Poker Day 580: Seven-Ups

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

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

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

BLINDS: 200/400/50 ante

IN THE POCKET: 7-7

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

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

ON THE FLOP: 3-5-7

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

ON THE TURN: 8

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

ON THE RIVER: Q

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poker Day 579: Rocket Test

They say any two cards can win a poker hand. But let's be honest: some cards are better than others, and are more likely to win. That thinking was tested today, when we joined a Friday morning deep-stack tournament at Jack Casino in Cincinnati....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades-Ace of clubs

Starter cards don't come much better than this! And we're in the starting position for this hand, sitting to the immediate left of the Big Blind. So we apply an old strategy: limp early, bet late. We call. A man across the table to our left raises to 1,200. A young man across and to our right calls. Other players to our right fold.

What would you do in our situation? This looks like a perfect moment to three-bet. We raise to 3,400. Others who tried to limp in now fold. The man who raised thinks it over, then calls. So does the man to our right. So three players are in.

ON THE FLOP: Q-5-6

Harmless looking to us! Still in lead position, it's time for the stereotypical continuation bet.

"I'll be consistent," we say - and bet 3,400 again. The man to our left gets the hint, and folds. But the young man to our right dares to take us on - and raise to 10,000.

What could this be about? We don't think he has pocket Queens, because he probably would have three-bet pre-flop before we did. We conclude he's overconfident with A-Q, so we go for it.

"I'm all-in," we say. A few early wins gave us a top score of 29,900 chips from a starting 25,000. We do this from a hand-starting total of about 26,000.

"I'll call," he answers - as we expected, given his raise. "Two pair."

Whaaaaattt? He turns over 5-6! Phil Hellmuth might call him a "donkey" on the spot. We don't. That's not our way. Instead, we hope for cards to bail us out. Preferably a Queen, for a better two pair. Another 5 or 6 will give our opponent a full house.

ON THE TURN: 2

No help there. One card to go, and we count five outs.

ON THE RIVER: 3

It's a painful, stunning loss. Our opponent's big gamble gets a big payoff, and we leave the table after only an hour of play - eighth out of nine players at our starting table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man to our right wondered if he could promote an upcoming local church festival with a poster in the poker room.

"They won't let you," the dealer quickly responded. This is a casino, not the corner store.

But that didn't stop us from promoting our upcoming festival, by word of mouth. "The church group I attend is planning a big festival in October," we said. It's so big that a hotel in Cincinnati has been reserved for it.

The other man was intrigued, so we explained. "It's called the Feast of Tabernacles, based on the Old Testament - and it runs for eight days."

Have you heard or read about this event? It's mentioned several times in the Bible. Even Jesus attended it....

But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.... after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. - John 7:2, 10

Don't be fooled by that "Jewish" label. For one thing, Jesus Christ 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

For another thing, the Biblical command to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (which has several names in Scripture) was given to all the tribes of Israel - all the way back at Mount Sinai:

...Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. - Exodus 23:16

Several churches in our area have weekend "festivals" during the summer. This festival is commanded by God and lasts an entire week - with an eighth-day holy day to wrap it up (Leviticus 23:36, 39).

If you'd like to know more about this "fall Feast," it's not too late to join in - and there are places to celebrate it around the world. Many groups will start it off with a Sunday night worship service on October 13. This independent site explains what the Feast of Tabernacles is, and how to find a location near you. (We've even played poker during it, and sometimes done very well.)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 222 final tables in 579 games (38.3%) - 48 cashes.

Poker Day 578: Hit and Miss

A change in our work situation allows to play in daytime poker tournaments for the time being. That led us today to Hollywood Casino Indiana, where we had a tough act to follow - since the husband of one of our nieces made the money at the World Series of Poker Main Event the night before. Could we match or top that?

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 9-3 offsuit

So far today, we haven't matched anything.An aggressive play with A-Q suited lost to a man with a 10 who made a pair on the flop. We've dropped from a starting 12,000 chips to about 9,200. This normally would be folding time for us - but we're in the Small Blind and no one's raised at a full table of nine. We dare to call, since it only costs 50 more.

ON THE FLOP: 5-6-7

An interesting "island" flop for us. We can connect to a straight with a 4 or an 8. We check, and a man to our left offers 300. We call, and we recall four players still remaining.

ON THE TURN: 4

There it is - we hit the straight! We're first in order, and slow-check. But the man who bet before now throws out 800. Other players are calling, and now this becomes a cliché: Be careful what you wish for, because you might really get it.

We're pretty sure the bettor has an 8, for the better straight. Why else would be bet? Our "under-straight" now has us underwhelmed. "I'd better not," we say.... and fold.

ON THE RIVER: 8

Wow! We would have hit the straight both ways. And we could have topped the straight on the board, with our 9! No one bets now.

"I'm playing the board," the man who bet first says. No one had a 9, so we could have claimed a big pot. So the final score: two hits - but a big miss. And it all seemed so logical.

We finally won a good pot to reach the first break at 9,925. Hour Two brought a huge round in the blinds, as A-5 won with two pair and 8-J turned into a full house. We reached a high for the day of 18,100, and reached the final table at 15,400.

Our second-break total was 14,100, as we missed eliminating a man at the end thanks to a 7 on the river. Then came a couple of good hands which lost - and with blinds mounting, we finally went for it all with K-J. A man who was hitting big cards and amassing a monster stack of chips called.... with K-Q of spades. Of course, he hit a flush. That left us out in seventh place, out of 19 entries. Only the top two earned money.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man to our right at our starter table claimed at one point that he's gained the nickname "a**hole." We told him that didn't sound very nice.

"At least he's publicity," he said. "Any publicity beats no publicity, right?"

"Satan the devil's had a lot of publicity," we answered. "And I don't think it's going to turn our well for him in the end."

That seemed to go over the heads of everyone - but do you grasp what we're saying? A lot of people talk about the devil. In fact, they may be under the devil's sway without realizing it.....

..But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. - Revelation 12:12

Satan (which we believe is really an "it," not a male "him) has spiritual control of this world right now:

The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.... - Revelation 12:9

But God sent someone to Earth to turn us away from Satan, and back to Him....

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. - I John 3:8

Jesus came as the Son of God, and overcame the devil by living a sinless life. But the work of Satan won't truly be destroyed until Jesus comes again with His angels....

And I saw an angel coming down from heaven.... He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.... - Revelation 20:1-3

As many preachers have said about the Bible, if you read to the back of the book, believers win. God will win. Jesus will win. The devil's P.R. machine will go bust, like our K-J did today. Is that what you're seeking - even in this life?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 222 final tables in 578 games (38.4%) - 48 cashes.

Poker Night 577: Over the River and To the Whoa

"Are the rules for tournament poker different in Canada?" we asked jokingly as we sat down for a Sunday evening game. "Like, maybe, an extra card on the river?" - a reference to Canadian football having three downs, compared to the U.S. four.

"Since you're American, you get only one hole card," a man to our left replied.

We traveled about 300 miles north of our home to Caesars Windsor Casino, across the river from Detroit. Our main goal was to see firsthand how people mark Canada Day on Monday. if poker winnings can help us pay for the trip, all the better.

With a strong exchange rate, a 65-Canadian dollar buy-in ($5 more for 500 bonus early bird chips) is less expensive than our home casinos. And no, the Texas Hold 'em rules aren't really different. The only quirk was that after a few levels, the player with the button had to ante the Big Blind amount. If only we could make it that far, on the Sunday night of a holiday weekend.... 

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: Ace-4 of spades

An early try failed, so we start this hand with about 6,750 chips. These are suited. At least one card is high. So why not call? About four other players at the table of nine join in.

ON THE FLOP: Ad-Qh-6h (third card not precise)

There's our Ace. No one is betting. So we offer 175 at the pot. That chases most people away, except for a woman to our right who calls.

ON THE TURN: Ah

We may be in Canada, but now we're a "triple A" member. But there's one problem. Three hearts are showing. Our opponent checks to us. We raise the bet to 250. She calls. Uh-oh.

ON THE RIVER: 4h

Big-time uh-oh. It's a fourth heart! Our opponent checks again, and we have to hit the brakes and check with care to avoid a trap. She turns over Kd-Jh.

"You hit the flush," we say with a bit of disappointment. So the pot goes to....

"You've got a full house," the joking man to our left points out. Why, yes - yes we do! We never noticed it until he said it!

"You have a case of early-game jitters?" a man across the table asks. We didn't think so. We simply were looking for one thing (in this case something bad) - but the river brought an unexpected nice surprise.

That win improved our chip stack to a high of 8,800. But it was our best showing of the evening. Not many good cards came, but clever betting "stole" us a couple of pots with modest hands. We reached the first break after 90 minutes with 6,075.

Things didn't get better from there, as A-7 and A-8 were drowned by pre-flop raises. Finally with 2,300 chips left, we went all-in with A-J. That won us a split pot to stay alive. But minutes later, we were all-in for a 300 ante with pocket 2's. While we had a diamond to make a flush, another player had higher diamonds to top us. Final result: about 40th place, on a night with about 105 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Late in the tournament, we tried limping in for 600 with something like J-10 suited. That had unexpected consequences, as a man on our left folded a better hand.

"I had Ace-9," he explained later. "And I know you're supposed to push with that. But he [us] limped in, so I couldn't do it."

We didn't explain what we had, but we responded generally. "Thank you for having mercy on me," we said with a smile. "A famous book says mercy rejoices over justice."

We added a question to the players about what that book might be. We think a man to our immediate right knew. Regular readers of this blog ought to know - and we admittedly didn't word it quite correctly:

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. - James 2:13 (NASB)

It's easy to point fingers and mock new poker players who make "rookie mistakes." It's another thing to take a moment to counsel that player about what they did wrong, or how they could play better. Remember that judgment will come someday for how you handled both big moments and small ones:

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.... - Hebrews 9:27 (NASB)

Whose judgment? The judgment of God's Son:

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you set at nought your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. - Romans 14:10 (KJV)

Yet here's the amazing thing: you can turn that judgment seat into a "mercy seat". It starts by repenting of your sins, seeking God's forgiveness and help in walking in a holy way.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. - Matthew 5:9 (NLT)

What are you showing in your life - and what kind of seat do you prefer?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 221 final tables in 577 games (38.3%) - 48 cashes.

Poker Day 576: Power Outage?

It's a stormy weekend in the Cincinnati area - and even though the rain had stopped, we lost electricity at home during our morning prayer. But we'd already planned a Sunday morning trip to Jack Casino, hoping to repeat our last success there. Would timing the trip for Father's Day work to our advantage?

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Queen-10 of hearts

A slow-arriving crowd allowed us to claim a few small pots in the first period. Now we're in the Big Blind with six at our table, and about 24,000 chips. A man sitting on our immediate left leads off with a raise to 1,000. Everyone between us folds.

"OK, OK," we say. We'll defend and call.

ON THE FLOP: 3c-8h-9h

This is a flop with lots of promise - all the way to a straight flush. But our opponent makes a continuation bet of 3,000. We sense he has a strong pocket pair, like Q-Q. But with hope, we call.

ON THE TURN: 4d

That's not the right answer for us. And we could pay for it, as our opponent throws out 6,000. Now we know he's trying to run us off, and we're still not convinced he's hit the board. It's a big risk, but with potentially big reward. So we call. Any heart or a Jack....

ON THE RIVER: 6d

Aargh! We struck out. Now our opponent goes all-in, and there's no way we can call it.

"I swung, but I missed," we say as we fold.

"So did I," he answers - and shows K-7 of diamonds! He was bluffing all along. But he still would have topped us, if we had called.

That loss was a crippler for us. We never won another hand, and went all-in with 2,700 left when we saw J-J. But a man who called with K-7 caught a King on the flop. Father's Day was not our day, as we're the second player out at our table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Are you an electrician?" a woman near us when she saw our card protector. We get that question a lot, when we bring out our electric adapter.

On this day, it was inspired by the power outage at home. But we added our usual explanation: "This reminds me that I receive power from the Holy Spirit of God."

The woman seemed to understand what we meant. She said she's attended a "Power and Purpose" conference the previous weekend at a Catholic university in eastern Ohio. She considered it very helpful.

"Our church congregation marked Pentecost last weekend," we noted. That's a celebration of the Holy Spirit that actually has Biblical roots, as we mentioned here recently:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.... All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. - Acts 2:1-2, 4

What sort of "power" does the Holy Spirit provide? Among other things, it gives us the courage to speak about God in a poker room....

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

In the days of the early church, that power was evident in more than flames of fire (Acts 2:3)….

...By the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. - Romans 15:19

That woman had spoken before the game about escaping damage from recent tornadoes in southwest Ohio. We can't say for sure, but perhaps it was a case of God miraculously intervening.

When in doubt, we recognize God as our powerful King who can do powerful things through His Spirit. It certainly beats trying to claim credit yourself - right?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 221 final tables in 576 games (38.4%) - 48 cashes.
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Poker Night 575: Power Trip

A recent post here mentioned a poker pro who suggested an aggressive "three-bet" approach to pre-flop success. It sounds good in theory. But does it really work? We tested it Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana….

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 10-10

It's the second round of blinds, and we haven't won a pot yet. This fairly big pocket pair is in the Small Blind. A man across the table from us raises to 300. We see these cards, and it's testing time.

"Raise - 675," we say.

Three other men are in the running. The Big Blind folds. The man who made the first raise calls. The third player folds. So there's no guaranteed success - yet.

ON THE FLOP: 7-4-4

A second pair, in our view - and a good-looking one, because it's low. We're first to act, and decide to keep up the pressure with a bet of 700. Our opponent thinks for a moment.... then folds.

OK, it worked! And it really worked later in the evening, when we bet with 404 after a flop of 9-6-3. That won us a big, stay-in-the-game pot. Slow growth in the first hour fell prey to bad betting on our part late. We reached the first break at 9,800 chips out of a starting 12,000.

A straight with 8-7 was part of a second-hour comeback for us. Our stack approached 25,000, but then more setbacks came including a blunder to a man with a 6-high full house. Yet we survived to the second break at 12,100, and built back to make the final table at 16,000.

Once there, we survived one all-in moment as the field dwindled. Then a young man saying some wild things admittedly distracted our focus (more on him below). But as the third break arrived, we had A-2 and an Ace on the flop. When another player bet 10,000, we went for it all with 7,100 left. But he had A-7, and the 7 played when nothing else paired.

So as we told a co-worker earlier in the day, "I'm due to lose."  No money came on this night - but it was a strong fifth-place finish on a night with 19 entries.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our final table included a young man who sounded like a follower of conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones. For instance, he made questionable claims that the space agency NASA founded Google, and is not a U.S. government agency. He went on to say some people "want a one-world government, and it's not going to happen."

"I think a one-world government is going to come," we responded. "Only someone bigger than you and me will bring it. Jesus will set it up."

Why do we say that? Because the Bible indicates it....

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." - Revelation 11:18

How will this happen? Through the work of some dominating church group converting people? The Bible shows something else - the personal intervention of Jesus Christ. In fact, He predicted it....

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. - Matthew 25:31-32

The young man said he believes in a "Christ consciousness," but has his doubts that Jesus really lived in the flesh. Yet on a day of Pentecost long ago (we're still working on that counting topic from our last post), Jesus's disciple Peter declared....

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.... God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact." - Acts 2:22, 32

The resurrected Lord was seen by 500 people during one appearance (I Corinthians 15:6). Yet that young man at the final table needs more proof from that. We'll have more of our fascinating discussion with him in upcoming posts. But in the meantime, will you accept the promise that Jesus finally will bring a united government to a divided world?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 221 final tables in 575 games (38.4%) - 48 cashes.

Tight Vs. Might II

Our last post looked at the idea of playing poker aggressively - and whether a believer in God and Jesus Christ should do such a thing.

King David wrote psalms praising God for making him a strong fighter. And there were times long ago when God called on ancient Israel to go to battle against other countries. Here's one famous example....

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.... the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." - Joshua 6:2, 5

The walls "came a-tumbling down," to borrow from a classic song. But at least one fighter sinned against God in the process, so God did not grant victory in the next battle (Joshua 7:1-5). So one key issue in being aggressive (we're emphasizing poker here) is whether you're living properly under God's rules.

Another issue is self-defense. We go back to King David for this....

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. - Psalm 35:1

"I will defend the Big Blind," we've said in a poker room more than once - trying to sound noble as we do. This brings up a key point: letting God fight your battles....

With him [the king of Assyria] is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles"... - II Chronicles 32:8

Examine yourself and pray carefully, to be sure God is on your side. Leaders of ancient Israel did this often, before taking cities or countries.

The problem with aggressive three-betting is that other poker players might have watched the same video you did. They'll over-aggressively four-bet, leading to a game of (to borrow from the judge on the People's Court) "Quien es mas macho?" That can be devastating, if you don't have the best hand.

In a similar way, Jesus didn't fight His arrest because He knew He had ultimate backing - which was part of His purpose for being on Earth in the first place:

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? - Matthew 26:53-54

The death of Jesus was planned long in advance, in Heaven. So was His resurrection. So is His return, promised throughout the Bible. You don't have to fight for it now (something attackers on mosques and synagogues sadly don't seem to grasp). Wait for the moment in God's timing, then seize upon it - whether you're in the Big Blind or the big moments of life.

You Be the Judge

The flop was nice: a pair plus a straight draw. Our opponent bet about 500, and we called.

The turn was better - a 6, giving us a straight! But our opponent bet an even larger 3,000. And oh yes - three spades were showing.

This moment required some thought. The "better" hand in this case was not the best possible hand - and what if he had it?

"I'm going to assume you've got it," we told him. And we folded.

"I'll show you one of my cards," the talkative man responded. He turned over a 9d - and with two 9's showing, that gave him at least three of a kind. But certainly not a flush.

Did we throw away the winning hand? At that moment, we thought so. Minutes later, he seemed to confirm it, commenting: "My three 9's topped you."

"Welllllll," we answered, "your three 9's won the pot."

The dealer sitting next to us picked up on that, even if our opponent didn't. "He bought you off the pot," he said.

 "You have rightly judged," we told him. And in that hand, we apparently did not.

Our quote to the dealer came directly from the words of Jesus, at the end of a short parable:

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed 500 pence, and the other 50. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most." And he said to him, "Thou hast rightly judged." - Luke 7:41-43 (KJV)

Poker is a game that combines skill and luck. But it's also a game of judgment. Is your hand really better than someone else's at any given moment? If someone makes a bet to convince you otherwise, is your opponent betting from strength or flat-out bluffing?

In the parable, Jesus asked Simon to make a conclusive judgment based on a short story. That alone might surprise some people, who are quick to quote another short phrase of Jesus:

Judge not, that you be not judged. - Matthew 7:1 (KJV)

Hold on - is Jesus talking out of both sides of His mouth here? Why would He command not judging, then call for a judgment by other people?

Perhaps the answer lies in reading beyond that one verse in Matthew....

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. - Matthew 7:2

This verse indicates Jesus expected people to make judgments. If we're honest with ourselves, we all do it frequently. In another place, He said so directly....

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. - John 7:24

In other words, "judge not" by what you simply see. Go deeper and do some careful thinking before making your decisions. This concept extends far beyond a poker room - to the friends you make, the place where you live and much more.

If you're having difficulty in poker games, maybe you should ask yourself: am I using good judgment? Am I using any judgment at all? Then ask God for His wisdom to help you judge things in a right way.

Poker Night 572: Well AJ-usted

Our last trip to Hollywood Casino Indiana was a confusing mess, with a "six game mix" tournament. Wednesday night, it was back to basic Texas Hold 'em. Maybe that's too boring for some people....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Ace-Jack of spades

How slow was it Wednesday night? So slow that cards weren't even dealt until 18 minutes were off the clock! Not enough people were at the two tables for play. But the usual latecomers eventually arrived to get things going.

Now we've folded a blind, and have our best cards so far. But we see these nice cards sitting in the leadoff seat. We limp in, and a couple of people at the table of five call.

ON THE FLOP: Jh-10x-Qx

A high-end flop gives us a pair and a big draw. Other players check, so we don't wait. We bet 400. One man calls, while the other folds.

ON THE TURN: 5h

This card seems harmless, but what is our opponent holding? We check for a clue. He checks. So much for that.

ON THE RIVER: 6h

This complicates matters, because now three hearts are showing. We could keep it slow, but decide aggression is the better response. We bet 500, and get a call. If he has a Queen....

"Jack with an Ace?!?" we say hopefully.

"You're good," he answers! He never shows his cards, and we take a nice pot.

Patient waiting for good cards paid off after that, as our stack grew - to 13,825 at the first break, then a near-high of 25,800 heading to the final table! But then big cards turned back for us - as A-K lost to a woman with 6-6, and A-J lost when the same woman with 608 caught an 8 on the river.

With five players left and our stack down to only 3,800, we saw 2-2. One player was all-in for much more, but we decided we couldn't wait for something better. We made it two pushes at the same time - but a man with (we believe) Q-8 hit a bigger pair, and took us both out.

Only the top two made money in a night with 16 entries. Bbut we finished strongly in fifth place (officially; by our reasoning tied for fourth).

MINISTRY MOMENT: At one point, we pretended to cool off a man who was winning hand after hand. "He's on fire," we said.

Surprisingly, that led the dealer to mention the recent devastating fire at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Something's been on our mind about that.

"What surprised me about Notre Dame Cathedral was how many people acted like their grandpa had died," we told the table.

"It's like if the Washington Monument caught fire," another player explained. He pointed out that monument is a symbol of the U.S., as the cathedral apparently is to France. (We visited Paris years ago, and don't recall anyone ever mentioning it as an icon for tourists.)

We understood the man's point. But we responded, "It's a very nice building - but ultimately, it's just a building. It's going to be rebuilt. They're worshiping the creation more than the Creator." That comes from the King James Version of this verse:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. - Romans 1:25

We've heard ministers apply this version in a number of ways - going after environmentalists and animal rights supporters, among others. But religious people can do the same thing, if they aren't careful. God's hand can be seen in nature or great art - but that does not mean the nature or art should become our god.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.... Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's design and skill. - Acts 17:24, 29

The other poker player seemed to understand our point as well. "But try telling that to the Catholics," he replied. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church seems to put a lot of emphasis on icons - such as the "crown of thorns" in the Notre Dame Cathedral that the ministers there presume came from Jesus Christ.

Our point is simply this: put God first. Not a minister. Not a church building. Not a national or local politician. As Jesus put it....

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Mark 13:31

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 218 final tables in 572 games (38.1%) - 46 cashes. We're currently at six finals in nine tournaments this year!

Mercy-Me

The man to our left bet big on the flop. Then he bet bigger on the turn. We called the flop with A-K, but decided the turn bet was too much because our cards had not paired.

"I'll be merciful toward you," we said as we folded.

"Actually, if you were merciful, you would have bet," our opponent responded.

He then disclosed he had K-Q, and his Queen had paired on the flop. And you know.... he had a point there about mercy.

"So I had mercy on me," we admitted with a sense of humor. After all, a call could have set us up for a bigger loss.

Is that how mercy works with you? Are you merciful toward yourself, and not the people around you - in a poker room or otherwise? That's not really how it's supposed to work....

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.... We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.... if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. - Romans 12:1, 6, 8

To borrow from a radio talk show host, God has treated us much better than we deserve. That's because....

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

We deserve nothing but death for our sins (Romans 6:23). But God had mercy on us, before any of us were born....

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5

We become "alive with Christ" by repenting of our sins, being baptized and receiving Jesus in us through the Holy Spirit.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. - I John 4:15

If you haven't accepted God's mercy, there's no better time than now - by accepting Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer for your sins. If you have accepted that mercy, pass it on to others in a cheerful spirit. There's no better time to be a godly example.

Poker Day 569: Ace is Enough?

On this Presidents' Day, we hoped to set a personal precedent. We've never made the money in a tournament on this holiday - although we did on a Sunday of the holiday weekend in 2014. With an extra-high buy-in of $90, we drove to Hollywood Casino Indiana and gave it a try....

BLINDS: 75/150

IN THE POCKET: A-6 offsuit

We won a couple of small early pots, and still stand around the starting line of 15,000 chips. No one at the full table raises, so we call. About six players are involved.

ON THE FLOP: 8-A-8

Two pair looks good - and perhaps looks obvious, if we bet. But when the play checks to us, we offer 300. That chases all but one man away; he calls to put us heads-up. We're admittedly a bit concerned about our 6 kicker.

ON THE TURN: Q

Now we're not - because that Queen becomes the kicker. Our opponent checks, and we bet 300 again. He calls again. Hmmm - is he hiding a third 8?

ON THE RIVER: Q.

Now it gets interesting. Two pair are on the board, with the best possible kicker as well. But a full house is very possible. Our opponent checks, and we carefully do the same.

"Three pair," we declare as we show. Our opponent.... discards without showing! We win a healthy pot, and guess he might have had a different pocket pair (maybe 10-10?!).

We hit a high of 15,175 chips with that win. But it all dissolved away in the next 20 minutes. A-K came our way three times, and it never worked for us. The last straw came with a flop of Ks-Jc-9c. Our King was a club, but a 1,200 bet was greeted with a raise to 4,200. A third club on the turn led the raiser to bet 7,000 - nearly everything we had.

After thinking it over, we called with conceivably a lot of outs for a flush. But our opponent turned over A-A - including the Ace of clubs, which topped ours. Our only hope was a King on the river, and it didn't come. We headed home early, out first at our table with a stinging loss.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The table talk turned at one point to Sunday's Daytona 500 stock car race.

"Joe Gibbs Racing finished 1-2-3," a man across the table pointed out.

"And that website on the car probably crashed minutes later," we said humorously. A sticker on the car referred to a tribute to the son of team owner Joe Gibbs, who died in January.

"He obviously was a person of faith, based on the cross on the logo," we added. "And we all should be people of faith."

J.D. Gibbs made a commitment of faith as a teenager, through a ministry called Young Life. If you're a youth or young adult reading this, we recommend giving your "young life" to God.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them." - Ecclesiastes 12:1

You may think matters of faith and religion are simply for old, retired people. But they're not. In fact, Jesus started His ministry as a young adult....

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years of age when he began his ministry.... - Luke 3:23

The Lord died about three years later - crucified before turning 35. Given that Biblical truth, why should you wait for gray hair to appear before committing yourself to a relationship with Him? That day might never come.

But perhaps you're on the opposite side - old and filled with gray hair. It's not too late for you to become a "person of faith."

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? - Job 12:12

You may have seen enough of this life to know how ugly and sinful it can be. The wise course is to turn to a better way - a godly way.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.... - Acts 3:19

As long as you have life, you can turn to God. Is there really a better place to put your faith?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 216 final tables in 569 games (38.0%) - 46 cashes.

Jack Cash Game: A World Without Love

Our last live cash game was more than three years ago in Canada. It did not go well. Tonight, we decided to try again at Jack Casino - because of what day of the year it was. We'll explain that in time, but first let's sum up whether this cash game did any better....

BLINDS: $1/$3

IN THE POCKET: A-9 offsuit

It's "Main Event" season for poker tournaments at Jack. Dozens of players are in action there. That actually leaves room at a cash game table for us to walk right in with $200 in chips.

After some modest entries and losses, we now have pretty good cards. A man down the table from us raises to 11. We won't back down; instead we call. Five players at the table of six are in; we gain button position.

ON THE FLOP: 6d-4h-7d

A pretty drab flop, especially considering how many players are involved. The first man goes all in.... for a "Price Is Right" style bid of one dollar. The dealer rules since he doesn't have the minimum three, other players don't have to bet if they wish. None of us do; we check.

ON THE TURN: Jh

Everyone in front of us checks again, so we decide it's time to reach for the stars.... uh, pot. We bet six. Two players call, while one folds. (And remember, the one-dollar bettor remains all in.)

ON THE RIVER: 3d

This card opens the door for a lot of things - and none of them are good for us. The man who bet 11 to start things off now offers 20. Is he bluffing, with possible straights and flushes out there?

We don't risk it. We fold. So does the other man with chips. The aggressive player turns over.... pocket 5's! His straight landed on the river, and eliminated one player.

Most of the night was like that for us. We won two pots back-to-back without reaching the river, then turned J-10 into a nice full house. But by and large, our speculation was in vain. We finally left after more than an hour with a loss of $119. Going to the blackjack table didn't help; we lost $55 more there.

MINISTRY MOMENT: There was none on this night. None at all. And that was intentional. Regular blog readers may know the reason why. The rest will find out why in our next post. (Hint: it has to do with our title.)

Poker Night 568: Four-warned?

Driving to poker night in six-degree F. cold was challenging enough. But as we crossed the Ohio River toward Lawrenceburg, Indiana Wednesday night, a light on our dashboard starting blinking. We'd never seen the "tire light" blink before.

"I'm heading to a poker night, but I'd don't want to gamble with my tires," we told a man at an automotive shop where we stopped. The man understood, and a check showed our tires simply needed a little air. (The blinking was something else, which we'll explain another time.)

With that service done for free, we drove on to Hollywood Casino Indiana. Would warning lights abound as we returned to night tournaments?

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 4-4

We won an early pot with A-10, which topped a man's A-8. But slow losses after that (including one with A-K) have put us at about 10,500 out of a starting 12,000. Now we have a small pocket pair in the Small Blind. The table of six isn't betting. So we choose to trap and call. The Big Blind checks, so we're heads-up.

ON THE FLOP: 4-3-Q

Four the win! A third four plays exactly into our strategy. Small Blind plays first, so we check. Big Blind bets 200. We call, of course.

ON THE TURN: K

No worries to us. Our patient play continues, with another check. Now Mr. Big Blind offers 425. We call, of course.

ON THE RIVER: 10

We have no idea what out opponent has. But he's betting, so we'll let him do it again with another check. This time, though, he checks as well.

"I hoped you'd bet again," we admit as we show "trip fours." Our opponent folds without showing a thing.

"At least I only lost 625," he admits. His wariness of us was correct, and that saved him a larger loss.

We reached the first break with 11,525 chips. A slow drain continued after that - but with only 16 players in action, we made it to the final table with 9,200.

After two players dropped out, a man bet 6,000 with us in the Big Blind. We saw pocket Queens and naturally called. So did a third player - and that man turned a 4 into his own "trip fours" on the river. Our big winning hand turned into our big loser, and we drove home with eighth place and no more blinking lights.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One young man at our starter table is chewing Nicorette gum, to overcome a tobacco habit.

"It beats smoking, I guess," he said. We agreed with this. Lots of things are better than smoking, especially for your body.

"We're all gonna die of something," he added. We agree with that, too. But that gave us a thought.

"And after you die.... what happens?" we asked.

"Most likely.... nothing."

"But what if there's a judgment?" we followed. "There very well could be."

Some ministers would say that response was too soft. We should have spoken in more convicting faith. because the Bible has no "could-bes" about this:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.... - Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)

People unaware or unaccepting of God have no real knowledge of this. That's because they haven't seen it directly. But a Christian should have faith in God, but in what He plans to do for people after this physical life is over.

For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead. - Acts 17:31 (NLT)

These words originally said to the generation alive after Jesus Christ was resurrected. Some of them may have heard about it. But other people who actually saw the risen Savior may have still been living witnesses to it. Jesus will come back to judge. But there's some good news about that, back in Hebrews....

...So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him. - Hebrews 9:28 (NASB)

People who "eagerly await" Jesus strive to live a life free of sin. They repent, if and when they do sin. They long for salvation and eternal life, and the Bible promises they'll receive it. Other people who expect "nothing" after death are in for a rude surprise. Why take a chance with that? Isn't the better course to accept salvation through Jesus now?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 216 final tables in 568 games (38.0%) - 46 cashes.

Poker Day 566: Flop-House

We arrived at Hollywood Casino Indiana today for an unusual (for us) Tuesday midday tournament, then discovered we could pick up a nice consolation prize.

A snack shop across the hall from the casino was offering free dessert, to mark National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! This was a $4.95 value - and c'mon, how many casinos offer free ice cream? If only we could survive to the first break, and not have to wait around for the coupon….

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

At this point, the ice cream coupon is secured. It's the middle of Hour 2, after we overcame an early setback with pocket Kings to close Hour 1 at 13,475 from a starting 12,000 chips. We tend to fold K-10 when blinds go up and things get risky. But these are suited, so we try them. Two other players at the table of eight call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-K

No clubs. But no problem! We build an instant full house! A man to our right plays first, and offers 1,200. This reminds us of our last tournament in Kansas City.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly. The third man can't; he folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. This time he checks. We want him to stick around and keep feeding our beast, so we make a hesitant-looking bet of 1,500. He calls. We're glad about it.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We should have the TV "check-mark" at this point. Now our opponent is ready to bet again - but backs off a little, to 1,100.

"No," we say. "Not enough." Forgetting it's an ice cream day, we raise to 3,100. Will our opponent take the dare? After a moment.... he does!

Then we remember the famous words a man said to oust us at a Alabama poker night years ago. "I flopped it," we say. When we show the full house, our opponent folds without showing.

"Was it that ice cream?" another player asks.

"I haven't eaten the ice cream yet," we answer with a smile.

Thankfully, the ice cream had to wait a long while. Big timely cards kept coming our way - never pocket Aces, but several winning A-K's and a couple of successful flushes. We ballooned to 36,200 after two hours of play. then reached the final table at 42,200.

Marvelous moments kept happening there. Even though we fell to 32,200 at the three-hour break, we won a sidepot with A-10 and made a big flush with 6 of hearts. Then we had three hands of 3-3 4-4 and 3-3! The first pocket pair was blown up for a full house on the river, but the other two led to double-ups - and we survived to the final three, to make the money!

After a few hands of chip shuffling, we asked a question. "Is it time to say 'chop'?" The other two men agreed to that. We wound up with $360 - seven times the $70 buy-in! We were thankful for God's guidance in making money. And since it's January, we were able to drive the free ice cream all the way home to enjoy later.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we turned over 6-6 at the final table, one talkative opponent declared: "Satan's hand."

"Actually, that's three sixes," we said in correction.

"You'll need three sixes," he predicted in response.

That man turned out to be wrong, as the 6 of hearts led us to a winning flush. But this is a reminder that some people don't know the Bible as well as they think. Let's review his reference....

Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18 (NLT)

Many people have made guesses about what 666 means. We will not do that here. But the prophecies of Revelation indicate the future "beast-man" will require everyone to worship it, and receive some kind of mark for trading (verses 15-17). But believers in the true God should do something else....

….This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. - Revelation 13:10 (NLT)

You don't have to wait for an end-time beast to come to do these things, you know. The best time to start practicing these traits is now:

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. - II Timothy 2:12-13 (NLT)

By the way, there's one other 666 in the Bible - the size of a Israelite family (Ezra 2:13). We didn't find any 66's in the text. But there's one big overarching one - as the standard Bible has 66 books! Can you name all of them? And even more importantly, have you read through all of them?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 214 final tables in 566 games (37.8%) - 46 cashes. Since we crossed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've had 31 finals in 66 tries.... not far from 50 percent!

Poker Day 565: Six-Packed

The gambling this week actually began on Monday morning - simply by getting in the car. We decided to take advantage of a partial government shutdown by traveling west to see relatives. But we knew if a shutdown was announced at any point, we'd have to turn around immediately and hurry back to our regular job.

But by midday today, there was no settlement. So we drove to Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City, where the midday "Fat Stack" poker tournament costs $60 - a bargain, compared to our home area. Would the successful risks continue?

BLINDS: 600/1,200

IN THE POCKET: 6-6

We made good early gains, advancing from a starting 12,000 chips to about 20,500 at one point. We reached the first break at 16,400. Now we're at level 7, still above "sea level" at about 14,500 chips. Sitting one off the button at a table of seven, we limp in with a medium-small pocket pair. A couple of people call.

ON THE FLOP: K-K-6

WOW! We hit it big, with the underside of a full house. The opponents check to us. But we'll wait on them to jump offsides, and check as well.

ON THE TURN: 6

DOUBLE WOW!! Now we have quads! But a man to our right bets 1,200. For a moment, we realize he could be slow-playing pocket Kings. That would be an awfully bad beat. But we see absolutely no reason to fold.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly with a nod. We soft-sell a call, putting us heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: 4

A worthless card for a moment like this. It all depends now on what our opponent does. Will he bet bigger, perhaps to attempt to scare us away?

No.... he simply checks. So now it depends on us. How much can be bet to encourage a call and maximize our gains?

"How about..... 2,300?" we ask as we bet.

If our opponent really had pocket Kings, he'd bet them now. Instead, he thinks things over for about a minute. Then he softly folds.

"Very good decision," we tell him - and show the quads we had. It's actually the second quads hand at the table today, and others are impressed.

"You could do 12," a man to our right says in an imitation of our line.

"I really could," we say with a big nod. It's still a good and much-needed win, getting to 18,400.

But then came level 8 - and when a man across the table pushed, we saw A-K and took him on. His pocket 5's won the race, and threw us onto the ropes. A couple of all-in wins on our part brought a recovery to 10,000 at the second break.

With added antes and higher blinds in Hour 3, we dropped to 2,600. "Final table" was called as we looked at Big Blind cards of A-10. We decided they were too good to wait. We pushed into two callers. But the board didn't pair for us, and a man with K-9 hit a King on the river. We finished tenth out of 24 players, but missed the final table because we never played a hand there.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The pre-game talk turned to the partial government shutdown, which today reached Day 19.

"The problem is that both sides think they're God," one man said.

"That's why I'm praying to God," we replied, "that He'll show both sides the right end to this."

There's been a lot of debate about the main issue in the shutdown. But we haven't heard anyone call for the country to appeal to God about it through prayer. Perhaps that's because many people want "their side" to prevail. Yet shouldn't we do this?

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." -Matthew 6:9-10

We've heard some preachers combine verse 10 into one phrase - asking for God's Kingdom to come to Earth. That's a proper thing to seek in prayer. But the NIV puts a comma after "come", making the part about God's will a separate thought.

Maybe that's what scares some people. They don't really want God's will in their lives, because it might require making some major changes. Yet Jesus took the concept all the way to the end of His life...

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

Jesus repeated that prayer twice, in the moments before His arrest (verses 42-44). Yet God the Father did not intervene. It was His will that Jesus endure mocking, torture and crucifixion.

This leads us to ask a hard question. Are you willing to accept God's will for your life - even if that will is not what you want? If, perhaps, He doesn't want you to play poker anymore? Dare to pray it, then trust God for whatever answer He provides.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 213 final tables in 565 games (37.7%) - 45 cashes.

Coming Out of Darkness

Some professional poker players don't stop their gambling at the poker table. They make bets on other things - sometimes quite outlandish things.

One strange recent case involved Rich Alati, who was offered $100,000 if he stayed in a bathroom for 30 days. A bathroom with no lights - the only "extras" being a bed, an unlit refrigerator and five cameras watching him.

It sounds like something out of solitary confinement at a prison or a concentration camp. Yet Alati endured it so well that the man who offered the bet settled for about $62,000 after 20 of the 30 days. (How they negotiated this while Alati was in the bathroom is unclear.)

We find this fascinating because, whether you realize it or not, we're all doing this to some extent. We're living in a dark place....

But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over. - Proverbs 4:19 (NLT)

This may seem like an enlightened age, with technology which was only a dream 200 years ago. But the Bible says wickedness and sin have darkened this world....

And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them.... God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. - Jude 6 (NLT)

That "darkness" is not some mythic underground world. Sadly, it's here on Earth - where we are (Revelation 12:9).

But the good news is that we don't have to stay in darkness, like Rich Alati did. God provided a big "out" for us....

And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world.... John 3:19 (NLT)

It's more than sunshine by day, or the moon by night....

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)

Following Jesus is a walk out of wicked darkness, into light. And the payoff is far better than $100,000 - it's eternal life.

Alati hasn't made many final tables in his career, but has healthy winnings from tournaments. Now he also has a place in poker trivia, which could lead to more stardom. But we challenge you to do the opposite of what Alati did. Come out of this world's darkness - and stay there.

For more on this topic, listen to a short message we presented in 2017.

Poker Day 564: Going Up

The drive from our home to Jack Casino today was the fastest yet - only six minutes. But then came a jolt, and the day's first big decision.

"That's $120," the cashier said.

The normal price for a morning tournament is $80. So we wondered if this was a special New Year's event. Sadly, no. Without any advance notice (it's not yet posted on the casino website as we write this), Jack started a new 2019 poker schedule today. Morning tournaments will cost either $100 or $120, based on the day of the week.

"The price of playing poker just went up," we told a man sitting to our left as we reviewed the schedule. And this time, we did not mean higher blinds. But we paid the buy-in, anyway - and suddenly found ourselves in one of those higher-priced Jack tournaments. Could we make it worth the trouble?

BLINDS: 50/100/100

IN THE POCKET: Ace of clubs-Jack of spades

Oh yes - the rules for the morning tournament have changed as well. Now it's a "Big Blind Ante" game, with the player in the Big Blind paying an extra ante. In this hand, that's us. A few early feelers have failed, but this game also lets us start with 25,000 chips and 20-minute blinds.

So we can be patient - but not with these cards. No one raises, so we go up to 500. Three players at the table of seven call.

ON THE FLOP: Jc-9c-6s (last two cards may not be precise)

Top pair + top kicker = green light. "I'll bet the big one," we say - as in 700 chips, borrowing from a legendary Cincinnati radio station. Two men across from us call, but the fourth one folds. We think they're speculating, and we're in front.

ON THE TURN: 7c

This puts three clubs on the board. But we still have top pair, and one more club would give us the nuts. So why wait? We bet 1,000. The other guys call again.

ON THE RIVER: 2h

Are the flush-chasers happy or frustrated? We need to know, so we bet another 1,000. A man across from us calls; the other opponent folds.

"He has a Jack," we say as the other man shows.... J-10. "And I have a Jack." But our kicker is superior, and we win several thousand chips.

A few big gains in the first period (now one hour, 40 minutes) brought us to a high of about 30,500. But we reached the break at 24,625. Then a couple of all-in wins kept us going in the second term, including an A-10 which beat A-7. But we had a precarious 18,100 at the second break.

The third term brought a dramatic win over a man with a huge stack, as our K-K beat his Q-Q. That allowed us to reach the final table at 29,600. But then we pushed again with A-J of hearts. That same man had pocket 7's, and they won the race.

We finished in tenth place out of 33 players, with money only going to the top four. We left thankful to make a final table against what we consider quality competition. But if Jack is going to keep the poker prices high, we'll be making many more drives to the competition in Indiana.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One awkward part about the Big Blind Ante format is that the ante doesn't always match the Big Blind. That requires a lot of shuffling of chips among players to make correct change.

After one such shuffle in our Big Blind where we lacked change, we told the dealer, "To borrow from an old song: 'From whence, from whence shall come my help?'" In this case, another player provided the change. "But ultimately," we added, "my help comes from the Lord."

"That's where my help comes from, too," the dealer said. Hooray - someone else who looks to the Lord! But is that where your help lies? If not, consider this....

I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:1-2 (NLT)

This world teaches a self-reliant spirit - that you should take charge of your own life. Poker games reinforce that, because no collusion or tag-team action normally is allowed. But there's a problem with that. We can't live forever.

It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate.... The living at least know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing.... - Ecclesiastes 9:3, 5 (NLT)

Life can look very helpless - but it doesn't have to be that way. Believers in God and Jesus Christ should have a hope that help is coming....

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13 (NLT)

The believer's hope is in a resurrection to eternal life when Jesus Christ returns. May that hope fill you in the months and years to come. What other hope beyond this life do we really have?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 213 final tables in 564 games (37.8%) - 45 cashes.

Poker Night 563: We - One King

'Twas the night before.... naaaah. We won't annoy you with hackneyed lines about the night of the year when we're posting this. We'll simply say that we picked a good night to play poker at Jack Casino. And we picked some good moments to get tough....

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: A-K offsuit

One reason the night was good for us was because only eight people showed up for tournament poker. (As we told a man in the cashier line: "Don't people realize you're supposed to go to the casino on December 24th?") We've won a few small pots, but with no big breakthroughs.

Now we have "big slick" in the Big Blind. A woman around from us raises to 1,500. We've taken her on in the Big Blind before tonight and won. So we announce, "I will defend the Big Blind" - and call. We're heads-up.

ON THE FLOP: 5c-8s-Ks (suits may not be precise)

With top pair and top kicker, we decide to turn defense into offense. "Two-thousand," we bet. Our opponent nonchalantly calls.

ON THE TURN: 10c

This puts two of each black suit on the board. We don't think our opponent is pursuing a flush. But we also don't think she's suddenly sandbagging pocket Aces. So we maintain the attack until we're proven wrong, and bet 2,000 again. She calls again.

ON THE RIVER: 2h

We doubt this card would help anyone - especially someone chasing a flush. So we offer 2,000 once more. This time, she gives it some thought.  But after a moment, she calls.

"King with an Ace," we say and show.

The woman.... folds! She never shows what she had. (We're guessing something like pocket Queens or Jacks.) It's a big win for us, and a devastating blow to her; she's eliminated by someone else on the next hand.

We scored another huge win a short time later, when A-10 turned into a full house on the river to beat a man with a straight. With no one in a mood to rebuy, the field quickly fell to three - and even with the small turnout, Jack decided to pay three players. That meant money for us! But how much?

Our stack stood at 24,275 at the first break, then grew to 33,000 after that. One man admitted he was trying to maximize monthly poker points, and was in no mood to chop the prize money. So we pressed on, and called his all-in bet when our K-Q made two pair on the river. BUT.... we didn't notice three diamonds on the board. He had two more.

His flush knocked us out in third place. We won $96 - only $16 more than our buy-in. The Tournament Director said he wouldn't blame us if we didn't tip the dealer. So we didn't - and hopefully will remember that next time. In the meantime, we're happy to have our sixth cash of the year!

MINISTRY MOMENT: It didn't happen tonight. On purpose. Regular blog readers probably know the reason why. If you don't, check an upcoming post which will explain.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 212 final tables in 563 games (37.7%) - 45 cashes. Since moving to our new home, we've made the money five times in 30 tournaments, or one out of every six!

Poker Night 562: Better by the Dozen?

"We're at table 12 on 12/12," our dealer properly observed at Hollywood Casino Indiana Wednesday night. "And we start with 12-K" - as in 12,000 chips.

In fact, one donut chain called it the "Day of the Dozens" and offered a special discount. But instead of driving there after work, we drove to Indiana. The five-dollar buffet special was (pun intended) a more well-rounded meal. But would the number of Jesus's original disciples (Matthew 10:1) and the tribes of ancient Israel (Revelation 21:12) have deep meaning for us? A test of that came early....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 6-6

We joked with the dealer before the tournament started about playing A-2 (sort of like 1-2). But 6 + 6 = 12, right? So in the first few minutes, this pocket pair is a must-play! With no one raising, it's even better. As we remember, three players at a slowly-growing table of eight are in.

ON THE FLOP: 10-8-2

Not much to brag about there - and no one is betting. So we toss out 125, hoping for a quick win. Except one player calls; the others fold.

ON THE TURN: 8

The board pairs. We have two pair. Our opponent now checks. But what if he has a third 8? We decide to be cautious, and check as well.

ON THE RIVER: Q

Finally a face card - and our opponent acts on it. He bets 300. We suppose he could have been waiting for that. But we conclude this is a "test your mettle" bluff, maybe with Ace high. We call. Are we right?

The other man shows.... 10-5! There was no bluff. He hit top pair, and simply waited us out to win the pot.

But on this night, more good cards came. Our stack went up and down, but was a healthy 17,575 at the first break. Hour Two was worse, with bad decisions leaving us at the edge of the cliff with 6,700. But then came Hour Three - and back-to-back pushes with A-Q and A-J led to double-ups, and a total of 24,800!

After we lost to A-K to a man's pocket Aces, we reached the final table with 17,400. But setbacks struck as blinds went up, and finally we pushed again with King-Queen of spades. A man with A-J pushed first and won the race. On a night with 21 players (come to think of it, that's the reverse of 21), we finished a respectable seventh. (Only the top three earned money.)

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that a pager or a pencil sharpener?" a dealer asked at one point about our card protector.

"It's a reflector," we explained to our table, holding up the small red item we'd taken before. "It's a reminder to me that I should reflect the light of Jesus Christ."

Perhaps you've been a bit confused about that light. Two Bible verses can seem contradictory at first reading....

But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world. - John 9:5 (NLT)

Jesus called Himself "the light." Yet He also declared....

You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. - Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

So which is it?

Actually, it can be both. And that's where our reflector comes in. We can reflect the perfect light of Jesus to other people. As one great song puts it, believers can "shine like the moon" which reflects the sun shining on it. Jesus seemed to understand that:

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)

If you hold a flashlight close to a mirror, the intensity of the light should be stronger. So how closely do you follow Jesus's life and example?

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. - I Peter 2:21 (NLT)

That's the part of "following" which might scare some people. Not everyone appreciates God and Jesus Christ. They might put you down, and occasionally even beat you up. But reflecting God's goodness now will be rewarded someday with eternal life. Upon reflection, isn't that worth it?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 211 final tables in 562 games (37.5%) - 44 cashes.

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.