Steven Breaks Even

When we left Kansas last year, an FBI investigation was underway into possibly illegal action involving house poker games. The biggest name in that case was thought to be a Wichita business owner who's won money in serious tournaments such as the World Series.

The long investigation apparently ended this week, with Brandon Steven making a deal with federal prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to hiding records of illegal poker games, and could have gone to prison for it. Instead, Steven received three years of probation, a lot of community service time - and he must give more than a million dollars, either in poker winnings or hush money.

The four-year FBI investigation may have led to police shutting down open poker rooms across Wichita. We played at several of them during this decade. These days, we only play in legal tournaments at casinos or charities. We try to live by a simple Bible verse:

Avoid every kind of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22

Sounds simple, doesn't it? Except the King James Version puts it this way: "Abstain from all appearance of evil." A lot of things may appear evil to others, but they're really above-board. The list of items fitting that description can change almost daily, based on the news cycle and social media posts. We have to be careful in all the decisions we make about what we do.

As for Steven, you'd think he would have known better. Secrets come out, sooner or later. If they're not exposed by the FBI, they will at an even higher level of justice....

You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. - Psalm 90:8

The time is coming when Jesus will judge all humans, on behalf of God the Father.

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

We don't see much evidence in the Bible that "plea bargains" will be allowed then....

...Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. - John 5:29

Defense lawyers say Brandon Steven is a solid citizen, who supports youth sports among other things. But this case revealed he has a "dark side." If we're honest with ourselves, we all do. Will you learn from Steven's example, and come "out of darkness" into God's "wonderful light" (I Peter 2:9)?

Even Steven

We'd planned to address a different topic in this post. But we're a journalist by trade, so breaking news always takes top priority. Especially when it's about arguably the most famous poker player in our city.

No, it's not us.

He's Brandon Steven, a Wichita businessman who's had some success in major poker events. Steven disclosed Tuesday he's the target of an FBI investigation - and he thinks his high-stakes poker games are part of the reason.

A lot of rumors are swirling about this case, but we're going to stick to what's on public record. Steven has cashed 13 times at the World Series of Poker, earning close to $2 million. He almost made the November Nine at the Main Event in 2010. And as for high-stakes: he's had two top-ten finishes in the WSOP "One-Drop" - the game with a buy-in of more than $100,000.

But is Steven playing high-stakes game in our area? In a newspaper interview Tuesday, an attorney had these telling words:

Around Wichita, Joseph said, “It’s not a big secret” that large poker games have been going on.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article132777274.html#storylink=cpy

And that could be the problem. We documented here the Wichita police crackdown on poker rooms last winter. They're all out of business now. And those tournaments were small; we could play on a Thursday night for less than $20. If large games are happening these days outside a casino, they're against the law.

This is why in our state, we only play in tournaments that are above-board - either at casinos, or freeroll tournaments either in person or online. We're reminded....

Everyone must submit themselves to the governing authorities.... it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. - Romans 13:1, 5

We must emphasize here that we don't know if Brandon Steven broke any laws. That will be up to a prosecutor and a jury to determine. But no one is above the law - not even Steven. And that's true in more than a local legal sense:

...For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.... - Romans 13:1-2

A song from the last decade encouraged people to "fight the powers that be." But God made those powers "be" by putting them in place. It's far better to stay under them, whether you like them or not:

Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid.... - Romans 13:3-4

An old movie had the title Do the Right Thing. (A friend of ours who saw it told us it was mostly about doing the wrong thing.) Doing what is right not only pleases God, but usually keeps you away from investigations.

We'll keep tracking the Steven case. But in the meantime, as those "gambling help" brochures say, play responsibly - not to mention legally.

The Pursuit of Real Happiness

Today is U.S. Independence Day -- a day which can mean many different things to different people.

We've been thinking a lot this week about the concept of freedom.  There's a serious effort right now to start online poker cash games (along with other kinds of gambling) in some states.  You'd be free to play -- but to be honest, the amount of freedom you'd have would depend on how much time you have, and especially how much money you could invest in the games.

Some people seem to have more freedom than others, when it comes to poker.  A car dealer in our new city has become the local poker king.  Brandon Steven won more than $600,000 last week at the World Series of Poker.  His job allows the freedom to compete for weeks in Las Vegas (he's actually cashed twice at the WSOP this year) - and to pay the $111,000 entry fee for the "One Drop" tournament where he made the final table.

For those of us who can only play free tournaments in bars, it can seem like we have hardly any freedom at all compared to Steven.  But perhaps we need a different perspective:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. - II Corinthians 3:17

What kind of freedom is this?  Scoffers might say there's very little -- especially if they think Christianity and church are all about restrictive laws.  Yet consider what Jesus said:

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. - John 8:32

Jesus called Himself "the truth" (14:6), and indicated the Scriptures are truth in writing (17:17).  This combination can give you freedom -- but how?

....Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:2

The "law" of our lives says we all sin (3:23), and we'll all die as a result (6:23).  But those who accept Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit in them have been freed from such discomforting thoughts -- because they have the hope of eternal life in Christ, beyond the grave.

That sort of freedom doesn't depend on your income level, or how high you rise on the WSOP Player of the Year ladder.  It's available to everyone.  Do you have that freedom now?  Are you happily thanking God for it, if you do -- not simply on Independence Day, but every day?