Poker Day 574: Race Day

Monaco had Formula 1. Indianapolis had IndyCar. Suburban Charlotte had NASCAR. And we had our own version of racing today - at the Jack Casino poker room. In fact, several races were in the cards....

BLINDS: 600/1,200/1,200 ante (Big Blind only)

IN THE POCKET: Q of hearts-Q of clubs

The Sunday brunch poker tournament has a deep stack - 25,000 chips for early birds. We built ours to 28,200 in the early going. But then setbacks knocked us down to 12,200 at the 90-minute first break. Now we have only 7,600 left, and are looking for something to start a rally. With players to our right at this table of eight raising to 3,200, this had better be it.

"I'm all-in," we say; "76 trombones led the big parade."

This reference sparked a discussion of Broadway musicals. We performed in this one in high school. A young man to our right knew right away it was The Music Man, because he'd seen the movie on cable TV.

But oh yes, the hand: two men across from us call. But the man to our immediate right then goes all-in as well - with a lot more chips than we have! This doesn't look good. A man across from us thinks for a long time, then folds. The musical buff to the right ponders, then calls.

Now it's show-and-tell time. The big re-raiser has.... 3-3! The musical fan went for it with 8-10!

"You mean I'm in the lead?!?!" we say with surprise as we show our cards. Suddenly this feels good, but anything could still happen....

ON THE FLOP: As-6s-9c

Thankfully, no one has an Ace. But the Music Man has a straight draw.

ON THE TURN: 4s

 This is more trouble, because the opposing pair includes 3s. Can we dodge all the bullets?

ON THE RIVER: 2c

We do! The "76 trombones" turn into a full, quadrupled-up big band of 35,200 chips!

That started another of those amazing second-hour rallies for us. An all-in gamble with pocket 5's won a race. Q-7 in the Big Blind brought a 6-10 straight on the river. Add a heart flush, and we survived to the final table at 24,300!

Patiently waiting for good cards paid off there. A push with A-7 looked bad against A-K, but a 7 on the board brought a gain to 84,000. A-Q led to two pair on the flop, and he jumped to 208,000. A Big Blind win made our high chip mark 249,500!

With 28 people playing, the top three would earn money. With four players left, we still had 155,500 amid massive blinds and antes. All fours agree to pay a "Bubble Boy" $20 - and the ma who appeared likely to take that title then hit a series of big hands, to eliminate someone else.

After a few more minutes of play, that man suggested a three-way chop of the prize money. The man with a huge stack had been gunning for the win, but after some setbacks was ready to settle. Of course, we accepted as well.

After more than four hours of holiday weekend "work," all three of us took home $560. That's our biggest one-day payoff since 2015, our second cash in a row and our third in 11 tournaments this year. We praise God for the success He's providing!

MINISTRY MOMENT: We were saddened as we drove to the casino, due to news this weekend that a familiar voice from our old home area had died. Rod Bramblett of Auburn University sports was killed with his wife in a Saturday night SUV crash.

"The good news," we told a woman sitting next to us, "is that I believe in a resurrection of the dead."

The woman indicated she believes in that as well. We let it go there - but perhaps we should have probed deeper to see if she believes in Who will bring it.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...." - John 11:25

At the time when Jesus Christ walked the earth, many Jews (but not all) believed in a resurrection of the dead:

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." - John 11:23-24

But Jesus went farther - declaring He was the resurrection. He did it in this section of the Bible with Lazarus (verses 43-44). And He plans to do it on a grander scale when he returns to Earth....

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. - John 14:3

Where will Jesus take the dead? Contrary to what you may have heard, it's not a place in heaven:

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem... Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. - Zechariah 14:3-5

Some believers in God had an understanding of His plan to save humankind, even before Jesus came the first time. The next time, there will be no doubt:

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.... - Revelation 1:7

If you're feeling down or depressed as the U.S. marks Memorial Day over the loss of a loved one, consider these Bible promises carefully. Jesus will come again, bringing a resurrection (actually more than one - check Revelation 20 for more about that). The dead will live again. What a wonderful time that will be!

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 220 final tables in 574 games (38.3%) - 48 cashes. Since we passed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've made exactly half of our final tables!

ElderCare

The classic words of Doyle Brunson were part of the opening of every Poker After Dark program on NBC: "We don't quit playing because we get old; we get old because we quit playing."

A large number of "older people" (we'd guess age 50 or higher) play in our poker circles. Some of them have played for a long time, so they deserve being treated with caution. To borrow an old phrase, you should "respect your elders" at the table.

But we've been asking in several posts about another group of elders. These apparently are in heaven....

Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones, and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. - Revelation 4:4

Who are these people? Well, believe it or not, we don't think they are people. Verse 2 indicates they're in heaven. And Someone who came down from heaven once said....

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man. - John 3:13

So if they aren't humans who were "taken to heaven," who (or what) are they? The Bible admittedly doesn't offer much guidance about them. But we're led to conclude they're angels - perhaps a special high rank of angels. Look at what they get to do:

And the 24 elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God.... - Revelation 11:16

If this sounds dull and boring to you, consider this. They're at the throne of God - the One who created heaven and earth, and who is preparing a place for those who will believe in Jesus Christ!

In my father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. - John 14:2-3

The Bible indicates Jesus will come back to the area of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4) - stopping all rebellion and setting up the Kingdom of God on Earth. If that still doesn't interest you, consider this warning....

...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

The Bible shows the worship of Jesus Christ will happen. Whether you like it or not. Wouldn't it be better to respect the "elder brother" and begin worshipping Him now?

An In-Tents Battle

Our last post mentioned a Bible verse that's probably obscure to many people....

From Judah will come the cornerstone, the tent peg, the bow for battle, and all the rulers. - Zechariah 10:4 (NLT)

That last post showed how Jesus Christ should be the "chief cornerstone" for believers in God (Ephesians 2:20). But what about these other things?

Unless you own a modern multi-piece plastic tent with weights to hold poles, you know what a "tent peg" does. It's hammered or pushed into the ground, so ropes and canvas can be secure. A different part of Zechariah helps explain the reference....

The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. - Zechariah 12:7 (KJV)

The Lord will keep Judah's "tents" secure against destruction. That Lord (which we believe refers to Jesus) wants to save Jews, as well as "gentiles" outside the tribe. And that's not the most amazing part….

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents.... No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God.... It is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. - Romans 2:28-29 (NLT)

Some self-proclaimed Christians who point fingers at Judaism may not realize this. They are supposed to be "Jews" themselves - by letting the Holy Spirit change their hearts to be as loving as God is.

That brings us to "the bow for battle" - and if you've been waiting for a poker reference, thank you for waiting; here it is. With Jesus on your side, you can enter the "battle" of poker tournaments with confidence. You don't have to be afraid of other players, or what they might say.

They will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the enemy's horsemen. - Zechariah 10:5 (NLT)

Does that mean you'll win every pot and clean up at every cash game? No. We're proof of that. This verse is ultimately referring to the second coming of Jesus to conquer the world and set up God's Kingdom (14:4-9). But you can ask God in prayer for a proper attitude in the decisions you make - and then, amazing things could happen.

So the next time you play poker, or face any challenge in your life, seek God's help through His Holy Spirit. Take a firm belief in Him - then wait for the right moment when He might give you victory.

Poker Night 561: Little Becomes Much

"Maybe they're trying to tell me I shouldn't play poker tonight," we said to people behind us in line at the JACK Casino cashier's windows.

The line was long tonight, then the first woman available said she could not take poker entries. The second woman available put up a "next window, please" sign when we approached her. But we finally found one window that would accept our $80 buy-in, so we could enter the Sunday night tournament.

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 7 of spades-10 of spades

We've been biding our time, waiting for good cards to play. After almost one lap around with the button, we have yet to enter a hand. But sitting first with suited mid-range cards, we decide to give something a try. We're in for the minimum, along with about three others at a table of eight.

ON THE FLOP: 9-5-3

As we remember this, only the 9 is a spade. So there's an outside shot at a flush. A man to our right bets the minimum 100.

"I can do 100," we say with a who-cares tone. After all, we started with 15,000.

"Anybody can do 100," our opponent says. Well, no they can't. The other players fold, putting us heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 10c

A small risk gets a potentially big card. Now we have top pair. Our opponent checks.

"If you can do 100, surely you can do 250," we say. He thinks it over, then calls our bet.

ON THE RIVER: 6

It's still top pair for us. Our opponent checks again. We reach for 350.

"And if you could do 100," we say, "and you can do 250, then...."

Thud. He folds his cards before our chips hit the table.

"Well, maybe not," we conclude with a bit of comedic timing. A fun little hand leads to a little gain of 550.

We'd love to say things got better than there. But they didn't. We never won another pot, and started going downhill when we misread an opponent who had a full house. That cost us 5,000.

After about 90 minutes, we were down to 1,675 and went all-in. Our K-5 of hearts caught a 5 on the flop, but a man with an 8 also caught a pair. We left stunned by a lack of good cards, and were third out at our table. We didn't read the delays at the cashier's window right, either.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I don't think I've ever seen a candle here before," the man to our right said when he saw tonight's card protector. Indeed, we brought a small candle for the first time in two years.

"It's the first night of Hanukkah," we explained. "And I brought it to remind me that Jesus Christ is the light of the world."

"There you go," the man replied. And then, wouldn't you know it - his smart phone rang. He answered it, and the potential discussion was over.

Yet we put Hanukkah and Jesus together. If you think Christ only belongs "in Christmas," you may have missed this section of Scripture....

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. - John 10:22 (NLT)

Why would the Lord be there? Because even though He came from heaven to Earth, He entered through the line of a Biblical tribe....

From Judah will come the cornerstone, the tent peg, the bow for battle, and all the rulers. - Zechariah 10:4 (NLT)

A lot could be unpacked from that verse, but we'll save much of it for another post. Let's focus on the first item. Who or what is "the cornerstone" of Judah? Let's let the Bible answer that:

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. - Ephesians 2:20 (NLT)

God started building a church after Jesus was resurrected. He's still doing that - but Jesus has to be the "cornerstone" of any "holy temple" for God (verse 21).

As Jews mark the "festival of lights" this week, we hope you consider the true "light" who once paid a visit to that festival....

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." - John 8:12 (NLT)

As for keeping Christmas, we'll ask you this. Where in the Bible does it say anyone kept Christmas - or is required to do so? Leave a comment with your answer. We'll wait for it before responding.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 210 final tables in 561 games (37.4%) - 44 cashes.

Games Back On?

Did you hear about the recent charity poker tournament in Wichita?

If you didn't, that may have been by design. When we spent a Monday night at Yvie's a couple of weeks ago, the Tournament Director referred to an approaching weekend charity event with a buy-in.
We didn't ask about it further, to avoid the appearance of prying. But we thought that sort of thing had been stopped by the local police a year ago.

On top of that, the old Arrowhead Poker has reopened as a private club. Its Facebook page says:

Winners Game Room is a private social club where patrons can enjoy a variety of games, billiards, and entertainment in an alcohol-free setting. Memberships are $10 per day. You can also buy a 20-visit pass for just $100.

A video clip posted by the owner in February indicates the "games" include poker. It didn't show any billiard tables.

So what happened here? Is a private club format legal, while the old "chair rental" approach was not? We admittedly don't know the law on such things. But we found what the Bible may say about it - and in rather grotesque terms:

As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. - Proverbs 26:11

In other words, some habits can be hard to break. People who want to get drunk or smoke marijuana will find ways to feed their "needs." Some poker players can be the same way - except poker players have other options. They can go to a casino for tournaments and cash games. They can play online for free. Why do something that risks getting in trouble with the law all over again?

Rather than return to questionable practices, the Bible recommends a different "rate of return"....

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! - Hosea  14:1

You may have wandered away from God and not even realized it. Maybe not by playing poker, but by doing other things that violate His laws.

The Lord was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Return to me," declares the Lord Almighty, "and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. - Zechariah 1:2-3

Making that return isn't always easy. It can mean admitting you're wrong, and asking God for mercy. But the good news is....

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

That process starts by examining yourself and your life carefully. Are there areas where you've wandered off God's course? It's something we're personally doing right now, so you can do it as well. It could be the best move you've ever made - well, this side of going all-in with pocket Aces.

Skin Games

When a couple of poker players noticed our "Lord's Supper" card protector last Sunday, the discussion turned to how Jesus Christ really looked.

"I don't think He had long hair," we said to the men.  They weren't so sure about that.

"I think he was black," one man suggested -- a Caucasian man at that.

"He was Jewish," another man said.

So what really is Jesus's background?  The Bible offers some hints....

From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle how, from him every ruler. - Zechariah 10:4

This verse of prophecy makes several analogies which can be tough to understand.  Perhaps the easiest one involves the "cornerstone."

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.... with Christ Jesus himself as he chief cornerstone. - Ephesians 2:19-20

Jesus is called the "cornerstone" of what should be a "holy temple in the Lord," God's family (verse 21). And Zechariah notes that cornerstone came from Judah - which would make Jesus a Jew.

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

Jewish, yes - but what about Jesus being black?  The news of the last 24 hours in the U.S. reminds us that race and skin color are still touchy, emotional topics for many people.  But for us, the Biblical evidence when it comes to Jesus seems murky.

Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tens of Kedar.... Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun... - Song of Solomon 1:5,6

Is this poetic language describing Jesus Christ? Some Bible experts see it that way, since the Middle East tends to be a place with strong sunshine. Yet others say this is talking about a woman instead of a man, based on verse 2 - so if anything, the "darkness" refers to the church Jesus will marry at His return (Revelation 21:9).

Yet the Bible also shows this about Jesus:

His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. - Revelation 1:14

We're not going to claim to know the "final answer" on this. We'd direct you to a study paper we reviewed in the 1990s which gave us a lot of insight.  But in the final analysis, we'd ask a ridiculously simple-sounding question: Does it matter? 

Poker success seems to know no skin color; consider the Europeans who win WSOP bracelets and Phil Ivey's strong record. Nor should our acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

The Bible gives no exceptions to this - not based on skin color, national origin or ethnic heritage. Can you accept Jesus, no matter how He appears?  You'd better.  Your eternal life depends on it.

August Senior Championship: Little Becomes Much

Our text for tonight comes from the back of the Old Testament....

Who despises the day of small things?.... - Zechariah 4:10

We're admittedly lifting these words out of context.  When you see what happened to us at the monthly National League of Poker Senior Championship, you'll understand why.

:01 IN: We have K-A, and double the blind to 60.  The flop is 7x-8x-5s.  We make a continuation bet of 50 and get callers.  The turn is As, so we bet 100.  One player calls.  The river is 4s, putting three spades on the table.  We check, and our opponent responds by betting 110.  We dare to call -- and sure enough, he has 10s-Qs.  The running spades give him a flush.

:18 IN: After a series of lousy cards and misses in the blinds, we have J-Q with 505 chips (everyone starts with 1,000).  We play them, but the flop is 6-3-10.  An opponent bets to put us all in, and we have to hold.

:22 IN: We have 8-Q of hearts in the Small Blind.  The flop is 8x-7h-K, so we have middle pair and three hearts.  But an opponent bets 240, and we concede.  (Another heart comes on the turn, but a bigger bet takes the pot.)

:25 IN: We have A-9.  The flop is 8-3-4. We check, as do two other players still in.  The turn is J.  Everyone checks.  The river is 5, and the play checks to us.  Our opponents are the biggest stack at the table and a Big Blind where the player never showed up.  We probably should bet for the pot and force the Big Blind out, but we play it safe and check.  The "M.I.A." player has 3-K, and steals the pot with a pair.

The half-hour break finds us with 285 chips, and a lot of frustration.  Very few playable hands have come our way - and with 678 players remaining, we're #673.  On top of that, poor cards then come in the blinds to knock us down to 135.

:37 IN: We have K-10 of hearts, and try them for the minimum 100.  The flop is Qx-6h-4x.  The big stack bets 730, and we sigh in sadness as we fold.  (He shows Aces.)

:43 IN: After waiting through more hands along the line of 6-2 and 2-3, we're forced to go all-in for our last 35 in the Big Blind.  But we have A-K!  The flop is 4-Q-K.  The turn is 6.  The river is 5.  Two callers have nothing better than J-J, so we stay alive by winning 140.  "Finally," we write.

:49 IN: We have Q-A after folding the Small Blind, and push again with 65 chips left.  Everyone folds except an M.I.A. Big Blind, with only 6-2.  The board is 7-9-7-5-K, and we escape again by winning 195.

:51 IN: We have A-8 under the gun.  We push again.  The flop is 6-10-3, all clubs.  The turn is Qc -- and oh yes, our Ace is a club!  The river is 5, and our nut flush pays off for 540.

:55 IN: After another failed round of blinds, we have K-K.  We push - and the table folds!  Now we're up to 615.

:56 IN: The tide of bad cards clearly is turning, because the next hand brings A-10.  The flop is A-10-8.  We bet the bundle, and everyone folds!  We're nearly back to the starting line at 915.

:58 IN: The Big Blind brings an ugly 7-2.  But the table folds, giving us a walk!  We gladly take a $100 blind bonus.

1:00 IN: We have A-J.  The flop is 8-3-K.  We bet the minimum in hope, and are rewarded with folding.  We win 975.

1:04 IN: After 9-9 in the Big Blind doesn't pay off with bigger cards on the board, the Small Blind brings us 8-A of diamonds.  The flop is 6-8-9.  A player bets the minimum 200, and we call.  The turn is 8.  We respond to another 200 bet by going all-in for our remaining 715.  The opponent calls -- and shows 8-J!  Our kicker card is best, and we win $1,600.

We're thanking God for a big recovery at the second break - from 35 to 1,600.  Now we're in 174th, with 464 players left.

1:10 IN: We return from break with Q-10 of clubs.  The flop is Jc-5s-7c.  An opponent bets 300, and we call.  The turn is Jd, pairing the board.  We call another bet of 300.  The river is 6c - and we say "Yes!" to that.  We go all-in for our remaining 700.  Our opponent calls - but only has 3-J of spades.  Our flush beats his three of a kind, and we jump to $3,650!

1:20 IN: We have 3-A.  The flop is 9-Q-4.  Everyone checks.  The turn is 2.  More checking.  The river is 6, and we offer a minimum 300 bet.  Everyone folds except a M.I.A. player, so we win a sidepot of 825. (The "bot" wins the main pot with K-Q.)

1:29 IN: We have 9-9 in the Small Blind.  The flop is 3-6-K.  Everyone checks.  The turn is 7.  We off the minimum 300 - and the table folds!  With antes now required every hand, this pot is worth $1,725.

1:31 IN: We have J-K.  The flop is 7-A-Q, giving us a big straight draw.  Everyone checks.  The turn is 9.  More checking.  The river is 7.  No one's betting, so we offer the minimum 400.  Players call -- and King high is good enough for a side pot of 1105, and a $530 split of the main pot with an opponent who went all-in with 10-K.

1:37 IN: We have A-9.  The flop is J-10-A.  We bet the minimum 400.  A player calls, going all in.  The turn is K.  The river is J.  Checking continues - but our opponent has 7-8.  He's out, and we win $2,142 to put our total above 5,000!

The third break has us marveling at the mountain we've climbed - from 35 to $5,302.  Now we're in 67th place, with 158 players left.  Can we keep growing?

1:46 IN: We have an ugly 4-7 in the Big Blind, but no one raises.  The flop is K-4-4!  We bet the minimum 600, hoping to lure players in -- but a man with a huge stack raises, and then a third player goes all-in!

We now have another all-in decision, with 3902 left.  We realize our kicker card is weak, but we decide the other players aren't playing with that missing 4.  So we call -- only to discover Mr. Big Stack has K-4!  He hit an amazing full-house flop, and 6-2 on the turn and river won't save us.

The miracles finally run out.  But by not giving up when we had a puny chip stack (even though it was tempting), we end the evening in 147th place out of 880 players.  And we parlayed those 35 chips into an evening-high 5352 -- an increase of 15,291 percent in about one hour!  If only the stock market worked this way....

Poker Night 294: Life's Great at Super 8

The Little Havana section of Miami will hold its annual Calle Ocho Festival next weekend.  Without our planning it, we had an early celebration of our own tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: J-8 of hearts

We've won a couple of early pots, helped by pocket Aces coming in the small blind.  But a couple of chases fell short after that, so now we're in the big blind with about 7,400 chips.  No one at the full table raises ahead of us, so we're happy to check and see a flop.

ON THE FLOP: 8-9-8

And we're quite happy to see this flop!  But we don't wait to bet too much and run players away, so we offer a $400 "tempter."  A woman across from us calls, and then a man to her left raises 1,500.  We think this was a raise borrowing from Foghorn Leghorn in the cartoons -- "Go away, son, you bother me."  We shake our head  in a semi-acting response and call.  The woman calls as well.

ON THE TURN: Q

"Check to the raiser," we say playing first.  We probably moved a bit too cautiously doing that -- because the opponent we thought had nothing might have hit "bigger trips" with that card.  But the two other players in the hand check.  That makes us feel better....

ON THE RIVER: 8

....and now we feel very, very good.  We know we have the winner, so we try to lure our opponents into calling by betting 1,000.  It doesn't work.  They fold, and the raiser quickly turns over the cards before we can say:

"I have quads."  Turning over our 8, no one denies us our quad bonus of 5,000 chips -- not to mention a pot in the 6,000-chip range.  A "big blind special" doesn't come much better than that!

We won a couple more pots after that, including a daring all-in bet in the second hour with A-6 when an Ace came on the flop.  Our pair was best, and knocked a woman out.

Then with the final table in sight after the two-hour break, we went all-in again with pocket Queens.  But a flop of K-J-9 gave a man with K-9 two pair.  No Queen or 10 came for a straight, and that man knocked two players out including us.  We missed the final table by one hand, finishing tied for tenth place (11th in points).

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed a man a card protector depicting the Biblical "last supper" tonight and asked, "What do you think of Jesus?  Is Jesus your Savior?"

The man clearly didn't expect that sort of question, and didn't want to answer it.  "C'mon, man, we're playing poker.  Church is on Sunday; poker is on Thursday."

We were ready to let it go at that, based on a Bible discussion we joined earlier in the week.  A minister leading the study said believers should NOT go around preaching to people all day and all night.  But we couldn't really let this man off the hook that easily.

"But if this was the weekend, and not Thursday....?"

"If frogs had wings, they wouldn't...."  We didn't catch all of the man's response -- but we know it included one expletive, and didn't really answer the main question.

In other words, this man didn't want to bring up matters of faith at the poker table.  But a time is coming when, to borrow from another game, God will demand a final answer.

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.... The Lord will road from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble.  But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. - Joel 3:14, 16

Where will you find a "valley of decision"?  Another Old Testament prophecy indicates it will be a literal place, created by a returning Jesus Christ:

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle.  On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. - Zechariah 14:3-4

The decision many will have to make at that time is whether or not to accept the returning Jesus as King of Kings.  But why wait for that dramatic moment?  You can decide to accept Jesus as your Lord now, and have that ultimate refuge and stronghold Joel mentions.  If you'd like to know more about that, leave a comment; we'll be happy to help you in the process.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 106 final tables in 294 nights (36.1%) - 17 cashes.  We've finished 11th or better in three of our last five nights.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 191 point wins in 828 games (23.1%), 66 final tables, 7 cashes.  Next week will be a big week for us at NLOP, with two monthly championships at stake.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $72,893, down $1.305.