A True "Main Event"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your Cheatin' Heart

Several recent posts have focused on the electrical plug we sometimes use as a card protector. We know it converts power from a three-pronged device for a two-prong outlet. Another player noted it's a "grounded device."

But when we double-checked the plug online, we found out something else. In fact, something that's a bit embarrassing. It's also called a "cheater plug."

Were we sending a wrong message to people by using this at poker tables? Were we implying we are a cheater?

Maybe we're over-analyzing this. But then again, we'd ask - do you have sneaky ways of cheating at poker?

They're the stuff of Old West legends. But that does not mean you should be doing them:

"Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord...." - Malachi 1:14 (NLT)

This is about cheating in an animal sacrifice. But does God make any distinctions about this?

You can't wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You.... cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. - Amos 8:5 (NLT)

This is about cheating poor people, or customers in general. Read on for God's response to this....

Now the Lord has sworn this oath by his own name, the Pride of Israel. I will never forget the wicked things you have done! - Amos 8:7 (NLT)

Those cheating moments could come up at the final judgment, along with "every idle word" (Matthew 12:36). The Bible shows a better approach to take....

….Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? - I Corinthians 6:7 (NLT)

Yes, this goes all the way to the opposite pole - allowing others to cheat you. But it shows better ethics on your part, and might win more respect with other players.

So should we put away the "cheater plug" - leaving it for a wall at home, instead of a poker table? Your comments are welcome. In the meantime, the old cliché still is a good one: winners never cheat, and cheaters (ultimately) never win.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: Speaking of this topic, we became aware this weekend that we may have been violating New International Version copyright rules without realizing it. We are inquiring with the publisher about this, and will make corrections as required.

The "Maverick" Who Played Poker

Many people in the U.S. are remembering a Senator this weekend, using terms such as "hero." John McCain of Arizona died from cancer Saturday. He was famous for many things - but one of his most infamous moments involved poker.

Courtesy Melina Mara/Washington Post

In September 2013, McCain seemed to be distracted during a Senate hearing on Syrian policy. The Washington Post snuck a photographer behind the desks, and found him playing video poker on his iPhone. McCain  confessed to his actions minutes later by writing "Scandal!" on social media.

Check the Twitter comments on McCain's confession, and you'll find many people were appalled by what he was doing. Yet it fit the "maverick" label others attached to him - and it's ironic, considering Maverick was the name of an old TV western about poker-playing brothers.

This leads us to ask: is it good to be a maverick - in the poker world, or otherwise? It might make you famous, but is it a good thing?

Our old hardbound dictionary has these definitions, among several: "One who refuses to abide by the dictates of his group; a dissenter.... One who resists adherence to or affiliation with any single organized group or faction".

We think there are two ways to look at this. It's good to be a maverick if you're coming out of this world. Jesus Christ was the prime example of that....

"Abraham is our father," they answered. "If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you he truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things"... - John 8:39-40

Jesus was a Jew by birth (Revelation 5:5) who challenged the strict religious legalists of His day, such as the Jewish Pharisees. They indeed eventually had Him arrested and put to death. Yet that made the Lord the "maverick" of our salvation.

On the other hand, it can be bad to be a maverick if you're revolting against the ways of God in a lawless way. If that describes you, the Bible offers this advice:

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. - Isaiah 55:7

 We noted in a 2013 post about John McCain's game that there's a right time and a wrong time to play video poker. At the wrong time, you can even sin against God:

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as your please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord.... - Isaiah 58:13-14

So as we remember John McCain, we ask - are you a maverick? If so, on which side? We think it's better to be a maverick for the Master.

Poker Day 500: The Greatest Race of Them All

Today was a milestone day for us - our 500th live poker tournament! We're only a few weeks away from the tenth anniversary of our first one. But today we gave ourselves a challenge - heading to Kansas Star Casino to play in the pricey $85 "deep stack" buy-in Sunday game. At times, amazing things happened....

BLINDS: 400/800

IN THE POCKET: J-J

If we're this far along in the blinds, things must be going well - and after a slow start, they have. Q-8 gave us a breakthrough straight in the first period. Then we 2d-9d into a diamond flush in the second, to triple our stack. Now we have at least 30,000 chips, from a starting 10,000. When a man across the table raises to 2,500, we see these cards and decide to do the "smooth call." No one else is in.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-2

We're definitely "hooked" on this! Our opponent checks for some reason instead of continuation betting. We're pleased to check along.

ON THE TURN: 9

Now we have a full house, and we're wondering how patient our opponent is going to be. He bets 2,500. OK, fine; we'll call again.

ON THE RIVER: J

Wow - we made quads! Now with two pair showing, how confident is our opponent?  Confident enough to bring out 3,000.

But now we pause. Under casino rules, since we have the superior hand and are last to act, we are required to raise. How much do we think our opponent will dare to go?

"I'm all in," we decide - and it's about 30,000.

Nope, that's too much; our opponent folds.

"You made a very wise decision," we say as we show our Jacks. We probably should have simply doubled there, to maximize our gains. But still, it's a big pot win.

Our stack reached 55,500 by the end of the second period, and a high in the third period of 74,000. This provided us time to wait through some poor cards, and pick up a couple of timely modest pots along the way. At the third break, we moved to the final table at 55,000!

But then the big drama came, as only seven players would win money on this 70-player day. We missed a flop with pocket 8's. Then with nine to go, we were dealt A-J. The biggest stack at the table raised pre-flop, and bet on the flop to put us all-in. We felt compelled to call.... and he had Q-Q. An Ace did not rescue us, and we finished in ninth place.

We missed the money by two, but left feeling somewhat satisfied. Our standard all along has been making final tables, and we did - doing it at one of the premier tournaments of the week in our city. The "500" was a good showing, and we thank God for it.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "First player to lie...." someone at the table muttered between hands. "All you Sunday morning go-to-church folks...."

We had to interrupt that. "I was in church yesterday," we told the man sitting nearby. That prompted another man at the table to start a guessing game.

"Seventh-Day Adventist?!"

"No."

"Catholic?!"

"No."

"I don't know what's left," the man admitted. So we told him.

"The United Church of God," we explained. If you haven't heard of it, that's understandable. It's a small Sabbath-keeping denomination that broke away from a larger group in the mid-1990s. (That larger group now is also much smaller than it used to be.)

In fact, the day of worship was a main reason behind the split. The larger group moved away from decades of teaching about God's Sabbath....

By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing, so on the seventh he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:2-3

God "created" (for lack of a better word) a day of rest. Not that God needed one; He's God, after all. But He set an example for us to follow....

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.... - Deuteronomy 5:12-13

The Sabbath was included in God's Ten Commandments, every bit as much as the commands not to lie (the NIV has "give false testimony" in verse 20) or murder. And Jesus Christ never said anything about doing away with it. In fact....

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.... - Luke 4:16

Jesus went to the synagogue on Sabbath because He was Jewish (Luke 2:23, 33). Go into many  synagogues today and try talking about Jesus, and it might not end well for you. So early believers gathered in groups, which became known as "the church."

If you don't have a regular church to attend, we suggest giving UCG a try. Hopefully you'll find a group which puts Jesus first in all they do, and really tries to live by all Ten Commandments. It probably won't be a perfect group of people; we're all sinners, after all (Romans 3:23). But it might satisfy something deep within you - a desire to worship God.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 183 final tables in 500 games (36.6%) - 36 cashes. As time permits in coming days, we'll analyze those numbers to see whether or not we're really good at poker - and how much this effort has cost us.

The Marathon Man

It takes some dedication, we suppose, to be a professional poker player. After all, there's no guarantee of a steady income unless you have a sponsor.

But then there's a man in Poland who calls himself "Stafu" online. During February, he went far beyond playing poker every day. He played 500,000 total hands! Considering February is a 28-day month, that's nearly 18,000 hands a day!

Stafu explained he played about ten hours a day, in three "shorter sessions." He even made a video as he did it. And for all that effort in "micro-stakes poker" (which sounds like a polite way of saying penny-ante), Stafu won $1,025 - earning $300 from one poker game (the rest came in sidebets).

Sound impressive? Well, consider this. If Stafu had worked all those hours at a minimum-wage job in the U.S. (figuring time-and-a-half for overtime beyond 40 hours a week), he would have earned $2,465 during February. In other words, he would have made more money flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant.

We see several "carryout" lessons here. For one thing, poker's not a game where everyone can make a lot of money. For another thing, there are times when taking a break from online poker is good. For instance....

Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.... For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord.... - Exodus 31:14-15

Resting your mind and body is good. Rest that's "holy to the Lord" is even better, because it reminds us that some things are bigger than our jobs and our pastimes.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day.... and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please by speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land.... - Isaiah 58:13-14

An old phrase says, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". We think 280 hours of poker "playing" at some point turns into work. But God wants you to take time out every week on His Sabbath. Do what pleases God, and He may reward you with joy and success like you never expected.

Poker Day 497: A Boat for Fishing

He was not the "elephant in the room" during Friday's poker tournament at Kansas Star Casino. In fact, we were a bit surprised that Brandon Steven's name did not come up at all. We thought about mentioning him - but instead tried to stick to the game and win some money:

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: Q-J offsuit

We were third on the waiting list to enter this six-table tournament. We split one pot with an A-2 straight after sitting down, and now have these cards sitting one off the button. We call, and no one raises. About four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: Js-8s-8c

Two pair and a strong kicker look good to us. The play checks to us, and we bet 200 to take the pulse of the table. Only a man at the opposite end of the table calls. We doubt he has a third 8 - maybe a Jack of his own.

ON THE TURN: Jc

Ahhhhh - now this looks very good! We have a superior full house. But how much can we gain from it? Our opponent checks, and we smooth-check in response (if there is such as thing).

ON THE RIVER: As

Now three spades are showing. No big deal for us - but maybe for him. Our opponent makes a modest bet of 100. Nope, not enough. (In fact, the tournament rules say we have to raise with best hand at this point.) So we bump it up to 400.

"I have to call," the man says - and flips over K-Q of spades. Sure enough, he went fishing and caught the nut flush. Trouble is....

"I have a full house," we declare. That wins us a nice pot, and a "nice hand" compliment from the man we beat. Of course, that leaves open the question: could we have bet more and kept him in?

We had ups and downs in the first period, reaching a high of 4,050 but reaching the break at only 2,325. Then a comeback came for us in period two - as pocket Kings came twice, and we won healthy pots with both of them. Our stack hit a high of 5,400.

But moderate risk-taking with rising blinds proved costly for us. We finally had to go all-in with A-J and 1,100 left. Another player paired the board with a Queen, and sent us out the door in 36th place out of 83 players - up 11 places from last time, but still far from the final table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Who wants my ticket in the $5,000 drawing?" we asked during the break to a few people at our table. Our casino card gave us a free entry in that Friday night drawing. But it was a drawing we knew we could not win.

"Just put it in the barrel," a man suggested. But we noted the fine print - that the casino didn't  even roll out the barrel for tossing in your entry until 6:00 p.m. At this moment, it was about 1:25 p.m.

"Besides," we added, "you have to 'be present to win.' And I don't plan to be here at 9:00 p.m."

"Can't you come back at 9:00?" a man asked.  Yes, physically, we could. But...

"I plan to be at home keeping the Sabbath."

"The what?" the dealer asked. We had to spell the word for him: S-A-B-B-A-T-H. He'd never heard of it. But another player had.

"Are you a Seventh-Day Adventist?"

"No."

"Jewish?"

"No."

"The Sabbath starts on Friday night at sunset, right?"

"Yes."

"And it ends on Saturday? At sunset?"

That's correct. The Sabbath goes back a long way....

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the Sabbath day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God... - Exodus 20:8, 9

The concept of keeping a Sabbath actually has its origin in creation, when God rested from His work on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). We consider it a time for rest, Bible study and worship - not standing in a casino, hoping for a slip of paper to be drawn so we can win money.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as your please on my holy day.... and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land...." - Isaiah 58:13-14

If that sounds like a nice change of pace, we attend a small Sabbath-keeping church denomination. In fact, there's a location in the town where the dealer lives. We invite you to find a location near you, and give Sabbath worship a try.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 182 final tables in 497 games (36.6%) - 36 cashes.

Free to Be

Happy Independence Day, to readers in the U.S. The country marks 240 years of independence from Britain. But how "independent" should we be.... really?

We mentioned in a recent post about how we probably stunned a casino dealer with comments about keeping a seventh-day Sabbath. He may well have wondered why someone inside a casino would care (much less talk) about doing anything religious.

For us, it comes down to a series of key Bible verses....

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.... - Galatians 5:1

Does that verse surprise you? It could, if you think of God as simply a tough disciplinarian. Yet the apostle Paul goes on to write some words even more stunning:

You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. - Galatians 5:4

Some have "fallen from grace" not into sinful living, but into the exact opposite - trying to earn their way into God's Kingdom by keeping laws as perfectly as possible. It's nice to keep those laws if you can. But keep in mind:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

If you know the right people at a poker room, they might give you a discount on buying in to a tournament or cash game. They've shown grace toward you. And the only way humans can achieve salvation and a life beyond this one is through the grace of God. So....

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. - Galatians 5:13

Some might say we're "indulging" that nature by playing poker. We've posted thoughts about that elsewhere on this blog. But we try to be careful enough with our play not to bring it up to people who might consider it a stumbling-block to their faith. That's how we try to show love for them.

So celebrate freedom today - but with care. If you're entering a big holiday poker tournament, don't go overboard in a sinful direction to do it. Keep in mind the often-overlooked words of a patriotic U.S. song: "Thy liberty in law."

Poker Day 477: Passive? Aggressive?

The British vote on leaving the European Union came up during our Friday poker tournament at Kansas Star Casino. But of course, no one was there to make a "Brexit" - they wanted to stay and win:

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-10

We've made it well past the first break, as a few good pots ballooned us from a starting 3,500 chips to a high of 6,125. We start this hand with 4,900, and a player at our table of eight raises to 1,500. With some people already showing they're making desperation shoves, we sense it happening again. These cards are high enough that we call; two players are with us.

ON THE FLOP: A-Q-J

This is a flop that can produce fireworks well before Independence Day. We have top pair and a nice kicker - and we're first to act. What would you do? We decide to move toward winning the pot right now, matching the 1,500 bet an opponent made pre-flop.

"I'm all-in," the man sitting to our left says.  He's been one of the pushers since the break, so that's not really a surprise. But then a young man with a strange-looking hairdo calls, and that concerns us. Did someone hit a two-pair jackpot - or better? Or are they both dreaming with big draws?

We don't think about this long, primarily because we started all this. "I've committed this much," we say, "so I'll call." Our last 1,900 goes into the middle, and it's time for the explosion.

The man to our left shows - K-10! He hit the jackpot, all right - a straight on the flop.

The weird-hair guy doesn't like seeing that. He has J-J - three of a kind on the flop! We moved forward with the weakest hand of all. We need a King to escape with a straight and a split.

ON THE TURN: A

A is for Arrrgh - anything but that! The three-Jack man now gets a winning full house.

ON THE RIVER: 3 (for the record)

So the bulk of the chips go to Mr. Full House. "Do I get some back?" we ask the dealer.

"No, they go to him" - as in the man who pushed first. His straight gets a consolation prize - and we simply get a walk to the door, in about 35th place.

Looking back at it, we realize some poker experts don't consider A-10 strong enough to push at a time like that. We probably should have held our fire on the flop, and checked to see what others would do. But we thought we were in a strong position - much to our sad surprise.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "What time does the game end? Around 4:00-4:30?" asked a man to the dealer's left during a break. He admittedly preferred cash games, and had entered only his second tournament.

The dealer indicated that timing was correct. It was great timing for us. "I can stick around till about 8:55. For those of us keeping a seventh-day Sabbath, it's a great time of year."

Longer days mean longer "preparation days" for people who keep the Sabbath. But the dealer seemed a bit stunned by our comment - and perhaps you are as well.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God... - Exodus 20:9-10

The Sabbath is one of God's ten commandments - and it's considered so important that the word is capitalized in many Bible translations (curiously not in the King James). Sabbath matters so much to God that it was part of His creation:

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:2-3

The Sabbath is a holy time - and it's supposed to be a rest time, to take a break from your work. That's why you'll never see us playing in a tournament on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. If we're trying to make money, we consider that work. Besides....

...On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. - Exodus 20:10

We admit we played "fast and loose" with this part of the command for years - going out to dinner on Friday night after sunset, or filling the gas tank on the way home from a Saturday worship service. We don't do that anymore, because we don't want other people working on Sabbath, either. That includes the staff at a poker room or casino.

Of course, we realize the dealer was probably stunned by our comment for another reason.  Can you figure out what that reason is? We'll explain it in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 177 final tables in 477 games (37.1%) - 33 cashes.

Save the Date?

One topic at the table in our last poker tournament was running. We played on the day of the city's biggest marathon - and we even had to allow extra time to reach the poker room, because of detours set up for the runners.

One player indicated some downtown churches don't support the marathon, because the course goes past their buildings and makes it hard for worshipers to attend. He noted those churches have "Sunday services."

This led us to openly suggest an alternative. "They could try having services on other days of the week."

Some large Christian churches actually do that. They've added meetings on Saturday afternoons and evenings. We've attended some of them, and a few draw a good crowd. But regular readers know we recommend that for another reason....

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. - Deuteronomy 5:12

Which day is meant here as the "Sabbath"? If you think it's Sunday, think again.

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:3

The "seventh day" on most calendars actually is Saturday. In fact, that day of the week in Spanish is Sabado - with a "Sab-" in front, like Sabbath.

If Sunday-keeping churches had to make a change for whatever reason, Saturday would be a perfect alternative. In fact, it would be God's.... well, not alternative, but His first choice all along. It was Jesus's first choice as well.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. - Luke 4:16

Jesus kept the Saturday Sabbath. Trouble is, people who go into synagogues on the Sabbath and try to promote Jesus today might be asked to leave in a hurry. So both mainstream Christians and Jews have issues with God here.

We don't play poker on the Sabbath, because we use the time to focus on God and Jesus through Bible study, worship and prayer. We also use the time to rest -- and our life is so busy these days we need all the extra rest we can get.

So think it over. Is it time to change your worship habit, the way some poker players change their approach to hands to avoid becoming too predictable?  If you do, you might get closer to what God envisioned in the first place.

Poker Night 441: An Epic Decision

"I guess we know who the singles are!"  That's what one man said Saturday night at Winner's Cardroom -- and he probably was right.  It was February 14, "Valentine's Day" for many -- and here we were in a poker room.

The Saturday night game at Winner's is $20 less expensive than a Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Poker.  But the "holiday" (more on that later) meant a lot of players apparently were missing.  So we sat down for another one-table tournament, hoping to hang around long enough to win some money.

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-J of clubs

We haven't won a pot yet, although we could have -- throwing away 5-6 on the opening hand that would have made a straight.  Now we have high suited cards and the Dealer button.  When no one raises ahead of us at the table of eight, we raise to 1,200.  About four players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 7-2-2

"And that is an epic flop!" the professional dealer jokes.

"No one really expects that," one player admits.

So the players in front of us check - and we make a continuation bet of 1,100.  Two players fold, but a woman across from us calls.

ON THE TURN: 3

That card doesn't seem to enhance things.  The woman checks -- but we're wondering about that call, so we check as well.  Could she have a hidden pair?

ON THE RIVER: 5

It's not a blockbuster board at all -- but now the woman sets out 4,000 chips.  She could be trying to outbluff us, but somehow we don't think so.  After thinking it over for a moment, we fold.

"That was an epic flop," she now says - and she shows 7-7!  She scored a full house on the flop, then waited us out.  We're thankful it didn't cost us more than it did.

We finally won a couple of pots, including a double-up with K-K which turned around our evening.  We reached a high of 61,000 chips, as other players were knocked out.

Then with four players left, we had 3-4 in the Big Blind.  The flop was a lovely-looking 3-4-5.  After checking the flop, we went all-in on the turn -- and were called by a man with A-2!  He slowplayed us to our hurt as well, with a flopped straight.  The river brought no full house for us, and we went home in fourth place (only the top two earned money).

MINISTRY MOMENT: We intentionally did NOT try to have one.  The reason why goes back one year.

Regular readers will recall on Valentine's Day 2014, we went to a casino on a Friday night (an evening we turned into a three-part post).  For one week we broke the seventh-day Sabbath we normally keep fervently, because the church group we attend considers Valentine's pagan and wrong....

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

That group had left the impression last year that any act of love on Valentine's was wrong.  And since it also teaches this....

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

....we logically concluded keeping the Sabbath commandment would be showing love, and thus be wrong.

But this year that church group's messages about Valentine's Day were scaled back a bit.  The emphasis was on showing acts of love all year long, instead of something special on February 14.  So we decided to have a "bare minimum" Saturday - keeping the Sabbath and even going to church to be obedient, but not doing anything that might be considered out of the ordinary and over the "holiday" line.

It turned out only one or two players brought up Valentine's Day in the poker room.  Only two of the eight players at the table wore red tops.  So this group wasn't really keeping that "holiday," either -- and we really couldn't complain about that.

But maybe you're confused by all this.  You may wonder what possibly could be wrong with a day set aside for "showing love," such as Valentine's Day.  We recommend carefully considering this blog post by a church pastor, with an open Bible and mind.  What "holidays" does God really consider, well, epic?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 159 final tables in 441 games (36.1%) - 26 cashes.  We've reached four final tables in a row.... even if only enough players show up for one table.

Friday Night Lights, Part 3

This series of posts began with an unusual Friday night for us -- as we deliberately went to a casino and played Ultimate Texas Hold 'em poker on a Friday night, to avoid doing anything that might show love for God on Valentine's Day.  But we realized the only way this action would accomplish anything is by sharing it with other church members.

So we had an awkward worship service the following day -- telling people we'd broken God's seventh-day Sabbath the night before, and why.  But that action had Biblical backing....

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

If you do something at the table which upsets other players, do you walk out and hope the whole thing will blow over?  Phil Hellmuth once did that for a few minutes on national TV.  But good poker players have long memories -- and if they remember classic hands, they probably remember the attitudes of the people playing them.

Many a politician has learned the hard way that confessing faults and sins resolves matter faster, and may even improve their career chances.  So we all need to admit we're not perfect.  It keeps us all on the same level relationally -- even if our chip stacks are very different.

One woman at church took issue with how we interpreted the magazine article which started all this.  She said if anything, it was poorly worded.  On that, we agreed.  All of us need to be careful about that, because....

For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. - Matthew 12:37 (KJV)

It's interesting that no one in our congregation condemned us, after we admitted to sinning on the Sabbath.  Perhaps they were too stunned by the news. Or perhaps they practiced the instruction of Jesus, when a supposedly-adulterous woman was brought before Him:

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." - John 8:7

No one threw stones at that woman.  Everyone left, perhaps convicted of their own sinfulness.  Are you able to do that, when trouble happens at a poker table?  It beats pointing fingers and making the "I never would...." claim.

As it happened, the sermon that day was about "The Commandment of Men."  It included this reference, which seemed to directly challenge what we'd been doing:

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.  Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. - Romans 14:22

The context of this chapter involves eating habits and the observance of certain days (such as Valentine's).  The message seemed to be: if you choose not to do what we preach, shut up and don't talk about it.  To which we'd respond: how else is bad teaching or Biblical guidance to be corrected?.

Another person took our issue directly to the magazine's editors -- and was told via e-mail we should review the author's sentences about expressing love on Valentine's Day, in relation to the entire article. 

We invite you to do that, and tell us what you think about all this.  Were we wrong to hit a casino for Friday night poker?  Were we wrong to bring it up to others -- or even to you here?

Friday Night Lights, Part 2

When we left a previous post, we had $30 left at the casino - only enough for one more Ultimate Texas Hold 'em hand at the $10 table.  Since the $5 table was full (proving more casino gamblers are economy-minded than you might think), we did something we hadn't done it years. We sat down at a blackjack table.

With $30 to spend and a $10 table, we figured we'd finish things quickly.  But a remarkable thing happened.  We won a hand.  Then another.  Then another. It wound up being a run of five wins and one push -- and suddenly we were $20 from breaking even!

But when the dealer dealt himself A-K, we knew it was time to get out near the top.  We left with only a $30 loss, stopped for a burger dinner, drove home and worked on our tax return a bit (even turning on TV for some of the sin-laden 10:00 p.m. news) before going to bed.

Keep in mind why we did this -- because we were consciously not showing love for God on February 14, including the start of a seventh-day Sabbath.  We admittedly had prayed Thursday night (the 13th) explaining to God why we were doing what we did.

The next morning was Saturday, the 15th -- and we resumed our normal routine, praying to God first thing in the morning.  We sought His forgiveness for anything we may have done wrong in the process.  (We could have acted much worse -- but we didn't curse, or even eat "unclean meats".)  And we have confidence from the Bible that it was granted....

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

We should stop here and ask: have you done this?  Even poker players sin, you know....

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

We all need God's loving forgiveness -- and that's admittedly one big problem we have with the magazine article which started all this.  Does God suspend His love for humans on February 14, simply because some people have turned that day into a pagan "love feast?

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

If God can forgive our "love is wrong today" fling, even if it's suggested by a church group's teaching which seems to be ridiculous, He can forgive your sins at the poker table.  But you must confess them -- which we think means admitting they were wrong, and asking God to forgive them.

There's one more part to this story.  A worship service Saturday afternoon allowed us to share our actions with other church members.  Could we start a conversation on exactly what love means -- including when to do it?

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

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.)

Play Or Stay Away?

"Are you playing?" a man asked us at work the other day when we brought up the state poker championship.

We would have joined a big crowd -- about 1,000 people competing in all.  And that's with the schedule divided into three tournaments; a ladies-only event and a "high roller" night with a $500 buy-in were added this year.

Yet this charity fundraising event had a critic or two this year.  We read about one complaint challenging its legality, in a state with tight gambling laws.  We understand the organizers cleared all the details through the District Attorney's office.  But that's not why we stayed away.

"They're playing on the Sabbath," we told the man at work.  Every tournament was like that -- either on Friday night or Saturday during the day.

"I put the King of Kings above pocket Kings," we added.  We think he understood -- but perhaps you don't.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord.... - Isaiah 58:13-14

We mark the Sabbath as the Bible originally did -- on the seventh day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset (Genesis 1:31-2:3).  We're aware of some Bible verses which might open the door for some latitude.  For instance:

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27-28

Jesus said these words -- and Jesus should be Lord of every life (Romans 10:9).  But we choose to not "go our own way" on the Sabbath.  And playing poker would be exactly that for us.  Instead, we give the Sabbath back to God with worship, study and prayer.

Oh yes -- who's the "King of Kings" we were talking about?

....Keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time -- God, the blessed and only ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.  To him be honor and glory forever.  Amen. - I Timothy 6:14-16

Is Jesus your King?  And are you honoring Him, above any deck of playing cards or stack of poker chips?

A Casino Christmas?

We mentioned Tuesday night's poker outing at our workplace, and one person admitted it sounded strange.  Why would someone visit a casino on Christmas Eve -- especially someone who claims to believe in Christ?

The answer is simple, yet may offend some people.  We don't believe Jesus Christ was born on December 25 -- and we find no command in the Bible to keep that day as a holiday, or even say "Merry Christmas."

We were surprised this year at how many radio ministries accepted the first part of that answer.  Yet they held "Christmas services," anyway -- noting that day was traditionally set aside by the early church.  But what did Jesus say about traditions?

....As it is written.... "They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. - Mark 7:6-8

If we hold on too tightly to our traditions, we'll wind up dropping God's commands.  Yes, even by celebrating Christmas.

There are certain days of the year when we do not play poker.  We believe God commanded us to do other things on those days.  For example....

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly.  You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord. - Leviticus 23:3

The state poker championship where we live is coming up in late January -- but it will begin at 10:00 on a Saturday morning.  That's the seventh-day Sabbath.  So we will stay away, and we won't feel hurt by that.  After all, we're the one doing things as God instructs.

Leviticus 23 goes on to list several annual "holy days" which occur during the year.  You won't find Christmas among them.-- but if you keep them with prayers to God for a proper understanding, you can find celebrations of Jesus in them.  (We can help provide that understanding if you're interested; please let us know.)

So we didn't celebrate Christmas -- but instead, we went to a place where people were even less likely to celebrate Christmas, and we talked about the things of Christ with them.  At least one person was thrown off-guard by what we said, and didn't really have a response.  But the day is coming when he'll have to say something....

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 2:10-11

Poker Day 414: O-No-Maha

If the game is nothing but Texas Hold 'em, we probably can hold our own.  But add other games, and things could be different.  The current Sunday format at River City Poker Room has alternating blinds: first Texas Hold 'em, then high-hand Omaha.  That meant things started well for us today.  And then....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: J-J-3-2 (Omaha)

We own an early pot with A-3, when the Ace paired.  But in the last hand, we lost several thousand chips with Q-J-9-8.  Even though the board showed J-10-A-8 to give us a well-hidden straight (you can only use two of your four cards to make a hand in Omaha), an Ace on the river gave a man to our left quad Aces.

Surely that can't happen again, so we raise to 1,000 with a good pocket pair.  About half the players at our table of six calls.

ON THE FLOP: K-10-6 (third card may not be precise)

The flop is a rainbow, which works to our advantage.  But without top pair, we decide to play carefully instead of making a continuation bet.  We check; so do everyone else.

ON THE TURN: K

The board pairs -- but we suspect someone with a King would have bet by now.  So sitting first in the order, we bet 700.  A player in the middle of the table folds, but a man on the other side calls.

ON THE RIVER: K

A third King gives us a full house, and we see no need to hesitate.  We bet 3,000.

"I'll raise," our opponent says -- a double to 6,000.  This is a bit puzzling.  He probably has a pocket pair for his own full house, but ours is too high to let go.  We have to call.

And then.... the man shows a King.  Quads again!  We lose to a huge hand for the second time in a row.  He gets a $50 cash bonus, while we reach the conclusion this is not our day.

It turned out a third person at our table hit quads during the same Omaha blind -- but it wasn't us.  Our stack weakened to the point where we went all-in for our next 1,000 minutes later playing Texas Hold 'em with A-3 of hearts.  The blind was A-4-4 -- but of course, that gave another player three of a kind.  His 4's made us hit the door, with a badly-wounded 12th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "This is GOD'S day, sir!" the dealer at another table exclaimed at one point.  "Don't use language like that on God's day."

This dealer has a habit of being very irreverent -- throwing out comic insults (at least in his mind) without regard to race, gender or religion.  But we used that moment to comment to the players at our table, out of his earshot.

"Some of us went to church yesterday.  That's why we're here on Sunday."

We've mentioned here before that we keep a seventh-day Sabbath because that's what God instructed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), and it's the example Jesus set ....

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read. - Luke 4:16

Our study Bible says Jesus set an example of "regular worship."  That's true -- but the Bible specifies he kept Sabbaths in the synagogue, which many Jews do to this day.

Yet as we think about it, the dealer could in one sense be right.  That's because of another Bible verse....

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

We've heard some preachers mention this on the Sabbath, and try to confine this verse to one day of the week.  Our study Bible notes it also could be "a reference to Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles."

But hold on -- didn't God create every day of the week?  Genesis 1-2 shows He created all seven of them.  So we think the point of the verse in Psalm is to give God thanks for every day, rejoicing that He's given us one more day to live.  In this season of U.S. Thanksgiving Day, it's something to consider -- being thankful on more than one Thursday in November.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 145 final tables in 414 games (35.0%) - 24 cashes.

Cash Game at Grand Casino: Good, Better....

The idea sounded odd from the beginning.  We buy a new Bible on a Saturday night -- then go to a casino to win money to pay for it?!

We didn't need to win the money, really.  But that was the itinerary last Saturday night.  After buying a new Bible at a mall, we drove to The Grand Casino in central Oklahoma.  It was a different opportunity to share the things of God -- even though an old phrase came to our mind several times during the drive: a fool and his money are soon parted.

Unlike some poker rooms, Grand Casino offered a choice of games on a weekend night.  With a long  waiting list for traditional Texas Hold 'em, we chose the shorter wait of Limit Hold 'em -- with set bets at every level.

BLINDS: 1/3 (Limit 3/6)

IN THE POCKET: Ace-10 of diamonds

We took $60 to a full ten-player table, and won an early pot with a high flush on the flop.  But some chases have failed since then, and now we're down to a lowly $9.  We need to find a good hand to play -- and fast.  We call, prepared to push if someone raises.  But no one does.

ON THE FLOP: 10-6-6

With two pair and top kicker, the decision is obvious.  We go all-in for our remaining 6 (two times the standard bet).  A couple of players call.  We hope they're chasing something else.

ON THE TURN: 3 (as best we recall)

The minimum bet is now six, and a man across from us keeps betting -- with another man calling.

ON THE RIVER: A

Now we feel better -- with a hidden top two pair.  But the man across from us bets again, and gets called again.

We turn over our cards with hopeful confidence.  But the man across the table shows 6-8.  He hit three of a kind on the flop!  And he had us beaten all along.  We hake his hand, and take our leave -- as another cash game ends with us busted.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We won almost all or money back playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'em (the small table version) on the first floor.  And as we did, a dealer noticed the WWJD bracelet on our list.  That led to a discussion of church practices, which seemed to clear the table of other players.

"What does your group do that's different?" he asked.

We explained several things which make our worship distinctive from other Christian denominations -- most notably the keeping of a seventh-day Sabbath.  By that, we mean worshiping on Saturday as opposed to Sunday.  Did you realize that's "WWJD" -- what worship Jesus did?

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was his custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. - Luke 4:16 (NASB)

The Bible calls Jesus Christ the "head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23) -- yet that head of the church went to synagogues on the "Jewish" Sabbath!  Of course, some would note the "church" didn't really begin until after Jesus was resurrected.  Yet that was the Lord's example.  And despite what some white supremacists might try to tell you, that's because Jesus was Jewish:

For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. - Hebrews 7:14

While Jesus came from heaven to earth, His "family line" was Jewish (Luke 3:23, 33).  So He kept the Jewish custom of a seventh-day Sabbath -- and He never mentioned changing that day, before or after the resurrection.

That's one main reason why we never play poker on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons.  We try to put God before any poker payday.  We'll have more from our Grand Casino trip in upcoming posts.

CASH GAME COUNTER: 2 gains, 6 losses, 1 even in 9 sessions - down $156.

Right Time, Wrong Time

Success in poker is about more than simply being dealt good cards.  It also involves timing -- knowing when to make a move in betting, and when to be cautious.  Weak hands given an aggressive play at the right moment still can win.  But strong hands such as K-K can come up against A-A and be dominated.

For some people, timing matters in when you worship God as well.  So in a recent post, we asked when you worship God -- and why you do it at that time.  We know some local poker circuits which hold big tournaments on Saturday instead of Sunday, because is a worship day for some players.  Others have big events seven days a week, and seemingly don't care.

So what does the Bible say about this?  Let's start with what Israel was told to do, as one of the Ten Commandments:

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.... the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work.... - Deuteronomy 5:12-14

 So which day is the "seventh day"?  In our 21st century world, it's easy to conclude that day is Sunday.  But when God said these words, it was Saturday -- a tradition passed down by Israelites (and especially Jews) over thousands of years.  That included the most famous Jew of all....

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.... - Mark 6:1-2

Jesus Christ taught in a synagogue on the seventh-day Sabbath -- mainly because His church was not founded until after His death and resurrection.  The Lord set us an example to follow (I Peter 2:21), even in the day for teaching God's word.

We've been in Sabbath-keeping groups for decades, and choose not to work on Sabbath.  Some would call poker "play" instead of work.  But if we're trying to win money, that's a "work day" to us.

Yet we fear some Sabbath-keepers go to an extreme, and say you cannot worship God on any other day of the week.  We might have agreed years ago, but then we came across this verse....

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.... Suddenly Jesus met them.  "Greetings," he said.  They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him - Matthew 28:1, 9

 This was worship after a Sabbath -- on a Sunday!  Yet Jesus did not correct the women for worshiping Him, only hours after His resurrection.  So it seems God accepts worship at all times of the week.

This can be a complicated, emotional issue.  So we invite you to review our complete Bible study in when to worship God.  It may change your thinking about which "day you keep."  It might even change your poker schedule.

Poker Night 403: Breaking New's

A new job has led us back to our home state of Kansas.  (And as part of that job, we must note right away our posts reflect our personal viewpoints - not necessarily those of our new employer.)  And while we're waiting for all the furniture and other stuff to arrive, that led us to our first live poker tournament in our new home.

The World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League is where people play in Wichita, if they don't have money to burn at local poker rooms or the nice new casino down the highway.  In other words, it's free poker.  Sadly, there's no prize money for daily winners -- simply points for advancing up the WPT ladder to potential paydays online.

We walked into a small corner bar called Betty's Runway Sunday afternoon for the second game of their weekly doubleheader.  After taking a few moments to be registered, we went to a table of seven and got down to business....

BLINDS: 100/200 (the starter level here)

IN THE POCKET: 4-4

Everyone starts on level ground in this league -- 10,000 chips, with no bonuses for buying drinks. We won an early pot by making a flush on the turn.  Now we hope to add some more, starting this hand with about 11,000.  We call with a small pocket pair; about half the players at this rather tight table are in.

ON THE FLOP: 4-7-K

Three times four equals bet some more!  The play checks to us, and we offer 600.  That runs some people off - but a man to our right decides to double to 1,200.  We call, and we're wondering.

ON THE TURN: 10

Our opponent checks.  We want to get a sense for what he has, so we bet 1,000 more.  This time he simply calls.  Our concern is that he might have something like K-K.

ON THE RIVER: K

Now we've advanced to a full house -- but if our opponent has a King, he could have a "bigger boat" than ours.  He thinks it over for a moment, then sets out 1,600.  An all-out push might have run us off, but we can afford this test.

"I'll call," we say.  "Do you have a full house?"

We show our cards -- and he does not!  He has K-J.  We win a big pot, and become the "high hand" of the moment in the tournament with potential bonus points at stake.  (We were topped later, though.)

We made several big hands in the first hour of play, doubling our holdings to more than 23,000 at the break.  Then Q-Q paid off big in the second hour, and we advanced to the final table.  Others faded from there -- and by the end of Hour 2 we were heads-up with the Tournament Director for first place!

Trouble was, the Director had a much larger stack than ours.  We escaped two all-in moments, but not a third; 6-3 of clubs wound up losing to an eight-high straight.

"Beginner's luck!" one bystander said of our afternoon.

"He's no beginner," the Director concluded.  Right he was.  We drove home second out of 22 players, feeling satisfied -- but wondering if a strictly-amateur poker league is the right level of play for us.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We took a "Praise Jesus" lapel pin for our card protector, and showed it to a young woman at the final table.  She told us Jesus is her Savior, but admitted she and her lover (we'll assume her husband) are having "a hard time going back to church."

Saturday seemed to be a good day for them -- and we noted a couple of congregations in the city which have Saturday services.  Actually, we think more of them should:

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. - Deuteronomy 5:12

When God gave Moses these instructions, the nation of Israel was not keeping Sunday.  It was taught to figure the calendar differently....

....The seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. - Deuteronomy 5:14

So we'll dare to ask: if you're worshiping God on a different day of the week - which one and why?  We'll dig deeper into this topic in a future post.  (We're still waiting on the mover to bring our computer from Georgia, so it might be a few days.)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 139 final tables in 403 nights (34.5%) - 21 cashes.

Back in Georgia and Alabama, second place probably would have brought us a prize of some sort.  Not here - so we may have to recompute how we define a "cash."

Why We Do What We Do

Regular readers probably have guessed we keep a lot of statistics about our poker playing.  One such stat sparked a conversation Sunday during a National League of Poker tournament....

Me: 　Attendance today 969
Me: 　up 88 from last Sunday
rmwats: 　I thought u meant at church
Dealer: 　PrimeMatador wins Main Pot ($1,050) with One pair, threes
Me: 　No. Here
Me: 　I normally go to church on Saturday
The "attendance" was the number of players in the field.  The day we worship might be surprising -- but it's the day Jesus kept when He was on Earth....

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues.... - Luke 13:10

Jesus met with Jews on the seventh-day Sabbath, since that was His lineage.  He declared the launch of a "church" (Matthew 16:18), but that didn't get going until after the Lord ascended to heaven (Acts 2).  But the chat continues....

Me: 　but tonight is a special Lord's Supper
Me: 　service.
rmwats: 　i see  
Me: 　New Testament Passover
rmwats: 　7 day adventis
Me: 　No. United Church of God
Several small Christian groups held their annual "communion" services Sunday night -- following the traditional Jewish calendar, as opposed to "Holy Week" of mainstream Christianity.  That's not all they do:

Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast -- as you really are.  For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. - I Corinthians 5:7-8

What sort of "Festival" is this?  The answer is found in several scattered parts of the Old Testament.

Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you.... - Exodus 23:15

Long before the Atkins Diet and "gluten-free" menus, worshipers of God went one week a year without leavened bread.  The rest of verse 15 shows it originally was a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt (as in the movie The Ten Commandments).  But in New Testament times, Paul revealed it indicates a switch from sinful behavior (malice and wickedness) to "truth" -- as in....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Would you like to know more -- and perhaps try this "one-week diet" for yourself?  This article goes into the Spring Festival in more detail.  We're away from the poker tables in part because of that festival.  But anytime is a good time to put sin out of your life, and draw close to God's truth -- even if your poker style is bluffing.