a 40-percent record.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 155 point wins in 707 games (21.9%), 54 final tables, seven cashes. UFC Three-card - one win in 10 games.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $49,696, down $647.

Poker Night 231: A Soothing Quartet

We took tonight's tournament at Lil Kim's Cove somewhat seriously. We looked the part, after all -- still wearing a dress shirt and tie from a new workplace. And our chip stack looked the part, since a three-dollar cheeseburger earned us 6,000 bonus chips to add to our starting 5,000.

Then came the game -- and nice cards reached us several times. We were dealt pocket Aces twice, and the second pair took out a man who went all-in with 8,350 on a flop of 2-2-Q. (We never saw what he had.) But that wasn't the biggest thrill of the night....

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: 10-4 of clubs

We're trying to control feeling giddy, with a chip count in the 30,000. Having taken an opponent out minutes before with K-K, we can afford to "take a flier" on this one. We call, and no one raises.

ON THE FLOP: J-10-6 (no clubs)

We have middle pair and a good bit of momentum - so when the play checks to us, we put in a feeler bet of 2,000. A man to our left then goes all-in for about 7,500 more. The table folds, and it's up to us. We can afford to make the call, but this is chancy. A lot of things could top us. Yet for reasons we really can't explain....

"I'll call it. I've got a 10."

Lo and behold -- our opponent admits we have him topped, but he doesn't show his cards.

ON THE TURN: 10

Now we must really have him topped. We have the "three 10'ers" for the second time tonight.

ON THE RIVER: 10

"Whoa!" we exclaim -- as the 10'ers came running, to give us quads! Our bankrupt opponent never shows his hand, as we rake in a big pot plus a 5,000 chip quad bonus.

That momentum easily put us at the final table -- but then we were joined by people with racks full of chips. We held on for awhile, then attempted an all-in push with 6-6 one hand after another player tried it. For him it worked. For us it didn't -- as a King on the board meant a higher pair for a woman, knocking us out in a respectable sixth place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: With two tables left, two women at the table next to ours started talking about the Bible. We heard one say, "I haven't found that in the Bible anywhere." So with a foldable hand, we went over to hear what it was about.

"Black nail polish," one woman said.

"Nothing," said the other.

So we're not sure what really was going on here -- but would you believe some Christians make beauty items such as nail polish a big deal? They base it on verses such as these....

What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why shade your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. -- Jeremiah 4:30

The Bible never speaks positively about makeup, the critics say -- so Christian women should not wear it. What do you think about this? We'll share our thoughts in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 231 nights (40.7%) - 15 cashes. Heads-up tournaments: 14-21.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 118 point wins in 601 games (19.6%), 44 final tables, 3 cashes.

A check from NLOP came in the mail today, for a video poker win in early December. (Talk about a long lag time.) But as we expected, online poker play has dropped substantially due to a new work commitment.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $42,122, down $535.

Of Alcohol and Aces

"May the angels of heaven smile down on you, in the game you're about to play." Those may sound like strange words from a poker tournament director. But this weekend, he wanted us to eliminate someone he considered a pest.

We were already in the loser's bracket of a heads-up tournament, after losing our first match. Now we had to play a young woman who openly admitted she was drunk and was being annoyingly confrontational with some people. "I want nothing to do with a drunk-a** woman," the director declared at one point.

"Do you believe in angels?" we asked the woman who heard the director's blessing.

"Yes, I do."

Yet the woman was drinking -- and telling people about how she "chopped the prize money" earlier in the evening at a regular poker tournament in the next city. "I may be drunk, but I know what I'm doing," she told us as we started to play.

"I haven't been this drunk in a long time," our opponent declared. Then, perhaps because we were a listening ear and not talking back, she explained what was behind it. "I'm feeling heartbroken right now." It was emotional pain for a female friend, whom she said was being treated badly by a boyfriend.

"People think they know all about me," the woman continued. "But they don't know what's in my heart."

Then our opponent switched the talk to poker -- and we failed to offer our thoughts on what she was going through. First of all, God knows what's in her heart. And what He knows might disappoint her....

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? -- Jeremiah 17:9

The woman's heart may have convinced her she needed alcohol to cope with a friend's pain. But the angels she believes in probably would offer an alternative approach.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. -- Ephesians 5:18

God's Holy Spirit is a comforter with far fewer side effects than "Southern Comfort."

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. -- II Corinthians 1:3-4

We prayed at the end of the night that this woman might come to know the comfort which God offers. It's even less expensive than shots at a bar.

Oh -- you're wondering how the game ended? We went all in for 2,500 with pocket Aces. The opponent who kept saying she "didn't care" called with Q-4. Then she hit Q-4 on the flop, and a 4 on the turn for a full house.

Yes, we lost to a drunken woman (who we think deep-down wasn't quite as drunk as she sounded). We went home humbled. Poker can do that to you. May she learn that lesson, too.