From One Sport to Another

It looks like the poker debate is over -- well, at least one of them.  Poker is not simply a table game. It's a sport.

We say that because of the former sports stars playing it, and succeeding.  Former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo (left) finished deep in the money this week, on a PokerStars Caribbean cruise.  In fact, notice the logo on his shirt-sleeve.  He's apparently joined "Team Poker Stars," which includes tennis champion Rafael Nadal.

He's not the only former athlete who's made the transition.  Former big-league baseball players had their own poker tournament in Las Vegas this week.  And who can forget Orel Hershiser asking defeated poker pros to sign his baseball on TV several years ago, at the National Heads-Up Championship?

We don't know the complete motive for this movement.  But perhaps current and former sports stars play poker for the competitive thrill of it -- providing them another opportunity to be a big winner.

But you might not need to play poker to enjoy such a thrill.  Consider what one Biblical leader wrote:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. - I Corinthians 9:24

The apostle Paul called for a "race" -- and not between A-10 and K-J.  He urged believers to run for some other kind of "prize."  What's he talking about?

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. - I Corinthians 9:27

Paul wanted that "prize" so much that put himself under discipline.  He finally explains what that prize is later in this letter:

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, his Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory...."  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. - I Corinthians 15:54, 57 (NLT)

The ultimate prize is a body "that will never die" - a body with eternal life.  That's offered to you through Jesus, if you run a disciplined race in this life.  And here's the best part: you're not really competing against other people to get it.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Matthew 24:13 (NLT)

We think that means everyone who stands firm. Are you willing to make the transition to this sort of endurance contest -- a race with the greatest prize of all at stake?

Cover-Ups

In our five-year review of live poker last week, we noted several Columbus-area venues have introduced "buy-in" tournaments -- games we admittedly have yet to play.  The reason why came up the other night, without our even mentioning it.

"It's a 'cover charge,' not a 'buy-in,'" one man said of the five-dollar fee.  He explained the wording makes all the difference, in the eyes of the local vice squad.

Cover charges to enter bars or clubs are legal.  A buy-in for a tournament makes it gambling, which is illegal under Georgia law.  (We've entered two buy-in tournaments in Florida, but they were at a state-regulated poker room.)

Speaking personally, we don't any to take part in any illegal poker.  We're reminded from the Bible:

Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)

Of course, we realize some people consider it the "appearance of evil" merely to walk into a bar to play poker.  They would turn to another verse:

"Therefore come out from the and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you." - II Corinthians 6:17

But bars can have "clean things," as well as unclean things.  We've never bought alcohol (which is not necessarily an "unclean thing") at any place where we've played.  We settle for sodas, even though that usually means fewer bonus chips at the table.

(Besides, unclean things can show up anywhere.  A man asked us the other day about smoking pot -- as we played a game of chess beneath a shady tree in our neighborhood.)

Our point is that a good Christian witness should uphold the law -- whether that means the rules of a poker game or city ordinances.  After all....

Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. - II Timothy 2:5

As we write this, the sports news of the day includes the strange case of a baseball pitcher who was thrown out of a game.  Not for throwing at the batters -- but for having an illegal substance in his glove.  


May you be fair and legal in everything you do, whether poker is a matter of work or play.  Follow a Biblical principle of family affairs....

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. - Colossians 3:20

Ace-Rod?

(We might as well take that headline before a New York tabloid does!)

K stands for King at a poker table -- and that can be good.

K stands for Strikeout in baseball -- and if you're a hitter, that's not good.

Today brought news of a possible "pocket pair." New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez is under investigation for possibly taking part in illegal high-stakes poker games -- including one session with none other than "poker brat" Phil Hellmuth.

Rodriguez's agent denies it happened. But people already are making comparisons to Pete Rose -- so we ask: what if the evidence reveals "A-Rod" did play poker?

Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics played in World Series of Poker events this summer, before and after the National Basketball Association lockout began. UFC fighters play in online and in-person tournaments on a regular basis. So you tell us -- is it wrong for baseball players to do it? What other thoughts do you have on this story?

For now, we'll offer only one -- really not an original one....

Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)

Almost Perfect

Wow - can we ever relate to Armando Galarraga right now. The Detroit Tigers pitcher could have.... no, SHOULD have had a perfect game Wednesday night. But with only one out to go, the first-base umpire ruled a Cleveland batter safe on a close play. TV replays show the umpire was wrong, the batter was out and Galarraga should have been perfect.

After what happened to us Monday night with cracked "quad Queens," we want to swap stories with Galarraga. And we'd want to commend him for how he handled the moment -- with a smile and forgiveness, as opposed to anger and frustration.

Has there ever been a "perfect game" in a poker tournament -- where someone wins every single hand, and rolls over the competition. If there was, please let us know. But we doubt it. The way cards are dealt, the odds of perfection are too astronomical to contemplate.

So perhaps some Christians are intimidated by these words of Jesus: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Other people who are thinking about following Jesus might read those words, declare it impossible and walk away.

But in a way, perfection is possible. Not in the way we might humanly think of it, though. We posted a Bible study on the topic a couple of years ago, which might help you understand.